The South Town Ancient City Wall

The South Town Ancient City Wall

The South Town Ancient City Wall is a cultural tourism attraction.

The South Town Ancient City Wall was once part of the southern wall of the Qingtang City, which served as the capital of the Gǔsīluó regime. It was built in 1034 AD.

During the Tang Dynasty, this place was called Shàn City. The Qingtang City covered an area ten kilometers in circumference and had eight city gates, making it a massive stronghold. The city was divided into eastern and western sections: the western section was the royal city, home to a grand assembly hall, palaces, temples, military and political offices, as well as noble residences; the eastern section was the commercial district, bustling with shops and attracting merchants from various countries. Just the merchants from Khotan and the Uyghurs numbered in the hundreds, and daily foot traffic was dense and bustling. After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tubo people seized Shàn City from the Tang army. At that time, the surrounding mountains were covered with towering, lush trees, so the Tubo referred to it as Qingtang City ("Qing" meaning green). Nestled among the mountains and situated in a strategically vital location, Qingtang City became a key stronghold. At the time, the rise of the Western Xia dynasty controlled the Hexi Corridor. Caravans and envoys traveling between the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia were frequently robbed, prompting them to reroute through Qingtang City. From there, they would proceed via the northern and southern shores of Qinghai Lake, then westward through the Qaidam Basin. As a result, Qingtang City became a crucial hub along the southern route of the Silk Road and the ancient Tang-Tibet Trail. Due to obstructions along the Hexi Corridor of the Silk Road, Qingtang City briefly emerged as a major junction for trade and transportation between China and the West. In 1009 AD, the Song army captured Qingtang City and renamed it Shānzhōu, but it was soon retaken by Gǔsīluó. In 1104 AD, the Song army again occupied Qingtang City and renamed it “Xīníng Zhōu,” with the name Xīníng still in use today.

As the Hexi Corridor of the Silk Road experienced blockages, Qingtang City temporarily became a central hub for East-West communication and commerce. In 1009 AD, the Song army captured Qingtang City and renamed it Shānzhōu, but it was quickly reclaimed by Gǔsīluó. In 1104 AD, the Song army once more took Qingtang City and renamed it “Xīníng Zhōu.” The name Xīníng has been used ever since.

In the 19th year of the Hongwu era of Emperor Taizu, after the northern half of the original Qingtang City was rebuilt as Xīníng Wèi City, Qingtang City was abandoned. The remaining segment of the ancient city wall is part of the former southern wall of Qingtang City.

From the late Tang Dynasty, through the Five Dynasties, and into the early Song Dynasty, the Tubo tribes in the Hehuang region existed in a fragmented and ununified state. To their north, the Western Xia dynasty was expanding eastward into Song territory, westward into the Uyghur and Liangzhou regions, and southward into Tubo lands, showing ambitions to unify the northwest. Under these circumstances, the Tubo leaders in Hehuang promoted Gǔsīluó, a descendant of the Tubo royal lineage.

Gǔsīluó (997–1065), originally named Qīnán Língwēn, was a descendant of the Tibetan royal family of Yǎlóng Jué’ā. A Hézhōu merchant named Héláng Yèxián brought him back from the Western Regions' Gāochāng while he was herding sheep. Gǔsīluó is an honorific title meaning "Son of the Buddha."

Hézhōu magnate Sǒng Chāngsīyún treated the twelve-year-old "Buddha’s Son" as his own, teaching him literature and martial arts and raising him. Soon after, Zōnggē tribal leader Lǐ Lìzūn and others abducted him to Kuòzhōu (now Huálong in Qinghai), then to Zōnggē City (now Píng’ān in Qinghai), where they honored him as Gǔsīluó and even married both of their daughters to him. With the growing power of the Zōnggē faction, the Song Dynasty sent envoys to appease them. However, Lǐ Lìzūn conspired to rebel against the Song but was defeated. Gǔsīluó left Zōnggē and joined Miǎochuān. The leader of Miǎochuān also plotted rebellion against the Song, imprisoned Gǔsīluó in a well, and executed his close associates. After escaping, Gǔsīluó rallied forces under the title of Zànpǔ, killed the rebellious Miǎochuān leader, and then relocated to Qingtang City (present-day Xīníng).

In the third year of Shaosheng (1096), after the death of Gǔsīluó descendant and Qingtang ruler Ālǐgǔ, his son Xiāzhēng succeeded him. Not long after, internal strife erupted within the Gǔsīluó regime—Xiāzhēng killed his uncle Sūnánzhēng. The son of Sūnán Dǎngzhēng sought help from the Song Dynasty to reclaim the Hehuang region. The Song army besieged Qingtang City, and Xiāzhēng abandoned the city and fled. For the first time in over three hundred years, the Central Dynasty regained control of the Tubo region.

This marked the true collapse of the Tubo regime.

In the 19th year of the Hongwu era of Emperor Taizu, after the northern half of the original Qingtang City was rebuilt as Xīníng Wèi City, Qingtang City was abandoned. The remaining segment of the ancient city wall is part of the former southern wall of Qingtang City.

Location:

It is located on the South Ring Expressway, south of the stadium outside the South Gate of Xining City.