Ruins of the Ancient City of Le'an

Ruins of the Ancient City of Le'an

The ruins of the ancient city of Le'an are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ruins of the ancient city of Le'an are located in Caoqiao Village, Huaguan Town, north of Guangrao County, 12.5 kilometers south of Guangrao County and 10 kilometers west of Licheng Village (the ancient city of Li County) in Boxing County. This was the birthplace of Sun Wu, the renowned military strategist and theorist of the Spring and Autumn Period. The ancient Ji River flowed from the southwest to the northeast, then turned eastward near the southwest of the city site. The site measures 400 meters from east to west and 380 meters from north to south, with a base width of 25 meters for the city walls and a width of 18 meters for the moat.

Artifacts found at this site include tripod leg fragments of cone-patterned red pottery from the Longshan Culture period, as well as remnants of pottery vessels such as pots, jars, basins, li tripods, dou stems, and plates from the Shang and Zhou periods. From the Qin and Han periods, there are bricks, tiles, stone mills, helmet-shaped artifacts, pottery pots, pottery plates, pottery jars, as well as fragments of funnel vessels and Han Dynasty pottery well wall remains.

On the ground at the southwestern corner of the city, there remains a section of the city wall about 10 meters long, 2 meters wide, and 3 meters high. The construction of the city is divided into early and late phases. The early city was built upon the remains of the Longshan Culture and Shang-Zhou cultures. Due to mountain floods, earthquakes, and breaches of the Yellow River, this early Qi-era Le'an City was destroyed and silted up by the early Han Dynasty. After the floods, people rebuilt the city on the original foundations, forming the later city site. Based on unearthed relics, as well as the characteristics of rammed earth layers and ramming pits, it has been determined that the early city was built no later than the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, while the later reconstructed city dates to the Han Dynasty and continued into the Northern Wei period.

According to the results of archaeological excavations by experts and scholars, as well as field investigations, and cross-referencing historical texts such as the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries and the Geographic Records of the Book of Han, along with map markings, it has been confirmed that this site is indeed the ruins of the ancient city of Le'an of the pre-Qin Qi State. This discovery identified the Le'an City where Sun Wu’s grandfather, Sun Shu, was granted the surname “Sun” and the fief of Le'an for his meritorious service in attacking the Ju State, thus solving the millennia-old mystery of Sun Wu’s hometown.

Huaguan Town: Located 15 kilometers north of Guangrao County, Huaguan Township borders the Xiaoqing River to the south. The Xin (Dian)–He (Kou) Highway runs through the township from north to south, with rural roads extending in all directions. The township covers a total area of 117.3 square kilometers, governs 39 administrative villages, and has a population of 38,000. It has a long history of garlic cultivation and is known as the “Hometown of Garlic.” The area is rich in underground oil and gas resources and is a major production zone of the Le'an Oilfield. Within the township, the “Baiqin Terrace” was considered a scenic highlight known as the “Qi Hegemony Alliance Platform” during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and is one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangrao County. The “Caoqiao Ancient City Ruins” match the descriptions of the ancient city of Le'an in historical texts and documents, and are recognized as the hometown of the Military Sage Sun Wu. …… More details about Huaguan Town++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units