Huan Gong Terrace

Huan Gong Terrace

Located to the north of Xiguan in present-day Qidu Town, in the northwest part of the inner small city of the ancient Qi capital, approximately 300 meters west of the small city wall. Commonly known as the “Dressing Table” or “General’s Platform,” it is surrounded by a ditch (drainage channel) about 150 meters away to the east and north. The rammed earth base is rectangular, currently standing 14 meters high, 86 meters long from north to south, and 70 meters wide from east to west. Numerous patterned square floor tiles, ridge tiles, and roof tiles featuring designs of trees with double beasts or trees with swirling clouds have been unearthed around the Huan Gong Terrace. About 1,000 meters from the terrace lies a 6,000-square-meter rammed earth architectural platform base, commonly referred to by later generations as the “Golden Throne Hall.” In 1972, the provincial archaeological research institute excavated and cleared the site of a Han dynasty palace building approximately 200 meters northeast of the Huan Gong Terrace.

In 1981, municipal and district governments funded the restoration of the Huan Gong Terrace. A stone commemorative plaque was erected in front of the terrace, inscribed with the words “Huan Gong Terrace Architectural Ruins” by Professor Chen Congzhou from Tongji University, along with an engraved explanatory text that reads: “This terrace was called Huan Tai during the Qin and Han dynasties; during the Wei and Jin periods, it was referred to as ‘Yingqiu.’ During the Tang dynasty’s Changqing era, a temple dedicated to Duke Huan of Qi and Guanzi was built here, hence the name ‘Huan Gong Terrace.’”