Ruins of the Eastern Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty

Ruins of the Eastern Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty

The ruins of the Eastern Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ruins of the Eastern Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty are located near Kaifeng City in Henan Province.

Also known as "Bianjing" or "Bianliang," this city was the capital during the Northern Song Dynasty. Due to frequent flooding from the Yellow River throughout history, the site has been buried underground at a depth of up to 7 meters, which has posed significant challenges for archaeological work. In recent years, multiple archaeological surveys have preliminarily revealed the urban layout of the ancient capital Bianjing. The capital was composed of three parts: the outer city, the inner city, and the imperial city.

The outer city had an almost square layout, stretching 7.5 kilometers from north to south and 7 kilometers from east to west, with 13 city gates and 7 water gates. Outside the city was the famous moat known as "Hulong River," which was over 30 meters wide.

The inner city, also called the "Li City," housed the imperial city, also referred to as the "Imperial Palace." Historical records indicate that the Imperial Palace had a perimeter of five li and featured pavilions, halls, and buildings adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, soaring eaves, L-shaped towers, red railings, and colorful balustrades—creating a spectacular and majestic sight. The palace gates were fitted with golden nails and painted red, while the walls and bricks were decorated with cast iron carvings of dragons, phoenixes, and flying clouds. The Imperial Palace could be roughly divided into three sections: the southern area contained the Privy Council, the Secretariat, the Grand Council Chamber where prime ministers conducted discussions, and the Hall of Brightness where imperial edicts and almanacs were issued. To the west was the Ministry of Personnel, which housed more than 3,000 rooms. The central area was where the emperor handled state affairs and held court; key structures included the Hall of Great Harmony, the Hall of Humble Submission, the Hall of Reverent Governance, the Hall of Imperial Ceremony, the Dragon Diagram Pavilion, the Heavenly Chapter Pavilion, and the Hall of Gathering Talent. The northern area was the imperial harem. The famous Northern Song statesman Wang Anshi once wrote: “Graceful clouds veil the layered halls; gentle waters ripple, their source unseen. Ten thousand golden willows line the forbidden grounds, and palace blossoms bloom in fresh brocaded hues.” Archaeological surveys have discovered large rammed earth foundations along the central axis in the front half of the Imperial Palace, aligned with the southern gates of both the inner and outer cities, forming a north-south central axis. This triple-layered capital layout consisting of the outer city, inner city, and imperial city was later emulated by the capitals of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, exerting a profound influence on subsequent urban architecture. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units