The Ancient City Site of Lafuqueke

The Ancient City Site of Lafuqueke

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

The ancient city of Lafuqueke is located in Sibao Village, Wubao Township, Hami City, 65 kilometers east of Hami. It dates back to the Han and Tang dynasties. The site sits at an altitude of 614.2 meters. In 1957, it was listed as a cultural heritage site under the protection of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The ancient city is quite large, consisting of two parts—north and south—arranged in a “呂” (Li) character layout. Because the Bailang River flows between the two cities, it has caused damage to the site. The area has been turned into residential land or orchards for villagers, and most of the original structures have been destroyed.

The pottery fragments found both inside and outside the ancient city are mainly red and gray sandy pottery. Most were wheel-made with relatively high firing temperatures. The decorative patterns mainly consist of rim incised lines and appliqué designs. The vessel types include jars and urns. In terms of form and characteristics, they share many similarities with artifacts unearthed from the ancient city of Beiting in Jimusaer County.

According to the “Book of the Later Han · Account of the Western Regions”: “In the sixteenth year, Emperor Ming ordered generals to lead troops on a northern campaign against the Xiongnu, capturing the land of Yiwu and establishing the Yihé Commandery for military farming.” In the seventeenth year of the Taihe era during the Northern Wei Dynasty (493 AD), the Shanshan Kingdom was conquered by the Gaoche people, and some of its people fled north to Yiwu, where they built a city and settled, calling it Nazhi. In the fourth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (630 AD), the Yizhou Prefecture was established here, with the county seat of Nazhi under its jurisdiction.

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

Wubao Town: I. Overview

Wubao Township is located 75 kilometers southwest of Hami. It borders Nanhu Township to the east, Qijiaojing Town to the west, Bayin'guoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture to the south, and Erbao Town, Liushuquan Farm, and Sandaoling to the north. The administrative area covers 17,159 square kilometers, making it the second largest in the city after Qincheng Township, accounting for 20.2% of the city’s total area. It has 44,000 hectares of grassland. The region features abundant heat, high temperatures, dry climate, large diurnal temperature variations, with an average annual temperature of 11.4°C, extreme annual high of 42.6°C, and extreme annual low of -27.7°C, with an average daily... Detailed information about Wubao Town++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units