Site of the Chengguo Mound

The Site of the Chengguo Mound

The Site of the Chengguo Mound is a cultural heritage protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Site of the Chengguo Mound is a Han Dynasty relic site. It is located in Buji Township, Jinxiang County, 16 kilometers from downtown Jinxiang. During the clan tribal period, Jinxiang was inhabited by the Min people. In the Xia and Shang dynasties, it was the territory of the Youmin Kingdom; in the Zhou Dynasty, it became the Min Yi settlement under the Song State. Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty enfeoffed Feng Yi’s son Zhang as the Marquis of Dongmin (present-day Chengguo Mound). The site is 200 meters long and 150 meters wide, covering an area of 30,000 square meters. The cultural layer is 6 meters thick; the northwest part has been severely damaged, forming a cliff. Below 4 meters along the cliff is a rammed earth layer, 30 centimeters thick, with ramming pits 12 centimeters in diameter. Exposed and excavated relics include gray pottery ding vessels and hu vessels from the Han Dynasty, stone chisels, li tripod feet, and rope-patterned pottery shards. There is also a two-story building from the Qing Dynasty on the site, where a monk once lived for a long time. In 1985, it was designated as a municipal-level key cultural heritage protection unit.

Currently, there is a Jindian Temple on the mound, housing Buddhist statues. In front, there are broken offering tables and some stone steles scattered about. Next to it is a farmhouse where a 50-year-old man is responsible for guarding the site. Throughout our visit and photography, none of our activities escaped his watchful eye. His dedicated attitude moved us. It is said that this man might be a descendant of Long’an. After the death of the abbot, Monk Caomao, before the Cultural Revolution, two homeless monks were left behind—one named Longxiu and the other Long’an. Long’an returned to secular life and settled north of the road behind the temple.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units

· First Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jining City