Nanya and Shanchang Ancient Tomb Complex

Nanya and Shanchang Ancient Tomb Complex

The Nanya and Shanchang Ancient Tomb Complex is a cultural heritage protection unit of Fenghua District.

The Nanya and Shanchang Ancient Tomb Complex is located in Nanya Village and Shanchang Village, Xiwu Subdistrict, Fenghua City. In November 1987, it was designated as part of the fourth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units by the Fenghua Municipal People’s Government.

Nanya is about two kilometers north of Baidu. Starting from Nanya and following the foothills of Jinwei Mountain southward all the way to Shanchang, numerous ancient tombs are buried within a narrow, elongated slope area approximately two kilometers in length and about two hundred meters in width, collectively referred to as the ancient tomb complex. Several formal excavations of ancient tombs have been carried out here. The 1973 excavation of the Liang Tianjian-era tomb in Shanchang unearthed many pieces of celadon pottery. The 1978 excavation of an ancient tomb in Nanya containing a brick inscribed with the date “Xiping 4th Year” produced a celadon jar, which pushed back the history of celadon production in China by at least two hundred years. This jar, with its glossy and lustrous glaze, was designated a national first-class cultural relic. It was exhibited as a rare unearthed treasure at the “National Exhibition of Rare Unearthed Cultural Relics” and was included in the compilation “National Collection of Rare Unearthed Cultural Relics.” The 1991 excavation of a Han Dynasty tomb yielded bronze mirrors, ancient coins, iron swords, and also a relatively large and uncommon lei vessel. Excavation of another tomb dating from the late Han to the Three Kingdoms period uncovered dozens of artifacts, including a pair of uniquely shaped bird-form cups that were rarely seen in the eastern Zhejiang region.

Additionally, sites with traces of ancient smelting activities have been discovered in this area. The hills around here are scattered almost everywhere with rubble from Qin and Han dynasty bricks and shards of stamped-pattern pottery. Sometimes cultural layers can be found accumulated on broken slopes. This place was once the site of the ancient state of Jinzi and also served as the county seat of Yin County during the Qin and Han periods. Today, the ancient town of Baidu still retains place names and relics such as the military training ground, the Chenghuang Temple, and Jincheng Mountain.