Mao'er Mountain Ruins

Mao'er Mountain Ruins

The Mao'er Mountain Ruins are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Period: Shang Dynasty

The ruins are located about 12 km south of Pucheng County, approximately 1 km northeast of Xianyang Town, and around 250 meters northwest of Xiayang Village. Artifacts and remains are distributed across Mao'er Mountain and surrounding hills, covering an area of about 1 million square meters.

In September 2005, when construction began on the Pucheng section of the Beijing-Taiwan Expressway, archaeological surveys were conducted and approval was obtained from the National Cultural Heritage Administration. A joint archaeological team composed of the Fujian Museum, Nanping City Museum, and Pucheng County Museum carried out rescue excavations of ancient cultural sites along the expressway route. By 2006, a total of 2,250 square meters had been excavated, uncovering nine early Shang pottery kilns, two Neolithic tombs, 21 Shang Dynasty tombs, as well as ash pits and other features, along with a large number of stone tools, pottery items, and pottery fragments.

Among the nine pottery kilns discovered at the site, one is circular, six are oval, and two are sloping rectangular (dragon kilns). The dragon kilns are 5.56 meters and 5.38 meters long respectively, with slopes between 4–10°, similar to the Shang Dynasty dragon kilns at Lijiashan in Shangyu, Zhejiang, but predating them and demonstrating more primitive characteristics. The pottery unearthed in the kiln sites mainly consists of black-coated stamped hard pottery, including jars, zun (wine vessels), cauldrons, basins, dou (bean-shaped vessels), and cups. These are consistent with pottery found in nearby tombs, residential ash pits, and similar to artifacts unearthed from Shang Dynasty sites across northern Fujian. The discovery of early Shang primitive dragon kilns is the first of its kind in China. Moreover, the concentration, large scale, and variety of kiln types at this site, along with their stratigraphic relationships such as superposition and cutting, provide valuable physical evidence for studying the origins and developmental evolution of early kilns, especially dragon kilns.

In May 2013, it was designated and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Xiayang Village: Xiayang Village is located in the central part of Pucheng County, bordering Xianyang Village to the east, Kengyan Village to the south, Xuan Yuan Village to the west, and Zaotian Village to the north. It is 15 kilometers from the county seat, covering a total area of 3 square kilometers. The village comprises six natural villages and 10 villager groups, with a population of 1,750 and 475 households. The village has 316 kilometers of paved roads, and the Punan Expressway passes through the village.

Xiayang Village has achieved the "Four Connections" project. The village collective raised funds to build a senior activity center, and family planning efforts have reached first-class standards. In 2005, the Mao'er Mountain in our village was archaeologically excavated to reveal ancient Shang Dynasty dragon kiln ruins... More details about Xiayang Village++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Provincial-Level Archaeological Site Parks in Fujian Province

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Fujian Province

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units