Prehistoric City Sites on the Chengdu Plain

Prehistoric City Sites on the Chengdu Plain

The prehistoric city sites on the Chengdu Plain are Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

The prehistoric city sites on the Chengdu Plain include the Baodun Ancient City Site in Longma Township, Xinjin County; the Pi County Ancient City Site in Gucheng Township, Pixian County; the Yufu Ancient City Site in Wanchun Town, Wenjiang County; the Mangcheng Ancient City Site in Qingcheng Township, Dujiangyan City; the Shuanghe Ancient City Site in Shangyuan Township, Chongzhou City; and the Zhuzhu Ancient City Site in Liaoyuan Township, among others. These represent the earliest known, largest in scale, and most densely distributed group of prehistoric city sites discovered in southwestern China, dating back approximately 4,500 to 4,000 years.

Within these sites, high defensive walls, ceremonial large house foundations, stilt-style architecture, wooden or bamboo-framed earthen-wall buildings, rectangular vertical pit graves, and various types of ash pits have been found. A large number of finely polished stone tools and exquisitely decorated pottery items have also been unearthed. These ancient city sites share identical architectural techniques and a uniform cultural character, marking them as central settlement sites of the Baodun Culture. The Baodun Ancient City has a rectangular layout with an area of 600,000 square meters. The Pi County Ancient City, located in the heart of the Chengdu Plain, also has a rectangular plan, covering a total area of over 300,000 square meters, with a ceremonial building spanning 550 square meters discovered in the central part of the site. The Yufu Ancient City has a hexagonal layout and covers an area of 400,000 square meters. The Mangcheng Ancient City features both inner and outer walls, with a moat between them, and spans an area of 110,000 square meters. The Shuanghe and Zhuzhu Ancient Cities also have rectangular plans, with areas of 110,000 square meters and 200,000 square meters respectively.

The prehistoric city sites on the Chengdu Plain represent a groundbreaking discovery and milestone in Sichuan archaeology. They hold significant academic value for establishing the cultural development sequence from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in the Sichuan region, as well as for exploring the origins of civilization in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

1. Yufu Village Site (Wenjiang District)

Protected Area: The area within the location of the city wall, as well as all areas extending 50 meters east, south, west, and north from the outer base of the city wall.

Construction Control Zone: An area extending 50 meters beyond the protected area.

2. Shuanghe and Zhuzhu Sites (Chongzhou City)

Protected Area: All areas extending 50 meters outward in all directions from the line connecting the outer walls of the Shuanghe and Zhuzhu sites (including an extension of 200 meters eastward for the eastern section of the Shuanghe Site), as well as all areas within the connecting line of the city walls.

Construction Control Zone: An area extending 80 meters beyond the protected area.

3. Zhuzhu Site (Chongzhou City)

Protected Area: An area extending 50 meters outward from the outer edge of the city wall ruins.

Construction Control Zone: An area extending 80 meters beyond the protected area.

4. Ancient City Site (Pixian County)

Protected Area: The ancient city site and an area within 50 meters outside the city wall.

Construction Control Zone: An area extending from 50 meters to 100 meters outside the city wall.

5. Baodun Site (Xinjin County)

Protected Area: The current outer city wall (moat) area of the site.

Construction Control Zone: An area extending 500 meters beyond the current outer city wall (moat) area.

6. Mangcheng Site (Dujiangyan City)

Protected Area: East to 90 meters beyond the eastern inner city wall; south to 80 meters beyond the southern outer city wall; west to 50 meters beyond the western outer city wall; north to 80 meters beyond the northern outer city wall.

Construction Control Zone: East to the planned road 210 meters beyond the eastern inner city wall; west to the eastern bank of the canal on the west side of the site; south to the planned road 230 meters beyond the southern inner city wall; north to the planned road 235 meters beyond the northern inner city wall.

Further Reading:

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