Site of the Ancient Xinyang City

Site of the Ancient Xinyang City

The Site of the Ancient Xinyang City is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Site of the Ancient Xinyang City is located 17 kilometers northwest of Jieshou City, Anhui Province. Commonly known as Yinchengzi, it covers an area of 136 mu, with the site being approximately 1.5 meters higher than the surrounding plains. In 1998, the site was designated as a fourth batch provincial-level cultural relics protection unit by the People's Government of Anhui Province. The city existed from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Three Kingdoms Period, lasting for 1,000 years. Due to its location in the Central Plains, it was a strategic military location and was ravaged by wars repeatedly, thus forming a history of rise and fall on its own.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the city was part of the State of Cai and was called Xinyi. As recorded in Zuo Zhuan·Duke Zhuang’s Tenth Year: “The State of Chu defeated the Cai army at Xinyi,” referring to this place. The Qin Dynasty established it as Xinyang County, under the jurisdiction of Chen Commandery. The name “Xinyang” comes from the Xinsui River. According to the Commentary on the Water Classic·Yingshui Annotation: “The Xingou Canal flows eastward from north of the Ying River. The county lies north of the river, hence Ying Shao said the county is on the sunny side of the Xinsui River.” Since “Xin” and “Xin (Xinyi)” have the same pronunciation, the original name of the river was likely Xinyi, which was changed to Xinsui after the Qin Dynasty established Xinyang County on its site. Today, there are two small streams to the east and south of the Xinyang City site, converging southwest of the ancient city, matching the historical geographical layout.

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Chen Sheng led a peasant uprising but was betrayed and killed by Jiàng Zhuāng. In this critical moment, Chen Sheng’s former attendant Mi Qi organized resistance in Xinyang, launching two successful campaigns to reclaim the capital at Chen Commandery, reversing the situation, stabilizing the rebel forces’ position, and boosting morale. King Huai of Chu appointed Lü Chen as Situ in charge of logistics and supplies, and his father Lü Qing as Ling Yin to assist in governance. Together with other rebel forces such as Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, they eventually overthrew the Qin Dynasty.

1. During the Chu-Han Contention, after Liu Bang decisively defeated Xiang Yu at the Battle of Gaixia, Lü Chen and his father Lü Qing surrendered to Liu Bang. The following year, Liu Bang declared himself emperor and established the Han Dynasty. He then enfeoffed Lü Qing with Xinyang County as a marquisate, transferring it to Yuzhou Commandery. In the fourth year of Emperor Hui’s reign (191 BC), Lü Qing died, and Lü Chen succeeded him as Marquis of Xinyang. The title was later held by four generations: Lü Yi, Lü Ta, Lü Shan, and Lü Tan, until it was abolished in the fifth year of Emperor Wu’s reign (112 BC), when it reverted to Xinyang County. 2. The reason Liu Bang enfeoffed Lü Qing as Marquis of Xinyang was not to reward his and Lü Chen’s achievements in the anti-Qin struggle, but to maintain the rule of the Western Han Dynasty, recognizing their defection from Chu to Han — “In the fifth year of Han (202 BC), he initially joined as Ling Yin.” 3. In the second year of Emperor Cheng’s Hongjia era (15 BC), Liu Yong was enfeoffed here as Marquis of Xinyang. In the second year of Emperor Ping’s Yuanshi era, his son Liu Ji succeeded him, but the marquisate was soon abolished and reverted to Xinyang County. 4. In the seventeenth year of Emperor Guangwu’s reign during the Eastern Han Dynasty (41 AD), Xinyang was reassigned to Huaiyang Kingdom. 5. Soon after, Yin Jiu was enfeoffed here as Marquis of Xinyang. His son Yin Feng succeeded him, but in the second year of Emperor Ming’s Yongping era (59 AD), it was abolished and reverted to Xinyang County. 6. In the first year of Emperor Andi’s YanGuang era (122 AD), Xinyang County returned to Yuzhou Commandery from Huaiyang Kingdom. 7. During the Western Jin Dynasty, the county was abolished.

The rich history has left behind abundant cultural remains at the Site of the Ancient Xinyang City. The ancient city had gates on all four sides and was surrounded by a moat. Local farmers have discovered a large number of artifacts during farming, including various types of coins such as Ghost-Face Coins (Yongquan Qian), spade coins, Han Banliang coins, Han Wuzhu coins, Wang Mang’s Buquan coins, and Xiaoquan Zhiyi coins. On January 5, 1974, a “Daquan Fifty” coin mold was unearthed at the site. It is square, with each side measuring 7 cm. Other finds include bronze vessels, painted gray pottery, Han bricks, tubular tiles, Han stone mills, deer antler fossils, as well as slag traces from copper smelting and iron casting. All these indicate the political, military, and commercial significance of Xinyang City at that time. Not far to the west and north of the site are two large mounds, which are likely the burial sites of the marquises of Xinyang enfeoffed during the Han Dynasty. Due to the site’s location in the Yellow River flood plain, it has suffered repeated water damage, and most artifacts are buried underground, awaiting further excavation. According to local elders, during the Xuantong era of the Qing Dynasty, a stone stele was unearthed at the site, inscribed with the seal script “Han Xinyang Feng Yi.” Bronze arrowheads were also found bearing the name “Feng Yi.” In the spring of 1985, a square bronze seal inscribed “Xinyang Chang” was excavated at the Jiangkou Ancient City site in Yingshang County, Anhui. Feng Yi was a general of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and he has a biography in the Book of the Later Han. He was from Fucheng in Yingchuan (present-day Yuanyang, Henan). There was no Xinyang County in the Han Dynasty; the Jiangcheng site in present-day Yingshang County was the seat of Shen County during the Han era. “Xin” and “Xin (Xinyang)” share the same pronunciation. Could this “Xinyang” refer to “Xinyang”? And why was the “Xinyang Chang” square seal not found at the Xinyang City site but instead turned up in the Jiangkou City site in Yingshang County? These questions warrant further research.

Protected Area: The site itself and the edges of the city walls, extending 433 meters from north to south and 375 meters from east to west.

Construction Control Zone: 450 meters from east to west, 500 meters from north to south.

Source of Information: People’s Government of Jieshou City, Anhui Province

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