ZhuYa Ridge City Site

ZhuYa Ridge City Site

The ZhuYa Ridge City Site is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The ZhuYa Ridge City Site in Qiongshan, Haikou is located in Bofu Village, east of ZhuYa Ridge, Bofu Village, Longtang Town, Qiongshan District, Haikou City, Hainan Province. It is 26.2 km southeast of Xiuying Port in Haikou and 20.9 km southeast of Haikou’s Qilou Old Street. It is listed as part of the seventh batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

In 111 BC, after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty pacified the Southern Yue, the following year he established the two commanderies of Zhuya and Dan’er on Hainan Island, which were subdivided into 16 counties. This marked the earliest administrative governance set up by the central dynasty on Hainan. However, due to excessive and oppressive taxation imposed by the officials on the local people, rebellions broke out among the indigenous inhabitants. In 82 BC, the Dan’er Commandery was merged into the Zhuya Commandery. From then on, the Zhuya Commandery became the highest administrative authority on Hainan Island at that time.

Nevertheless, the exploitative development of Hainan Island by the Han officials did not cease but intensified. Sun Xing, the prefect of Zhuya Commandery, once requisitioned locally made “wide-width cloth” from the indigenous people as tribute to the imperial court. Unable to bear the heavy burden, the common people were forced to storm the commandery city and killed him. Sun Xing’s son, Sun Bao, succeeded him as prefect and requested imperial approval to suppress the civil unrest. Tensions between the officials and the populace grew increasingly acute. Thereafter, the indigenous people of Hainan Island rebelled “once every three years,” prompting the imperial court to adopt the suggestion of Jia Juanzhi, the great-grandson of Jia Yi, to abandon direct rule over Hainan Island in 46 BC. In other words, the Zhuya Commandery existed for only 64 years in total. Soon afterward, Hainan Island came under the jurisdiction of “Zhuyaxian County,” which was located on the Leizhou Peninsula.

Regarding the exact location of the ZhuYa Ridge City Site, there has been considerable academic debate over the years due to the lack of unearthed artifacts and authoritative historical records. Some believe the site should be in Zuntan Town of today’s Longhua District, leading to the dispute between the “Longtang Theory” and the “Zuntan Theory.” But whether in Longtang or Zuntan, both are situated in the Yangshan area in the southern part of Haikou City.

The remaining walls of the ZhuYa Ridge City Site are about 2 meters high. The site is square in layout, surrounded by earthen walls, and covered with weeds and moss. The ZhuYa Ridge City Site guards the Nandu River and features a unique environment. The site is rich in content, having yielded porcelain items such as bowls, jars, plates, and basins, as well as pottery items including jars, bowls, basins, net sinkers, pottery cakes, and spinning wheels. Stone tools and construction materials have also been discovered. In the northern part of the city, there are remains of buildings.

Longtang Town: Longtang Town is under the jurisdiction of Qiongshan District, located in the central-northern part of Haikou City, on the western bank of the lower reaches of the Nandu River. It faces Yunlong Town across the river to the east, borders Longquan Town to the south, connects to both Longquan Town and Longqiao Town to the west, and adjoins Fucheng Town to the north. The town covers a total land area of 38.79 square kilometers, with the town government based in Longtang Market. The town is named Longtang (meaning “Dragon Pond”) because its streets curve like a dragon’s body and the sand accumulated by the Nandu River resembles a dragon’s head. In the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it was called Sanmin Township, renamed as the Seventh District of Qiongshan County in 1951, consolidated into two large townships—Longtang and Shizilu—in 1957, and in September 1958, the Longtang People's Commune was established. In the same year 1… More detailed information about Longtang Town++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level