Eastern Xianxian Shang Dynasty Site

Eastern Xianxian Shang Dynasty Site

The Eastern Xianxian Shang Dynasty Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Eastern Xianxian Shang Dynasty Site

The Eastern Xianxian Shang Dynasty Site is located in and around Dongxianxian Village, Nanshimen Township, Xingtai County. It lies south of Qili River and is slightly elevated compared to the surrounding areas. The site stretches approximately 970 meters from north to south and about 780 meters from east to west, covering a total area of around 750,000 square meters. It is an important Shang Dynasty site, second only to those of Zhengzhou, Yanshi, and the Yinxu ruins in Anyang. The southern part of Dongxianxian Village has a cultural deposit-rich area of 80,000 square meters, while the northern part features a 100,000-square-meter deposit-rich zone. In 1998 and 2000, joint archaeological excavations were carried out at the site by the Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University. Archaeological data shows that apart from small sections with limited Warring States and Han Dynasty deposits, the site is predominantly composed of Shang Dynasty layers, with cultural strata ranging from 50 to 200 cm thick, and up to 300 cm in some areas. These two excavations involved the setting up of 17 test pits and covered an area of over 400 square meters. A large number of remains were discovered, including house foundations, pottery kilns, and ash pits, along with an extremely rich array of unearthed artifacts. The earlier phase of this site dates later than the Xiaoshuangqiao site in Zhengzhou but earlier than Phase I of Yinxu, aligning with the period when King Zu Yi of Shang moved the capital to Xing (邢). This provides valuable archaeological evidence supporting the claim that the Xing referred to is today’s Xingtai, playing a crucial role in the “Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project.” The discovery and excavation of the Eastern Xianxian Shang Dynasty Site have greatly enriched the archaeological data on Shang culture and hold significant importance for the study of Shang civilization. It was designated as a National Cultural Heritage Protection Unit in 2007.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units