Ruins of the Ancient Xihai Commandery City

　　Commonly known as "Triangle City," the Xihai Commandery is situated on the Golden and Silver Grassland along the Huangshui River. It is the earliest and largest ancient city built as a commandery in Qinghai, and is a national-level cultural heritage protection site.

　　A large number of cultural relics have been unearthed from the ancient city, mainly including the Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, coin molds, and ancient currencies. The Tiger Tally Stone Coffer is one of the earliest stone carvings with inscriptions discovered in Qinghai Province to date.

　　The ruins of the Xihai Commandery City are located about 1 kilometer from the county seat of Haiyan County in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, on the Golden and Silver Grassland northeast of Qinghai Lake and south of the Huangshui River. Commonly called "Triangle City," it is the site of the Xihai Commandery established during the Xinmang period of the Western Han Dynasty.

　　The ancient city is fairly well-preserved, measuring 650 meters in length from east to west and 600 meters in width from north to south, with the remaining walls reaching up to 4 meters in height. The sites of the four city gates are well preserved. The southern part of the city is relatively elevated, with several raised areas that are believed to have been the main architectural zones at the time, scattered with numerous bricks, tiles, and other building remnants. Most importantly, the Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, inscribed with the text “Xihai Commandery Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, First Year of the Jianguo Era, Tenth Month, Gui Mao Day, Crafted by Guo Jie of Henan,” was unearthed here.

　　The Tiger Tally Stone Coffer consists of an upper and lower section, both carved entirely from granite. The upper section features a recumbent stone tiger, which is 1.5 meters in length and 0.6 meters in back width. Beneath the tiger lies a stone base, known as the stone coffer. The front of the tiger’s base and the stone coffer are inscribed from right to left with three lines of 22 seal script characters: “Xihai Commandery Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, First Year of the Jianguo Era, Tenth Month, Gui Mao Day, Crafted by Guo Jie of Henan.” The tiger in the Tiger Tally Stone Coffer glares fiercely ahead, vivid and lifelike, with clear carvings and an ancient style, making it a true treasure among historical artifacts.

　　According to the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), Wang Mang once established the Xihai Commandery in Qinghai, and it was briefly re-established during the Yongyuan era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (89–104 AD) before being abandoned again. The roof tile inscribed with “Made in the First Year of Yuangxing, Xihai Anding” found at the site serves as reliable dating evidence. During the periods of the Southern Liang and Western Qin, it was renamed “Haixi Commandery” and also referred to as “Triangle City.”

　　A variety of currencies have also been discovered in the ancient city, including coin molds, wuzhu coins, banliang coins, huobo coins, huquan coins, daquan wushi coins, chongning zhongbao coins, and shengzong yuanbao coins, as well as fragments of Han Dynasty “Changle Weiyang” cloud-patterned roof tiles and Tang Dynasty lotus-patterned roof tiles. These artifacts feature characteristics from different dynasties and periods, indicating that the site has a long and complex history.

　　In January 1988, the ruins of the Xihai Commandery City were designated by the State Council as part of the third group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.