Rizhong City

Rizhong City

Rizhong City

Located to the east of the current Tongtai Railway and south of the Zuosha Highway, Rizhong City is an important ancient city site. In the *Commentary on the Water Classic*, it is referred to as "Juyang City." The Northern Wei Dynasty first moved its capital here. However, geomancers believed that the location was not far from Pingcheng (the former capital), and feared that establishing the capital here would result in a short-lived dynasty. As a result, the Northern Wei Dynasty later moved its capital a second time to Luoyang in Henan. Despite the passage of nearly 2000 years, remnants of the ancient city walls still remain. The ancient city has a rectangular layout, approximately 620 meters wide from east to west and about 750 meters long from north to south, covering an area of around 470,000 square meters. The existing wall foundations are about 10 meters wide, with remaining heights ranging from 1 to 4 meters. Today, the remains of the northern gate are still clearly distinguishable. In the southwest-central part of the ancient city, there is a rammed earth platform, also rectangular, measuring about 70 meters from north to south and 80 meters from east to west. It is referred to as the "Imperial City" by both archaeologists and local villagers. Archaeological surveys have unearthed artifacts such as semi-circular eaves tiles, "Prosperity and Longevity" tiles, bronze arrowheads, and Han Dynasty bronze seals.