Taizigao Site

Taizigao Site

The Taizigao Site is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Taizigao Site is located 200 meters southwest of Taizigao Village, Dulankou Town, Chiping County, and is a Longshan culture site. Also known as the Mouqiu Site. The "Comprehensive Gazetteer" records: "In the 15th year of Duke Xi of the Spring and Autumn period, the Duke held an alliance with the lords of Qi, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao at Mouqiu."

The site is an elevated, gently sloping earthen mound, standing 2 meters above the surrounding flat ground. It stretches 64 meters from east to west and 56 meters from north to south, covering an area of 3,584 square meters. The surface of the site is scattered with numerous pottery fragments, and cultural layers are visible on the exposed cliffs, with the deepest reaching 7 meters. Collected specimens include pottery and stone tools. In the autumn of 1970, the Liaocheng Regional Cultural Bureau organized cultural relics workers to conduct partial trial excavations of the site. The entire site is well-preserved, with a cultural layer 7 meters thick and rich content. The discovered stone tools include axes, arrowheads, and spears, while the pottery items include tripods, gui vessels, pots, jars, and basins, totaling more than 100 pieces. Pottery decorations commonly feature cord marks, combed patterns, checkered patterns, and added pile impressions. This site holds significant value for the study of Neolithic culture in western Shandong. In December 1977, it was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit by the Shandong Provincial People's Government.

Appendix: The Mouqiu Alliance. During the Spring and Autumn period, the power of the Zhou royal court gradually declined, and various feudal states competed for hegemony. During his 43-year reign, Duke Huan of Qi convened alliances with feudal lords 15 times, establishing himself as the dominant power among the Spring and Autumn states, hence the historical reference to "nine alliances with feudal lords, rectifying the world." Among these, in 645 BC, due to the state of Chu attacking the state of Xu, Duke Huan of Qi summoned the states of Lu, Song, Chen, Zheng, Xing, and Cao to convene an alliance at Mouqiu to plan a rescue for Xu.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units