The Guosongtai Site

The Guosongtai Site

The Guosongtai Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Guosongtai Site is located on a tall earthen mound approximately 7 kilometers south of Shouguang City, within the jurisdiction of Sunji Subdistrict, Weifang City, Shandong Province. It lies to the west of Guosongtai Village and north of Zhengjia Village. This mound is referred to as “Xibuling” (West Mound Ridge) by the villagers of Guosongtai and “Beibuling” (North Mound Ridge) by those in Zhengjiazhuang. The entire area of Guosongtai Village and the northern half of Zhengjiazhuang are situated atop this site. Its terrain is high in the south and north but low in the middle, resembling a saddle shape. The northern end is called the “Tai Ding” (Platform Summit), while the southern end is referred to as the “Bie Gaizi” (Turtle Shell).

Over the years, numerous pottery and bronze artifacts from the Shang, Western Zhou, and Spring and Autumn periods have been unearthed around the Guosongtai Site. A large bone artifact workshop dating back to the Western Zhou period was also discovered several hundred meters to the south.

The Guosongtai Site is far from being an ordinary village ruin. Judged by the standards of an “imperial mound,” it can be regarded as the ruins of “Yingqiu.” This gives it significant academic value for the research and exploration of Qi State history and a range of pre-Qin historical issues, attracting attention from China’s archaeological and historical circles. Su Bingqi, a leading authority in Chinese archaeology and then president of the Chinese Archaeological Society, made a special trip to investigate the site in 1978. He spoke highly of it, stating that: “The Guosongtai Site is related to Yingqiu, the first fief of Jiang Shang.”

In 1988, at the age of 79, Su Bingqi once again led nearly 100 renowned experts, scholars, and professors who attended the “Round-the-Bohai Sea Archaeological Symposium” to visit the site. The experts were amazed by the grandeur of the ruins and praised the unearthed relics. They concluded that the Guosongtai Site is an “imperial mound” site, connected to the Subutun Tomb Cluster and to the Yingqiu, the first fief of Lü Shang (Jiang Ziya). Studying the ancient Yingqiu, this site offers an important clue.

In October 2019, it was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Sunjiajie Subdistrict: [Overview] Located in the southwestern part of Shouguang City, it is 6 kilometers north of the city proper. The subdistrict covers a total land area of 78 square kilometers and governs 78 administrative villages. It is the birthplace of greenhouse vegetable farming in China. It has successively won honors such as “China’s No. 1 Town for Greenhouse Vegetables,” “Shandong Provincial Model Collective for Ethnic Unity and Progress,” and “Shandong Provincial Tourism Strong Town.” The “Leyi Vegetables” brand registered by Sanyuanzhu Village is recognized as China’s first well-known trademark in the vegetable category. In 2015, the subdistrict completed fixed asset investments totaling 2.4 billion yuan, an increase of 41.1% year-on-year, and achieved local fiscal revenue of 82.53 million yuan, an increase of … More detailed information about Sunjiajie Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units