Anxin Village Ruins

Anxin Village Ruins

The Anxin Village Ruins are a protected cultural heritage site of Hebei Province.

The Anxin Village Ruins are located on a terrace east of the Luan River, between Anxin Village and Xinzhai Village, about 6 kilometers northeast of Qian’an City. The undulating sand dunes and alluvial terraces are scattered with pottery shards and fragmented stone tools.

In 1976, local residents unearthed nearly a hundred intact artifacts while digging for sand. Provincial, municipal, and county cultural heritage authorities conducted investigations, and subsequently, the provincial archaeological research institute carried out a survey and excavation of the site in 1978. The dig uncovered residential remains and ash pits, along with a large number of handmade pottery pieces and finely crafted stone and bone implements. Pottery items included cylindrical jars, bowls, cups, and other vessels, many of which featured meticulously incised decorative patterns such as zigzag lines, fingernail impressions, linked-ring motifs, spiral patterns, cone dots, and composite cone designs on their smoothly polished surfaces. The pottery types comprised clay gray ware, sand-tempered red ware, sand-tempered gray ware, and plain polished ware, along with a small number of painted pottery fragments.

This site represents a Neolithic cultural relic, roughly dating back to the same period as the Zhaobaogou culture or no later than the Hongshan culture. It incorporates elements of Central Plains culture while also exhibiting distinct northern cultural characteristics, marking a new regional type of primitive culture. It provides new clues for exploring the relationship between northern Chinese cultures and the Yangshao culture of the Central Plains.

Research into the connection between the Anxin Village Ruins and the Xuanyuan Kingdom shows that a wealth of historical records, unearthed artifacts, and local legends confirm that the Anxin Village Ruins in Qian’an City, situated by the Luan River at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains, were indeed the center of activity for the Yellow Emperor’s tribe — the Xuanyuan Kingdom.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Hebei Province