Ruins of the Ancient State of Fan Capital

Ruins of the Ancient State of Fan Capital

The ruins of the ancient State of Fan Capital are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ruins of the ancient State of Fan Capital are located in and around the northern part of Gushi County, Henan Province. They are cultural remains from the Eastern Zhou period (770 BC–256 BC).

The ancient city site is divided into an inner and an outer city, with the inner city situated to the northeast of the outer city. Most of the earthen walls of both cities still remain. There is a gap in the middle of the northern wall of the outer city, which served as the northern gate. The ancient Shi River, over a hundred meters wide, served as a natural moat. The base of the walls of both the inner and outer cities reaches a maximum width of 50 meters, the top up to 30 meters, and the highest point is 7 meters. A large number of bronze ware, pottery, and four Chu state “Ying Ai” coins from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods have been unearthed within and around the ancient city site. A set of nine bianzhong (chime bells) with inscriptions reading “Fan Zi Chen Zhou” (Fan’s subject to the Zhou) was excavated from the burial pit of the Hougudui Spring and Autumn period tomb, located southeast of the site.

The discovery of the ruins of the ancient State of Fan Capital holds significant value for the study of city construction during the Eastern Zhou period, the history of small states in the Huai River basin, and the relationship between Central Plains culture and Chu culture. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units