Guanzhuang Site

Guanzhuang Site

The Guanzhuang Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Guanzhuang Site is located in the western part of Guanzhuang Village, Gao Village Township, Xingyang City. The site borders the Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway to the north, partially overlaps with modern village structures to the east and southeast, lies south of the South-to-North Water Diversion Main Canal, and is adjacent to the road from Xingyang to Beimang to the west. A rural road connecting Guanzhuang and Dazhang runs east-west through the central part of the site. The entire site is approximately 1,300 meters long from east to west and about 1,000 meters wide from north to south, covering a total area of over 1.3 million square meters.

To further investigate the layout and cultural significance of the Guanzhuang Site and in coordination with the field training of undergraduate archaeology students at Zhengzhou University, upon approval from the National Cultural Heritage Administration, a joint archaeological team comprising the School of History at Zhengzhou University and the Zhengzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology began systematic exploration and excavation work at the Guanzhuang Site starting in June 2011.

The exploration and excavation work conducted between 2011 and 2012 revealed that the Guanzhuang Site was a large moated settlement dating back to the Western and Eastern Zhou periods. It consists of an outer moat, which was previously discovered and is roughly rectangular in shape, and a newly identified inner moat in the shape of the Chinese character “呂” (Lǚ). Within the inner moat, a large number of rammed earth fragments were found, along with a well-organized and neatly arranged cemetery from the Western and Eastern Zhou periods in the northeastern section. The orientation of the “呂”-shaped inner moat has been mapped out, and remains such as roads and entrances/exits surrounding the moat have also been discovered. A wealth of important artifacts have been unearthed, including bronze ware, jade and stone objects, pottery, and bone and shell products. The excavation and study of the Guanzhuang Site are of great significance for in-depth research on the development and evolution of archaeological cultures in the upper reaches of the Jialu River in the western part of Zhengzhou during the Western and Eastern Zhou periods.

The Guanzhuang Site is another major settlement from the Western and Eastern Zhou periods discovered in the western part of Zhengzhou, following the Niangniangzhai Site. Compared to the Niangniangzhai Site, the Guanzhuang Site contains richer remains from the transition period between the Western and Eastern Zhou dynasties, with some remains clearly dating back to the mid-Western Zhou period. This provides valuable material for refining the chronological sequence of archaeological cultures in the Western Zhou period within the Zhengzhou region.

In 2019, the Guanzhuang Site was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Source: Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics

Guanzhuang Village: Guanzhuang Village…… More detailed information about Guanzhuang Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units