Ruins of the Ancient City of Zeng State

Ruins of the Ancient City of Zeng State

The Ruins of the Ancient City of Zeng State is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

An ancient city site from the Zhou and Han dynasties, located on the eastern side of Wenfeng Mountain in Xiangcheng Town, Lanling County. It is recorded in historical texts such as the "Spring and Autumn Annals," "Guliang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals," "Qisheng," "Continuation of Shandong Archaeological Records," "Yizhou Prefecture Annals," "Yicheng County Annals," and "Reading Historical Geography." Zeng was the name of an ancient state, established as a fief by Zhu, the seventh king of the Xia Dynasty, for his second son Qu Lie. It was destroyed by the State of Ju in the sixth year of Duke Xiang of Lu (567 BC). The crown prince of Zeng, Wu, fled to Lu. To commemorate their former state, he dropped the "city" radical from his title and adopted the surname Zeng. The Zeng State, founded by Qu Lie, lasted through the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, passing through 54 generations until the time of Prince Wu. This ancient city served as the territory of the Zeng princedom, the State of Lu, the State of Chu, and the Zeng County of the Donghai Commandery during the Qin and Han dynasties from the Zhou to the Han periods. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, it functioned as the seat of a prefecture or county.

The city walls were built with rammed yellow clay and are roughly square in layout. The east wall is 584 meters long, the west wall 560 meters, the north wall 564 meters, and the south wall 530 meters. The base of the walls is 30 meters wide, reaching a maximum height of 9.5 meters. The walls are mostly well-preserved today. In the center of the city lies a high platform ruin, 310 meters long from east to west and 120 meters wide from north to south, which was the site of the Zeng State palace and the government office of Zeng County during the Han Dynasty. The city wall ruins are well preserved, with a moat surrounding the outer perimeter. The western moat is known as the Jizi River. The southern, northern, eastern, and western walls all had gates. The Ruins of the Ancient City of Zeng State is one of the earlier-built, larger, and better-preserved ancient city sites in Shandong region, holding significant historical and scientific value for the study of pre-Qin states in Shandong and the economic and cultural development of the Qin and Han periods. In December 1977, it was designated as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Provincial Revolutionary Committee.

In May 2013, the Ruins of the Ancient City of Zeng State and other heritage sites were announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Xiangcheng Town: Located 10 kilometers west of the county seat in Lanling County, Xiangcheng Town governs 59 administrative villages, with a population of 126,000 and cultivated land area of 98,000 mu, covering a total area of 112 square kilometers. It is the birthplace of Shandong’s “Southern Vegetable Garden” and a distribution hub for logistics and delivery. The vegetable planting area exceeds 60,000 mu, generating an annual vegetable output value of 2 billion yuan. In 2000, it was designated as a Central Town by the provincial Party committee and government. In 2013, it was established as a Key Featured Town and Economically Strong Town by the provincial Party committee and government. In 2017, it was recognized as a “Shandong Logistics Characteristic Industry Town,” and in 2018, it was further acknowledged by the provincial Party committee and government... More details about Xiangcheng Town++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units