Ruins of the Shihao Ancient Road

Ruins of the Shihao Ancient Road

The ruins of the Shihao Ancient Road are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Henan Province.

The ruins of the Shihao Ancient Road are located southeast of Chehao Village in Xiashi Township, Shanxian County, within the territory of Shihao Village, Guanyintang Town, approximately 36 kilometers from Sanmenxia. The wheel ruts on the stone slope stretch over 100 meters in total length, with the road surface being about 6 to 8 meters wide and the rut width at 1.06 meters. The depth of the ruts is 0.25 meters, formed by the long-term pressure and rolling of wheels on the stone slope. The ancient road runs roughly in a northwest-southeast direction.

On June 22, 2014, at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Doha, Qatar, the application for the “Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor” was officially approved and inscribed on the World Heritage List. As a result, this joint cultural heritage nomination submitted by China, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan was officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Shihao Section of the Xiaohan Ancient Road was officially included on the World Heritage List, marking the successful application for World Heritage status of the Shihao Ancient Road ruins in Shanxian County.

The great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu once passed through this area and wrote the famous poem “The Ballad of the Army Carts” (Shihao Li).

Chehao Village: Chehao Village…… More details about Chehao Village++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Henan Province