The Site of Fuci City

The Site of Fuci City

The Site of Fuci City is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Site of Fuci City is located to the north of the government seat of Shinaihai Township in Gonghe County and is a relatively large ancient city site by Qinghai Lake.

The site is roughly square-shaped, measuring 220 meters from east to west and 200 meters from north to south. The city walls are 12 meters high and 17 meters wide, and are largely well-preserved. There is a 10-meter-wide gate on the southern wall. Inside the city, starting from the gate and extending westward, there is a central axis, with two rows of raised house foundations on either side of the axis, each 50 meters long and 35 meters wide.

At the westernmost part of the city lies a small square enclosure, 70 meters long from east to west and 68 meters wide from north to south, with its gate facing east. Between the small square enclosure and the southern wall is an earthen platform that is 15 meters long and 9 meters high, with house ruins on top. There are streets running through the city. Originally, the ancient city was surrounded by a rectangular outer wall, but now only the southern section remains, stretching over 1,400 meters in length and only slightly elevated above the ground. The other three sides of the outer wall have been destroyed by river erosion.

It is said that Fuci City was built by Fulianchou, the king of the Tuyuhun during the Northern Wei Dynasty, about 1,500 years ago. At that time, the Northern Wei court appointed Fulianchou as the General Who Pacifies the West and the Duke of the Founding of Xihai Commandery, and he constructed the city here. In 540 AD, Fulianchou’s son, Khuaulo, established the first feudal kingdom in Qinghai’s history — the Tuyuhun Kingdom — and made Fuci City its capital. Historical records state: “When Khuaulo ascended the throne, he began to call himself Khan and resided in Fuci City, which is thirteen li west of Qinghai. Although there were city walls, he did not live within them.”

The Site of Fuci City has a unique layout and an important geographical location, making it significant for the study of cultural connections between the Tuyuhun people and the Han people of the Central Plains, as well as for understanding the history of the Tuyuhun people.

In 2019, the Site of Fuci City was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units