The Ancient City of Wufang

The Ancient City of Wufang

The Ancient City of Wufang is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Henan Province.

The Ancient City of Wufang is located in Chengguan, Suiping County. The site is rectangular in shape, featuring four gates—east, west, south, and north. It has a perimeter of 3,774 meters and covers a total area of approximately 879,000 square meters. The city walls of the Ancient City of Wufang have been damaged over time, with the eastern and southern sections flattened to ground level. The northern wall retains three surviving segments, totaling 500 meters in length, with heights ranging from 3 to 7 meters. The northwest corner of the wall remains relatively well-preserved.

Examination of the cross-sections shows that the walls were built using rammed earth, with layers 9 to 14 centimeters thick. The ramming was uniformly applied, with ramming pits measuring 4 to 5 centimeters in diameter and 2 centimeters deep. Several sections show signs of later repairs, with the repair fill containing bricks and tiles dating back to the Han Dynasty as well as the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

According to *The Comprehensive Gazetteer of Historical Geography*, “Wufang City, now within the county boundary, was originally the territory of the ancient Fang State, which was later taken over by the Chu Kingdom. In the fifth year of Duke Ding of the Spring and Autumn period, the younger brother of King Helü of Wu, Fugai, fled to Chu and was granted this land, hence the name Wufang. A county was established here in the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Gaozu enfeoffed the meritorious official Yang Wu as the lord of the fief. Later, during the Wei Dynasty, it became Sui Ning County, and was restored to its former name in the Sui Dynasty. In the twelfth year of the Yuanhe era of the Tang Dynasty, Li Su attacked Wufang, captured its outer city, and then withdrew after defeating Wu Yuanji. The county was subsequently renamed Suiping.” The *Suiping County Annals* state: “This is the site of the ancient capital of the Fang State, with a circumference of nine li and thirty paces, walls two zhang and three chi high, one zhang thick, and a moat seven chi deep…” The location and scale of the ancient city largely match these historical records.

In June 1982, the People’s Government of Suiping County designated it as one of the first batch of key cultural heritage protection units. In November 1986, the People’s Government of Henan Province listed it as one of the second batch of key cultural heritage protection units in Henan Province.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units