Liu State Ancient City

Liu State Ancient City

The Liu State Ancient City is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Spring and Autumn to Han Dynasty

The ruins of the Liu State Ancient City are located about 20 kilometers southwest of Yanshi City, Henan Province, on the northern side of Wan’an Mountain (present-day area around Taojia Village in Goushi Town), overlooking Qingluo Mountain to the south, the Yi and Luo Rivers to the north, the Liu River to the east, and the Xiaoxi River, a tributary of the Jian River, to the west. Deep gullies approximately 20 meters deep surround the site on the east, west, and north sides, while the south side features an open mountain-front gentle slope. The Liu State was situated on this naturally formed peninsula.

The city is rectangular in shape, approximately 1,220 meters long from north to south and 650 meters wide from east to west. Within the cultivated soil layer of the urban area, a large number of architectural materials such as roof tiles, tubular tiles, and small bricks from the Spring and Autumn to Han Dynasty periods, as well as fragments of pottery items like basins, steamers, pots, beans, and jars, are scattered. In the northeastern part of Taojia Village, the remnants of rammed earth city walls can be clearly seen exposed on the cliff face. According to archaeological experts, this is the southern wall of the Liu State Ancient City. The wall is divided into eastern and western sections. The eastern section is 137 meters long, 24.5 meters thick, with the rammed earth layer ranging from 0.1 meter to 0.6 meter below the surface and remaining heights between 0.5 and 1.2 meters. The western section is 135 meters long, with walls about 2.1 meters thick, and the city gate is located between the eastern and western wall sections.

Historical records indicate that the capital of the Liu State during the Spring and Autumn period was in Yanshi. This has been confirmed through investigations conducted in November 1984 by the Luoyang Cultural Relics Work Team and the Yanshi County Cultural Relics Management Committee, which also implemented protective measures for the site. In 2006, it was listed among the Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units. In May 2013, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units