The Ancient City Site of Zhuo'erketu

The Ancient City Site of Zhuo'erketu

The Ancient City Site of Zhuo'erketu is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancient City Site of Zhuo'erketu is located in the marshes and reed lakes on the west bank of the Kizil River, about 25 kilometers southeast of Luntai County, and 4 kilometers east of the ancient city site of Cangtou. The ancient city was roughly circular, with each side measuring over 300 meters. It has now deteriorated into an earthen ridge about 3 meters high. Due to its proximity to the Kizil River channel, the interior and surroundings of the city are entirely marshes and water channels. There is a small circular lake within the city, and on the high platform in the center of the lake lie the ruins of ancient buildings. To the south are two earthen structures—the one on the left resembles a warehouse, while the one on the right appears to be the site of an official building. At the southeastern corner stands a mound about 9 meters high, likely the site of an ancient garrison. Not far to the east and west of the ancient city are two small yellow earthen mounds, each covering 40 square meters—one square and one round. These are auxiliary structures of the ancient city. Further east lies another small earthen mound, which was once a military encampment. To the west and north of the ancient city, among the desert poplar thickets of the Gobi, remnants of field ridges, old irrigation channels, and neatly divided fields of uniform size can still be found—testament to the collective land reclamation efforts of the Han Dynasty’s “field soldiers.”

Archaeologist Huang Wenbi excavated a large number of wheat husks, pottery shards, arrowheads, and labor tools from the ancient city, confirming that the site was the garrison city built by Commandant Laidan during the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han (86–81 BCE).

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

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units