Zangtai Site

Zangtai Site

The Zangtai Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Zangtai Site is located to the north of Zangtai Village, Heguan Township, Qingzhou City. To its west lies the Fushui River, to the north is a highway, and to the south it connects with Zangtai Village. It stretches approximately 1,500 meters from north to south and about 1,200 meters from east to west, covering a total area of around 1.8 million square meters. The cultural layer is over 3 meters thick and was discovered in the spring of 1979.

At the southwestern and northwestern corners of the site, there are two large rammed earth foundations. The one at the southwestern corner is called Zangtai, standing about 15 meters high, and measures roughly 150 meters in both the east-west and north-south directions. The one at the northwestern corner is named Malin Platform, measuring about 120 meters from north to south and 80 meters from east to west, with a height of around 6 meters, forming three terraced steps that are higher in the south and lower in the north. The two platforms are about 1,200 meters apart, separated by Dongtaihou Village. Both were constructed through three phases of layered ramming: the first phase was the initial construction, using pure soil with no artifacts found; the second was a renovation dating to the Warring States period; the third was a reconstruction during the Han Dynasty.

More than 300 large stone blocks were unearthed at the northwestern corner of Zangtai, each measuring approximately 60 centimeters in length, width, and height, interconnected as part of a large architectural foundation. Excavated pottery includes tripod feet from the Dawenkou Culture; basket-patterned pottery jars and tripod rims from the Longshan Culture; li tripod feet and helmet-shaped vessels from the Shang and Zhou periods; dou vessels and basins from the Spring and Autumn to Han periods; along with a large number of tube tiles, plate tiles, decorative floor bricks, and decorative wall bricks. It is one of only five sites in China where plain half eaves tiles have been unearthed over a relatively large area.

In 2013, the Zangtai Site was designated as part of the fourth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units by the People’s Government of Shandong Province.

Heguan Town: "Heguan Town is situated on the northern plains of Qingzhou City, covering a total area of 62.4 square kilometers. It administers 29 administrative villages, has 9,000 households, a population of 34,000, and 55,000 mu of arable land. In 2005, the town attracted 31 investment projects with a total investment of 580 million yuan, achieved an agricultural total income of 720 million yuan, completed a total fiscal revenue of 8.16 million yuan, and recorded a per capita net income of 4,906 yuan.

The industrial economy of Heguan Town is developing rapidly, with notable achievements in attracting investment. Seven enterprises have settled in the municipal development zone, with a total investment of 350 million yuan, and three of them have commenced production... More detailed information about Heguan Town++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units