Ruins of the Ancient Xihai Commandery City

Ruins of the Ancient Xihai Commandery City

The ruins of the ancient Xihai Commandery City are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Xihai Commandery

Xihai Commandery, commonly known as "Triangle City," is located on the Golden and Silver Grassland along the Huangshui River. It is the earliest and largest ancient city built as a commandery in Qinghai, and is a national-level cultural heritage site.

A large number of cultural relics have been unearthed in the ancient city, mainly including the Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, coin molds, and ancient coins. The Tiger Tally Stone Coffer is one of the earliest inscribed stone artifacts discovered in Qinghai Province to date.

The ruins of the ancient Xihai Commandery City are located about 1 kilometer from the county seat of Haiyan County in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, on the northeastern side of Qinghai Lake and the southern bank of the Huangshui River on the Golden and Silver Grassland. Commonly known as "Triangle City," it is the site of the Xihai Commandery established during the Xinmang period of the Western Han Dynasty.

The ancient city is fairly well-preserved, measuring 650 meters in length from east to west and 600 meters in width from north to south, with remaining wall heights of up to 4 meters. The gate sites of the four city gates are well preserved. The southern part of the city is relatively elevated, with several raised areas that are believed to have been the main architectural zones at the time, scattered with numerous bricks, tiles, and other building remnants. Most importantly, the Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, inscribed with the text “Xihai Commandery Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, First Year of the Jianguo Era, Tenth Month, Gui Mao Day, Crafted by Guo Jie of Henan,” was unearthed here.

The Tiger Tally Stone Coffer consists of an upper and lower section, both carved entirely from granite. The upper section features a recumbent stone tiger, which is 1.5 meters in length and 0.6 meters in back width. Beneath the tiger lies a stone base, known as the stone coffer. The front of the tiger’s base and the stone coffer are inscribed from right to left with three lines of 22 seal script characters: “Xihai Commandery Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, First Year of the Jianguo Era, Tenth Month, Gui Mao Day, Crafted by Guo Jie of Henan.” The tiger in the Tiger Tally Stone Coffer glares fiercely forward, vivid and lifelike, with clear carvings and an ancient style, making it a true treasure among historical artifacts.

According to the Records of the Grand Historian (Han Shu), Wang Mang once established Xihai Commandery in Qinghai, and it was briefly re-established during the Yongyuan era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (89–104 AD) before being abandoned again. The “Xihai Anding Yuangxing Yuan Nian Zuo Dang” inscribed tile found at the site serves as reliable dating evidence. During the periods of the Southern Liang and Western Qin, it was renamed “Haixi Commandery” and also called “Triangle City.”

A variety of currencies have also been discovered in the ancient city, including coin molds, wuzhu coins, banliang coins, huobo coins, huquan coins, daquan wushi coins, chongning zhongbao coins, and shengzong yuanbao coins, as well as fragments of Han Dynasty “Changle Weiyang” cloud-patterned tiles and Tang Dynasty lotus-patterned tiles. These artifacts exhibit characteristics from different dynasties and periods, indicating that the site has a long and complex history.

In January 1988, the ruins of the ancient Xihai Commandery City were designated as part of the third group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Third Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units