Remains of Bangcheng City in Dunji

Remains of Bangcheng City in Dunji

The remains of Bangcheng City in Dunji are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Anhui Province.

The remains of Bangcheng City in Dunji are located in Sishui County, Suzhou City, dating back to the Neolithic Age through the Shang-Zhou and Qin-Han periods.

Bangcheng is located within Dunji Town of the county. According to the "Annals of Sishui County": "More than 20 li southeast of the county seat, on the eastern bank of Shiliang River. During the Chu-Han contention, the Hegemon-King Xiang Yu stationed his troops here, building an earthen fortification, hence the name. No traces remain today." In 2006, a field investigation by CCTV's "Journey Through China · Into Suzhou" revealed that Bangcheng was not "no traces remain today." Upon actual measurement, the city had a perimeter of 1,200 meters, covering an area of approximately 76,000 square meters. Due to the long passage of time along with natural erosion and human excavation, the city walls vary in height, but the site remains clearly identifiable. The surviving parts of the wall reach a maximum height of about 6 meters and a minimum of about 1 meter. A moat surrounds the city walls. On the eastern, southern, and western sides, the city walls, which stand about six to seven meters high above the surrounding land, are well preserved. The walls are overgrown with miscellaneous trees and weeds, and there is also a footpath running through them. The moat still has intermittent water, and its traces can be faintly discerned. Pottery shards and bricks and tiles from the Qin and Han dynasties can be found all over the walls.

According to an August 2006 investigation by the "Journey Through China · Into Suzhou" team from CCTV’s Channel 4, this Bangcheng is the best-preserved among the three similarly named cities in the Huaibei region. The "Sihong Combined Annals" record: "Bangcheng is more than 20 li southeast of the city, on the eastern bank of Shiliang River. During the Chu-Han contention, the Hegemon-King Xiang Yu stationed his troops here, building an earthen fortification." Investigations inside and outside the city uncovered pottery fragments from the Warring States period and remnants of bricks and tiles from the Qin and Han periods in both the ground surface and soil layers. This indicates that the city’s timeframe aligns with the Chu-Han contention, corresponds with the nearby Hanwang Terrace, about ten li to the west, and confirms the historical fact that it was a garrison site for Xiang Yu’s troops.

In 2012, the remains of Bangcheng City in Dunji were designated as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units by the People’s Government of Anhui Province.

Protected area: 20 meters beyond the boundary of the site itself.

Construction control zone: 50 meters outward on the east, south, and west sides beyond the protected area, and 100 meters outward on the north side.