Xiaolan City Ruins

Xiaolan City Ruins

The Xiaolan City Ruins are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hebei Province.

The Xiaolan City Ruins are an ancient city site dating back to the Liao and Jin dynasties. They are located west of Xiaolan Chengzi Village in Danqinghe Township, Kangbao County. A rural road running east-west from Kangbao County to Danqinghe Township lies 5 meters to the north, while Xiaolan Chengzi Village is to the east. The “Jin Dynasty Great Wall” is located about 1,000 meters to the north.

The ruins are situated on a mountain-front slope south of Beishan Mountain, featuring relatively flat terrain and sandy soil. Outside the city site is cultivated land used for growing crops such as wheat and oats, while residential houses have been built in the eastern part of the site. The city remains are distributed in a roughly square shape from north to south, measuring approximately 200 meters in both length and width, covering a total area of 40,000 square meters. The city walls were constructed from rammed earth, with layers 10 to 15 centimeters thick. The base of the wall is about 5 meters wide, narrowing to around 0.5 meters at the top, with remaining heights of 0.5 to 1 meter. Scattered across the surface of the site are pottery and porcelain fragments. The pottery pieces include rims and bodies of pottery jars, as well as rims of pottery ewers, all made from gray clay. The body of the pottery jars features continuous checkered stamped patterns. The rims of the pottery ewers are flared with rounded lips and constricted necks. The porcelain fragments consist of rims, bodies, and bases of porcelain bowls, with gray-white clay bodies. The rims of the bowls are flared and rounded, with ring feet at the base. The exterior is coated with white glaze, with an underglaze coating for protection, though the glaze does not fully cover the base. The site has long been adjacent to Xiaolan Chengzi Village, and local villagers’ production and daily activities have caused considerable damage to the ruins.

In July 1993, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit by the People’s Government of Hebei Province.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units