Ruan Dun Site

Ruan Dun Site

The Ruan Dun Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Ruan Dun Site is a typical platform-type cultural site from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. It is located 20 kilometers northwest of Fanchang County in the town of Xingang, Dongwei Administrative Village, approximately 1.5 kilometers northeast. Bordered by the Yangtze River to the north and ancient river channels of Yangni River on all sides, the platform rises 4 meters above the ground surface and covers an area of about 12,000 square meters, featuring the unique natural environment of the Jiangnan water towns.

Since 1983, multiple surveys and trial excavations at the Ruan Dun Site have uncovered a large number of pottery shards from the Shang and Zhou periods, including vessels such as li tripods, steamers, jars, bottles, dou stems, pots, and bowls. In addition, numerous stone tools, proto-porcelain, bronze artifacts, and copper slag were also discovered. The cultural layer at the Ruan Dun Site reaches a depth of 4 meters, and large areas of red burned earth and thick layers of ash are exposed along the cross-sections around the site—evidence of frequent human activity in ancient times.

Investigations and trial excavations at the Ruan Dun Site indicate that it was an important site in the Anhui region along the Yangtze River during the Shang and Zhou periods. The site is extensive, well-preserved, and rich in stratified artifacts. In the 1970s, farmers unearthed over one hundred kilograms of copper blocks from a burial mound near Ruan Dun. Based on this evidence, it is likely that this area was once an ancient city site, providing significant scientific material for the study of Shang and Zhou history in the Jiangnan region.

Protected Area: The current extent of the site itself, covering an area of 11,037 square meters.

Construction Control Zone: 20 meters east to Yangni River, 50 meters south, 50 meters west, and 40 meters north to Yangni River, beyond the protected area.

Xingang Town: Xingang Town is one of the central market towns in Wuhu City, Anhui Province (a national open city), under the jurisdiction of Fanchang County. It administers two neighborhood committees and ten administrative villages. With a total area of 77.1 square kilometers—including 4.2 square kilometers of town area—it has a population of 52,500.

[Historical Evolution]

The territory of Xingang was successively under the states of Wu, Yue, and Chu during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. In 223 BC, the 24th year of the reign of Qin Shi Huang, after the defeat of Chu, the Chu Commandery was established, and Yanzai Township was first built. During the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Quejiang Town. In the Shengyuan era of the Southern Tang Dynasty, five townships of Nanling were carved out to re-establish Fanchang County... More information on Xingang Town++