Yuezhuang Empty City Ruins

Yuezhuang Empty City Ruins

The Yuezhuang Empty City Ruins are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shandong Province.

The Yuezhuang Empty City Ruins are located about 1,000 meters north of Zhaozhai Village, Zhaohu Town, Dezhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, extending west to the east of Yuezhuang Village, east to the west of Caozhuang Village (Empty City Caozhuang), and north to the village road between Yuezhuang and Caozhuang, covering an area of approximately 700,000 square meters. According to local villagers, as early as the 1960s–70s, the earthen walls were 2–3 meters high and over 10 meters wide. According to the "Dezhou Annals," this city was the former site of Jiangling County during the Sui Dynasty. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the county was relocated to the area of present-day downtown Dezhou. Based on the characteristics of relics found at the site, it is inferred to have been a city site from the Song and Yuan periods. Today, intermittent sections of the earthen walls can still be seen, with a well-preserved stretch of about 1,000 meters to the east of Yuezhuang Village, overgrown with vegetation such as jujube trees, locust trees, and willows. The discovery of this ancient city site holds significant historical value for studying the evolution of Dezhou City, its cultural customs, and for promoting cultural tourism. The site was designated as part of the second batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Dezhou in April 2011, and in June 2015, it was listed as a fifth-batch provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Shandong Province