Naiman Tuchengzi City Site

Naiman Tuchengzi City Site

The Naiman Tuchengzi City Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Naiman Tuchengzi City Site is located 1 kilometer southwest of Tuchengzi Village, Tuchengzi Township, Naiman Banner, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia. The area to the east and west of the city features numerous gullies, while the north and south are dominated by plateaus. The ancient city is nearly square-shaped, relatively well-preserved, with a perimeter of 1,419 meters. The city walls are 4–6 meters high and 10–14 meters wide at the base, all built from rammed earth slabs, and include gates in the north and south. Inside the city, a large number of pottery shards and architectural components from the Warring States and Qin-Han periods have been found. Research indicates that this city was the administrative seat of Xin'anping County during the Han Dynasty.

The entire city is a square ancient site measuring 400×400 meters. The four corners of the city wall are precisely aligned with the cardinal directions. The remaining height is 4–5 meters, with the base width being 15–20 meters. There is one gate each on the north and south sides of the city. In the northwest corner of the ancient city, there is a smaller square city measuring 90×90 meters (locally referred to as the "horse corral"), which has an eastern gate and reaches a height of over 3 meters, with a base width of 5 meters. A large number of pottery shards, coins, weapons, and architectural components from the Warring States and Qin-Han periods have been collected within the city. Historical records state that this city was an ancient settlement from the Warring States to the Eastern Han period, with its structure well-preserved. The regional name "Tuchengzi" also originates from this city.

Cultural Value

The Tuchengzi Ancient City was upgraded from a Autonomous Region-level Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit to a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. On May 3, 2013, the State Council of the People's Republic of China announced the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units, among which Tuchengzi Ancient City was included.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units