Site of Emperor Wu's Terrace

Site of Emperor Wu's Terrace

The Site of Emperor Wu's Terrace is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Also known as Hanwu Terrace or Sea-Viewing Terrace.

Historical records indicate that Emperor Wu’s Terrace was built by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty during his eastern tour to view the sea. The "Beiqi Topographical Records" states: "Zhangwu had Emperor Wu’s Terrace." The "Jifu Tongzhi" (Kangxi edition) notes: "Emperor Wu’s Terrace is seventy li northeast of Yanshan." The "Yanshan County Annals" (Tongzhi edition) records: "There are two Emperor Wu Terraces, one of which is unverifiable, only the solitary one in Yanshan remains standing." The terrace base is square-shaped, each side measuring 120 meters with a height of 5.6 meters, divisible into five levels, with many plain gray bricks found in the soil. Collected artifacts include red pottery axes, bean stems, and rope-patterned fragments of bean trays from the Warring States period, as well as remnants of Han pottery jars, tiles, and wuzhu coins.

Located by the ancient Yellow River, Emperor Wu’s Terrace lies in the border area between the Qi and Yan states during the Warring States period, where the river flowed into the sea. Originally serving as a military watchtower or beacon tower, it was expanded upon by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the second year of Yuanshou (121 BC). It holds high historical value, recorded in texts such as the "Book of Han · Sacrificial Records," the "Topographical Records" of the Northern Wei dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the "Land Records." Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, stationed troops here during his campaign against Goguryeo. During the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, Minister of Personnel Wang Ao ascended the terrace and composed a poem: “A towering platform built a hundred feet high, from which you can gaze at the sea as if in an immortal’s abode. In his twilight years, he issued edicts in lament and remorse, realizing that Luan Da and Wen Sheng were all but delusions.” Four poets from the Ming and Qing dynasties praised Emperor Wu’s Terrace in verse. The "Da Qing Yitongzhi," "Jifu Tongzhi," "Yanshan County Annals," and "Hejian Prefecture Annals" from the Qing Dynasty all document the terrace. It also holds significant scientific value—for studying human activity, warfare, shipping, water conservancy, agriculture, fishing, salt production, and geology along the eastern coastal areas of Hebei and Cangzhou since the Warring States and Qin-Han periods. It offers important historical relics and is mentioned in historical documents from the Han to the Qing dynasties.

At the end of 2008, Emperor Wu’s Terrace was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province. The People’s Government of Hebei Province stipulated the protected area of the terrace as follows: extending 30 meters east, 50 meters west, 50 meters south, and 50 meters north from the baseline of the terrace’s edge. At the same time, all levels of government and departments were urged to strengthen cultural heritage awareness, follow the "Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics" and the "Hebei Implementation Measures of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics," further implement the guiding principles of “protection first, rescue foremost, rational utilization, and strengthened management,” and conscientiously carry out the protection, management, and utilization of this provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Additional information: Research suggests that the lower foundation of Emperor Wu’s Terrace dates back to the Western Han Dynasty, while the upper part was constructed in later periods. The land to the east of the terrace is a river mouth alluvial fan formed when the Yellow River flowed into the sea during the Western Han period. Therefore, the terrace was originally a seaside structure in the early Han Dynasty. The "Wei Land Records" state: "Seventy li east of Zhangwu County lies Emperor Wu’s Terrace, with two terraces to the north and south, sixty li apart, said to have been built by Emperor Wu of Han during his eastern sea tour." The "Da Qing Yitongzhi" refers to this as the “Northern Terrace,” with the northern terrace located at today’s Shajingzi Village (now Dagang District, Tianjin), which has been leveled to the ground.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province