Early Shang Dynasty Fucheng Site

Early Shang Dynasty Fucheng Site

The Early Shang Fucheng Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Fucheng Site is located on a terrace in the northwest of Fucheng Village, approximately 10 kilometers southwest of Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. It is a cultural relic from the Shang Dynasty (17th–11th century BC).

The site covers an area of nearly 100,000 square meters, with the most significant part being the Early Shang cultural remains, primarily distributed in the central section of the site. Discovered relics include the city wall, palace foundation, house foundations, ash pits, etc. The city wall is square in shape, with a perimeter of about 1,200 meters. The western and northern walls are relatively well-preserved, each measuring 300 meters in length, with exposed sections standing 2–3 meters high above ground. In the northeastern part of the city site, four palace foundations have been discovered, showing overlapping and intersecting relationships. Among them, Palace Foundation No. 1 is located in the northeast of the city site, rectangular in shape, and divided into southern and northern courtyards. It consists of a south hall, main hall, north hall, as well as east and west corridors, forming a closed architectural complex. This type of architectural structure was found for the first time in Shang Dynasty ruins.

The early Shang city site at Fucheng is another significant discovery in Henan following the Zhengzhou Shang City and Yanshi Shang City. It holds great value for studying the chronology of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, as well as their politics, economy, military, and culture. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Location

Fucheng Village, Zhucun Township, Zhongzhan District, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units