Ruins of the Jindu Water Gate

Ruins of the Jindu Water Gate

The ruins of the Jindu Water Gate are a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The ruins of the Jindu Water Gate are located at No. 40 Yulin Residential Area, outside You’anmen in Fengtai District, about 50 meters north of the Liangshui River, and were built during the Jin Dynasty. In June 2001, they were designated as part of the fifth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

The Jindu Water Gate was built between 1151 and 1153 during the construction of the Jindu capital. It functioned as a water channel structure beneath the ancient city walls, allowing the river to flow through. Constructed on the sandy layer of the Yongding River alluvial plain, the gate featured a stone and timber structure. The site is the remnant of the southern water gate of the Jindu capital. The upper section of the ruins has been destroyed, but the surviving base is relatively well-preserved. It mainly consists of five parts: wooden piles and beams beneath the culvert under the city wall, floor stones, remnants of stone walls along both sides of the passage, four wing walls on either side of the inlet and outlet, and the remaining rammed earth city wall above the gate. The total length is 43.4 meters, with the culvert itself stretching 21 meters in length and 7.7 meters in width, forming an “eight” shape in plan view, oriented from north to south. The northern end served as the inlet, while the southern end was the outlet. It is inferred that the site was destroyed during the mid-to-late Yuan Dynasty.

The ruins of the Jindu Water Gate are the largest discovered ancient capital water gate site in China to date and the only intact architectural remnant from the Jindu period. They serve as crucial physical evidence for identifying the location and water system of the Jindu capital. The site also reflects the craftsmanship of urban architecture during the Jindu era and provides important insights for the study of ancient Chinese architecture and hydraulic engineering. Moreover, the discovery of the Jindu Water Gate allows for a partial reconstruction of the origin, flow direction, and location of a significant waterway within the historical Jindu city. It confirms that the construction of Jindu largely followed the official construction methods used in Bianjing (Kaifeng) during the Song Dynasty, which is also of great significance to the study of Beijing’s historical geography.

The site was discovered in 1990 and was named one of the top ten archaeological discoveries of that year in China. In 1991, the Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics conducted excavations on the site, after which the Beijing Liao-Jin City Wall Museum was built on the same spot to protect the water gate ruins in situ. The museum officially opened to the public on April 23, 1995. (Source: Publicity Department of Fengtai District Committee)

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Beijing

· Fifth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level