Ruins of Wuzhou City

Ruins of Wuzhou City

The Wuzhou City ruins are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shanxi Province.

Ruins of Wuzhou City

Ruins of Wuzhou City (Fourth Batch Provincial-Level Protected Site)

Era: Liao, Jin, Yuan

Address: West of Dawuzhou Village, Xiaohetou Town, Wucai County

According to records, during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, King Hui of Zhao established the Wuzhou Frontier; the Wei Dynasty set up Shenwu County; in the late Tang Dynasty, Wuzhou was established, later changed to Yizhou in the Later Tang Dynasty; in the ninth year of the Chongxi reign under the Liao Dynasty, Wuzhou was restored and named Xuɑnwei Army. Wuzhou City has been a strategic military stronghold throughout various dynasties and also a place where ethnic minorities and Han people lived together.

There are two sets of ruins at the site: a smaller rectangular-shaped city and a larger square-shaped city. The small city has a perimeter of approximately 1.46 kilometers, with base walls 3–5 meters wide, top walls 1–2 meters wide, and remaining height of 4–6 meters; the large city has a perimeter of about 3 kilometers, with base walls 8–10 meters wide, top walls 4–5 meters wide, and remaining height of 2–5 meters. The two cities are adjacent, with the small one located to the northwest of the large one. Investigations have found that the surface of the existing ruins is scattered with a large number of architectural components such as tiles and tile ends, as well as porcelain shards from the Song and Liao periods.

On the northwest slope of the ruins, there is a cemetery covering an area of about 4–5 square kilometers. In recent years, many mural tombs with brick or stone arched structures have been discovered. Excavated items include Song and Liao ceramics such as bowls, jars, plum vases, pottery granaries, bronze mirrors, iron plows, and iron stoves. Mural themes depict scenes such as maidens, banquets of the tomb owner, hunting, processions, and monks preaching.

Dawuzhou Village: Dawuzhou Village…… More details about Dawuzhou Village++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protected Sites in Shanxi Province