Ruins of Guolou

Guolou Ruins

The Guolou Ruins are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Henan Province.

The ruins of Guolou are located between Guolou Village and Xianglin Village in Zhugudong Township, Yicheng District, Zhumadian City, on both sides of the Beijing-Shenzhen Highway, about 5 kilometers from downtown Zhumadian.

The site is turtle-back shaped, 195 meters wide from east to west and 253 meters long from north to south, covering a total area of approximately 49,335 square meters. The cultural layer is 3.2 meters thick, mostly consisting of red-fired earth. Artifacts unearthed include fragments of pottery ding (tripods), pottery li (tripod cauldrons), pottery basins, pottery jars, and more. The materials are predominantly red in color. The decorative patterns mainly consist of appliqué, cord marks, and finger prints, along with some net-patterned painted pottery as well as a small number of black pottery and gray pottery items. Other finds include stone knives, stone axes, and stone arrowheads—all ground stone tools. In 1985, during the widening of the Beijing-Shenzhen Highway, the site suffered damage from excavation. It is a Neolithic cultural site dating back to the Yangshao period. In 1983, it was designated as one of the first batch of county-level cultural heritage protection units by the People’s Government of Queshan County. In November 1986, it was listed as a provincial-level key cultural heritage protection unit by the People’s Government of Henan Province.

Zhugudong Township: 1. Location Advantages

Zhugudong Township is located at the junction of central and western China and is under the jurisdiction of Yicheng District, Zhumadian City. It lies in the southwestern part of the district, about 9 kilometers from downtown Zhumadian, featuring a landscape of mountainous terrain to the west and plains to the east. National Highway 107 (New Route) and the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway run through the entire township. The under-construction Yiyang Expressway has an interchange within the township. The area holds strategic importance and enjoys convenient transportation. Within the township, there are external institutions such as the State-owned Leshan Forest Farm, TV transmission tower, radio broadcast station, Yang Jingyu Memorial Hall, and Mazhuang Railway Station. The total area of the township is 90 square kilometers, with arable land covering 55,390 mu. It governs... More detailed information on Zhugudong Township++

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units