Yecheng Ruins

Yecheng Ruins

The Yecheng Ruins are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Yecheng Ruins

The Yecheng Ruins are located in Yecheng Town on the north bank of the Zhang River, 20 kilometers southwest of Linzhang County. It was a famous ancient capital of six dynasties in Chinese history and is now regarded by historical geographers as one of China's seven great ancient capitals. It is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and was selected in March 2001 as one of the top 100 archaeological discoveries of the 20th century in China.

The Yecheng Ruins are divided into the Northern Yecheng and Southern Yecheng. Although the two cities were built in different periods, their overall layout is rigorous and rational, making them renowned capitals of the Six Dynasties. Due to the high and flat riverbed of the Zhang River and frequent flooding over the years, the river changed its course multiple times, causing repeated damage to the site of Yecheng. Among the above-ground architectural remains, apart from the relatively well-preserved Jinfeng Terrace of Northern Yecheng, the other structures such as the Copper Sparrow Terrace, Ice Well Terrace, and remaining buildings were destroyed by floods and warfare, buried underground.

Northern Yecheng was first built during the Spring and Autumn Period under Duke Huan of Qi. During the Warring States Period, it belonged to the State of Wei, where Ximen Bao served as the local magistrate and controlled the river by casting out witches. In the Han Dynasty, it was the seat of the Wei Commandery, and at the end of the Eastern Han, it was the base of Yuan Shao, Governor of Jizhou. After the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao and captured Yecheng. In the 18th year of Jian’an (213 AD), Cao Cao was granted the title of Duke of Wei and made this his capital. This marked the first dynasty — Cao Wei — for which Yecheng served as a capital. At that time, Yecheng underwent large-scale construction, spanning seven li from east to west and five li from north to south. The outer city had seven gates, while the inner city housed palaces, government offices, gardens, and more. Three grand terraces (Jinfeng, Copper Sparrow, and Ice Well) were built on the city walls. At that time, Yecheng was filled with halls, pavilions, towers, and terraces scattered throughout, adorning the vast capital in colorful, elegant, and classic styles. Cao Cao’s 16 years in Yecheng made it the political, military, economic, and cultural center of northern China at the time, and the famous Jian’an Literature was born here.

In the first year of Huangchu during the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei (220 AD), Cao Pi established Luoyang as the capital, but Yecheng remained one of the five capitals, referred to as the Northern Capital. During the Western Jin Dynasty, Yecheng was mainly a garrison for the imperial family. In the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin, later states including Later Zhao (329–350 AD), Ran Wei (350–352 AD), and Former Yan (357–370 AD), as well as the Northern Dynasties’ Eastern Wei (534–550 AD) and Northern Qi (550–577 AD), all made Yecheng their capital.

Southern Yecheng is located south of Northern Yecheng, right next to it, with the southern wall of the Northern City forming the northern wall of the Southern City. It was built in the first year of Yuanyang of Eastern Wei (538 AD). The city spanned six li from east to west and eight li from north to south, adding an Eastern Market and Western Market compared to the Northern City, expanding the commercial and residential areas. The number of city gates increased to 14, facilitating transportation. Meanwhile, luxurious structures such as the Changhe Gate, Taiji Hall, Zhaoyang Hall, and Xian Du Garden were newly built. By the time of Northern Qi, Southern Yecheng underwent further expansion and improvement, surpassing the former Northern City in scale, decoration, and form, becoming a renowned capital in history and the center of Buddhism in northern China.

Both Northern Yecheng and Southern Yecheng were destroyed by warfare in the final years of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Most of the ruins are now submerged by the Zhang River. Above ground, only fragmented remnants of city walls, the Jinfeng Terrace remnant, and the southeastern corner of the Copper Sparrow Terrace remain. Various artifacts have been unearthed from the site, including armor, horse armor, weapons, building components such as tiles and tile ends, as well as carvings and coins.

As an ancient capital of the Six Dynasties during the Wei-Jin and Northern-Southern Dynasties periods, Yecheng holds a glorious position in the history of Chinese urban architecture and can be regarded as a model of Chinese city planning. The entire city emphasized axial arrangement, with neat and symmetrical palaces and streets, a rigorous structure, and clear zoning. This layout approach connects the past and influences the future profoundly. Especially, it has great reference value for the construction of later capitals such as Chang’an, Luoyang, Beijing, and even Japanese imperial architecture.

The Three Terraces of Yecheng from the Cao Wei period — exquisitely built and uniquely styled — are scenic highlights within the city and also the birthplace of Jian’an Literature.

Originally named Jinhu Terrace, the Jinfeng Terrace is the southernmost of the three terraces. It was built by Cao Cao in the 18th year of Jian’an (213 AD) during the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, when Later Zhao made Yecheng its capital, the name was changed to Jinfeng Terrace to avoid the naming taboo of Emperor Shi Hu, and a golden phoenix was installed on the terrace. Historical records state that the terrace was eight zhang tall, with 135 rooms. The existing rammed earth ruins of Jinfeng Terrace are relatively intact, measuring 122 meters long from north to south, 70 meters wide from east to west, and 12 meters high. On the southern side of the terrace stands the Wenchang Pavilion, built in the eighth year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1651 AD). The pavilion’s stone tablet pavilion houses many inscribed tablets by notable figures, including the Yuan Dynasty’s “Yecheng Jinfeng Terrace Dongqingguan Founding Stele,” whose tablet top is carved with six intertwined dragons, exhibiting an elegant and unique style with high artistic value. To the north of the stele corridor are fifty-three stone steps; climbing them leads to the top of Jinfeng Terrace.

The Copper Sparrow Terrace is located north of Jinfeng Terrace and is the main terrace among the three. Built by Cao Cao in the 15th year of Jian’an (210 AD), it is ten zhang tall with over a hundred rooms. It served as a place for Cao Cao to feast and compose poetry with literati, as well as for entertainment with concubines and palace maidens, and for discussing military strategies. Cao Cao once received and hosted the famous female poet Cai Wenji, who returned from the Xiongnu, on this terrace. The Copper Sparrow Terrace has been the subject of numerous literary works by notable figures throughout history. Among them, the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu wrote the famous line in his poem “Reflections on the Copper Sparrow Terrace”: “Had the east wind not favored Zhou Yu, the Bronze Sparrow Terrace would have locked the Two Qiaos deep in spring.”

The Ice Well Terrace is located at the northernmost end of the three terraces. Built in the 19th year of Jian’an (214 AD), it is eight zhang tall with 140 rooms and is named for the ice storage wells on top. The wells are fifteen zhang deep and stored large quantities of ice, coal, grain, salt, and other supplies for emergencies. During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the buildings on the terrace were burned down, and in the late Ming Dynasty, they were destroyed by the Zhang River. No above-ground remains exist today.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units