Matasi Site

Matasi Site

The Matasi Site is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Henan Province.

The Matasi Site is situated within Zhushi Town, Yicheng District, Zhumadian City, 14 kilometers from downtown Zhumadian. Originally the site of Matasi School, it became the village clinic of Matasi after the school moved out. It is 2,700 meters north of the Ru River, 500 meters east of Xiaozhuang, and adjacent to the Matasi River to the west. The site is 120 meters long from east to west and 190 meters wide from north to south, with an area of about 22,800 square meters. The site rises 7 meters above the ground and is surrounded by a fortress wall built in 1935, varying in height from 1 to 4 meters.

Originally named Xingtansi, the temple was renamed Matasi (Horse Platform Temple) after the Xinhai Revolution due to the large population and influence of families surnamed Ma in nearby villages. The exact founding date of the temple is unknown, but according to local lore, it was established during the Tang Dynasty. Outside the fortress wall, there was once a pagoda, which was demolished in 1933 during the reconstruction of the fortress. In the past, Matasi (Xingtansi) was filled with stone tablets, incense smoke, and the sound of temple bells, with several monks residing in the temple. On the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, worshippers flocked to the temple to pray.

This site was investigated and surveyed by professionals in three phases: January 1980, December 1987, and October 1983. Archaeological drilling revealed that the cultural layer at the site is deepest at 4.2 meters and shallowest at 0.6 meters. The upper layer consists of Shang Dynasty remains, while the lower layer comprises deposits from the Henan Longshan Culture. From the cliff of a deep trench in the northern part, ash pits and remnants of pottery kilns from the cultural layers are clearly visible. Over the years, collected artifacts include stone knives, stone axes, stone adzes, stone sickles, stone arrowheads, deer antlers, snail shells, fragments of filtering vessels, large pottery spinning wheels, small flat-bottomed gray pottery bowls, conical li tripod legs, chicken-crest-patterned pottery shards, duck-billed and horse-hoof-shaped ding tripod feet, among others—some of which are extremely rare in quantity. Most of the pottery shards are sandy gray pottery, followed by black clay pottery and black pottery. Coarse rope patterns and plain surfaces are most common, along with blue patterns, fine rope patterns, appliqué patterns, and even rare gray eggshell-thin pottery shards.

This site holds significant reference value for the study and exploration of Longshan Culture and the Xia Culture during the transitional period from the Shang to the Zhou Dynasties. In 1982, it was designated as one of the first batch of county-level cultural heritage conservation units by Suiping County People's Government. In 2006, it was listed as a provincial-level cultural heritage conservation unit by Henan Provincial People's Government.

Zhushi Town: Zhushi Township is located in the northwest of Yicheng District, Zhumadian City, 15 kilometers from the city center. It neighbors National Highway 107, the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway, and the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway to the east, and faces the national AAA-level scenic tourist area, Chaya Mountain, to the northwest. The township governs 13 village committees, 110 natural villages, and 182 villager groups, covering an area of 81 square kilometers with 72,000 mu of arable land. The Ru River and its tributaries—the Lixiu River, Jiang River, Chenlou River, Yangtaisi River, and Matasi River—flow through the area. The terrain is flat, the soil fertile, and the natural conditions are favorable. The Yangtaisi Site is a provincial-level cultural heritage conservation unit.

Governing Zhunan... Detailed information on Zhushi Town++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Units