Huashi'ao Tomb

Huashi'ao Tomb

Huashi'ao Tomb

A Western Zhou Dynasty burial site. Located at Hongjiao Cliff, Jinqiao Village, Huashi Town, Xiangtan County, it was excavated in 1965. It is a long, rectangular vertical pit tomb, measuring 4.5 meters in length and only 1.03 meters in width. The only funerary objects found were two bronze bells, both placed in the middle of the tomb floor. The bells were laid flat together, one upside down and the other right side up, and their shapes and decorative patterns are largely similar. The larger bell weighs 21.5 kilograms and the smaller one 20 kilograms. The rounded corners of the bells have ridges, and each side is adorned with six sets of studs, with three studs per set. Between the loop and the decorative bands are scrolling cloud patterns resembling vines, while the rear section features cloud-and-phoenix motifs. The shape and decorative features of the bronze bells closely resemble those of the bells unearthed from the Changyou Tomb in Putou Village, Chang’an County, Shaanxi. This suggests that the tomb dates back to the early to middle Western Zhou period, making it the only Western Zhou early-to-middle period tomb discovered in Hunan to date.

Source: "Huxiang Culture Dictionary"

Huashi Town: The former Longkou Township and Huashi Town have been merged to form the new Huashi Town, and the three administrative villages of Tongzi, Hongwei, and Zhongjia from Paitou Township have been incorporated into the newly established Huashi Town.

Huashi Town is located in the southwestern part of Xiangtan County, at longitude 112°01′ east and latitude 27°01′–27°36′ north. It borders Ch'en Temple to the south, Shebu to the north, Zijingshan to the east, and Paitou to the west. Its lowest elevation is 50.40 meters and its highest is 425.70 meters. The total area is 13,340 hectares, including an urban area of 360 hectares, with 2,750 hectares of paddy fields and 74… Huashi Town detailed information++