Nantan Ancient City

Nantan Ancient City

Nantan Ancient City is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Nantan Ancient City Wall was part of the southern wall of the Qingtang City during the ancient Gushi-Lu regime. Qingtang City, built in 1034 AD, served as the capital of the Gushi-Lu regime.

During the Tang Dynasty, this place was called Shancheng. Qingtang City spanned ten kilometers in circumference and had eight city gates, making it a grandly scaled settlement. The city was divided into an eastern and a western section—the western part was the royal city, featuring a grand assembly hall, palaces, temples, military and political offices, as well as noble residences; the eastern part was the commercial district, bustling with shops and frequented by merchants from various countries. There were hundreds of businesses run by merchants from Khotan and the Uyghurs alone, with crowds of people bustling through the streets every day. After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tubo people seized Shancheng from the Tang army. At that time, the mountains surrounding the city were covered with tall, lush trees, which led the Tubo to name it Qingtang City (meaning “Green City”). Surrounded by mountains and situated in a strategically vital location, Qingtang City became a key stronghold. At that time, the rise of the Western Xia dynasty had brought control over the Hexi Corridor. Caravans and envoys traveling between the Song Dynasty and Western Xia were frequently robbed, prompting them to take a detour through Qingtang City. From there, they would proceed via the northern and southern parts of Qinghai Lake, then westward through the Qaidam Basin. As a result, Qingtang City grew into an important hub along the southern route of the Silk Road and the ancient Tang-Tibet Road. Due to disruptions along the Hexi Corridor of the Silk Road, Qingtang City temporarily became a central hub for East-West transportation and trade. In 1009 AD, the Song army captured Qingtang City and renamed it Shanzhou, but it was soon retaken by Gushi-Lu. In 1104 AD, the Song army again occupied Qingtang City and renamed it “Xiningzhou.” The name Xining has been used ever since.

Because the Hexi Corridor of the Silk Road was once blocked, Qingtang City briefly served as a major junction for trade and transport between China and the West. In 1009 AD, the Song army captured Qingtang City and renamed it Shanzhou, but it was quickly retaken by Gushi-Lu. In 1104 AD, the Song army once again occupied Qingtang City and renamed it “Xiningzhou,” with the name Xining being used to this day.

In the 19th year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty’s founding Emperor Taizu, after reconstructing the northern half of the former Qingtang City into Xining Wei City, the original 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 various ununified Tubo tribes in the Hehuang region were in a fragmented state. To their north, the Western Xia dynasty was invading the borders of the Song to the east, advancing into the territories of the Uyghurs and Liangzhou to the west, and moving southward into Tubo territory, showing signs of unifying the entire northwest. Under these circumstances, the Tubo leaders of the Hehuang region supported Gushi-Lu descendant Gushi-Luo.

Gushi-Luo (997–1065 AD), originally named Qinan Lingwen, was a descendant of the Tibetan royal family of the Yalong Jue’a clan. He was brought back from the Western Regions’ Gaochang by a Hezhou merchant named Helang Yexian while tending sheep. Gushi-Luo was an honorific title bestowed upon him, meaning “Son of the Buddha.”

Helang Yexian, a prominent figure from Hezhou, treated the twelve-year-old “Son of the Buddha” as his own, teaching him literature and martial arts and raising him. Soon after, Li Lizun, the leader of Zongge, and others abducted him to Guazhou (now Hualong, Qinghai), and later to Zongge City (now Ping’an, Qinghai), where he was honored as Gushi-Luo. They even married both of their daughters to him. The influence of the Zongge faction grew rapidly, prompting the Song court to send envoys to pacify the region. Li Lizun plotted rebellion against the Song and was defeated by them. Gushi-Luo left Zongge and went to Maochuan. The leader of Maochuan also conspired against the Song and imprisoned Gushi-Luo in a well, then executed his close associates. After escaping, Gushi-Luo leveraged the title of Zanpu (Tibetan king) to rally forces, kill the Maochuan leader, and put down the rebellion. He then relocated to Qingtang City (present-day Xining).

In the third year of Shaosheng (1096 AD), after the death of Gushi-Luo’s descendant and ruler of Qingtang, Ali Gu, his son Xia Zheng ascended the throne. Soon after, internal strife broke out within the Gushi-Luo regime, and Xia Zheng killed his uncle, Su Nan Zheng. The son of Su Nan Party Zheng sought refuge with the Song and advised them to reclaim the Hehuang region. The Song army besieged Qingtang City, and Xia Zheng abandoned the city and fled. The Hehuang region fell back under central dynastic control for the first time in over 300 years. This marked the true collapse of the Tibetan regime.

In the 19th year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty’s founding Emperor Taizu, after reconstructing the northern half of the former Qingtang City into Xining Wei City, the original Qingtang City was abandoned. The remaining segment of the ancient city wall is part of the former southern wall of Qingtang City.

Location:

Located on the South Ring Road, south of the stadium outside the southern gate of Xining City.