The Ancient Tunnels of Bozhou

The Ancient Tunnels of Bozhou

The Ancient Tunnels of Bozhou are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancient Tunnels of Bozhou are located in the old city area of Bozhou, in the northwest of Anhui Province.

The ancient tunnels were originally underground military passages built by Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period to connect the inside and outside of the city. Most of the existing sections were rebuilt during the Song Dynasty and are made of brick, featuring arched ceilings constructed with brick vaults. There are two masonry techniques used: flush joints and interlocking joints. The tunnel walls are built using either single-row stretchers or headers. The brick flooring is mostly made of flat bricks laid in a staggered horizontal pattern, though there are also a few sections paved with vertical bricks in a cross pattern. The discovered tunnels extend over 4,000 meters, centered around Dayushou, and branch out toward the four city gates in the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest, also leading outside the city. The tunnels come in four types: single-path, parallel, double-deck (upper and lower), and three-dimensional intersections. There are also “cat-ear” niches that can accommodate 1–6 people. At tunnel turns, the layout is T-shaped, and various obstacles are installed, including obstructive arches, barrier walls, traps, and leg-snagging boards (or sticks). The command center is located at Dayushou, with a ground plan in the shape of the Chinese character “工” (work). It is 10 meters long from north to south, with an octagonal flat-roofed main room 2.5 meters wide at each end, connected in the middle by a trapezoidal passage that is 2 meters wide at the top and 1.4 meters wide at the bottom.

Artifacts unearthed from the tunnels include clay pellets, thunderstones, iron swords and knives, arrowheads, iron lamps, mouth bits, bronze mirrors, pottery, porcelain, and inkstones, dating back to the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties. In 2001, the Ancient Tunnels of Bozhou, recognized as ancient architecture from the Eastern Han and Song dynasties, were included in the fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Protected area: 10 meters on each side of the tunnel.

Construction control zone: 50 meters beyond the protected area on all sides.

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units