Site of Xicheng City

Site of Xicheng City

The Site of Xicheng City is a protected cultural heritage site of Henan Province.

The Site of Xicheng City is located northwest of Hexi Village, Boxiang Town, 13 kilometers southwest of Qinyang City. Xicheng was first built during the Western Zhou Dynasty and remained in use through the Han Dynasty.

According to the Commentary on the Water Classic: “The Ji River flows southeast and passes north of Xicheng (Xicheng).” The city was constructed adaptively to the terrain, with one section at its northeastern corner built along the Zulong River (Ji River). Investigations show that the site has an irregular heptagonal layout, covering a total area of over 100,000 square meters. The original city walls were 14–16 meters wide and 2–5 meters high, but only a section at the northwest corner remains today, with the rest buried underground. The city had two city gates, east and west, which were not symmetrically placed. As no archaeological excavation has been carried out, the internal layout of buildings is unknown. However, a rich collection of artifacts has been gathered, spanning various historical periods including the Longshan, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, Warring States, and Han Dynasties. Xicheng was one of the famous “Sixteen Settlements” in northwestern Henan during the Zhou Dynasty and had a long period of existence. It holds significant value for the study of the politics, economy, and history of the Western Zhou and the Spring and Autumn–Warring States periods, as well as providing valuable physical evidence for ancient city archaeology and research into the origins of the Xicheng surname.

Hexi Village: Hexi Village…… More details about Hexi Village++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Henan Province