Ancient City of Chen and Chu

　　The Ancient City of Chen and Chu (present-day Huaiyang County) was the capital of the State of Chen from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. In 278 BC, when the Chu capital “Ying” was captured by the Qin, King Qingxiang of Chu moved the capital here. In 209 BC, the major peasant uprising led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang established the first peasant revolutionary regime here.

　　According to the Yuanhe Maps and Records of Prefectures and Counties: “The prefectural city of Chen rests on the Cai River.” The Commentary on the Water Classic states: “The Sha River... flows southeast past the north of Chen City, the site of the ancient State of Chen.” The Poetry Spectrum notes: “The capital of Chen was located beside Wankui.” The Annals of Huaiyang County record: “The prefectural city is the ancient State of Chen.” The current location of Huaiyang City matches the descriptions in these historical texts. The Book of Songs · Songs of Chen says: “The pool at the eastern gate can be used to soak hemp.” The Commentary on the Water Classic records: “Inside the eastern gate of the city there is a pool, approximately seventy paces east-west and eighty paces north-south,... with an ancient platform in the water, which is the pool at the eastern gate mentioned in the poem.” The Yuanhe Maps and Records of Prefectures and Counties state: “The Pool at the Eastern Gate is inside the eastern gate of the prefectural city, south of the road.” Today, there is also a pool inside the eastern gate road of Huaiyang City, long from north to south and narrow from east to west, with an ancient platform in it, consistent with the features described in the historical texts.

　　When was Huaiyang City built? According to the Record of the Nine Regions: “Built by Duke Hu of Chen.” The Lüshi Chunqiu records: “King Zhuang of Chu wanted to attack Chen,... saying: ‘The walls are high, and the moats are deep.’” “The Chu ruler attacked Chen due to the chaos caused by the Xia clan of Chen,... killing Xia Zhengshu at Yuan’s Gate.” The Zuo Zhuan records: In the 23rd year of Duke Xiang (550 BC), “In summer, Qu Jian followed the Marquis of Chen in besieging Chen. While the people of Chen were building the wall, a wooden plank fell and killed someone. The laborers conspired and each killed their overseer, eventually killing Qinghu and Qingyin,” marking the famous slave revolt during the construction of the city in history. Then, thirty years later (543 BC), “In June, Zichan of Zheng went to Chen... and formed an alliance to ‘repair the city walls.’” The Zuo Zhuan · Annotated Collection by Region states: “When Chu attacked Chen, the western gate of Chen was burned, and it was repaired by the surrendered inhabitants.” These texts indicate that Huaiyang City underwent multiple constructions during the Spring and Autumn Period’s wars among feudal lords.

　　To verify the history of Huaiyang City’s construction, in 1980 the Henan Provincial Museum conducted a trial excavation at the southeastern corner of the city wall. The results showed that the city was initially built during the Spring and Autumn Period, with multiple restorations over the dynasties. The wider sections reach 4.5 meters, the narrower ones 1 meter. The upper part features small circular foundation ramming, while the lower part uses large circular foundation ramming. The rammed layers are uneven, with a ramming diameter of 6.5 meters and a depth of 2.5 centimeters. Artifacts unearthed include remnants of basins and pots from the Spring and Autumn Period.

　　Since the Spring and Autumn Period, Huaiyang City has undergone multiple reconstructions through the dynasties of Chu, Han, Wei, Jin, Northern Wei, Later Zhou, Tang, and Song. The Yuanhe Maps and Records of Prefectures and Counties states: “The prefectural city of Chen... has a circumference of thirty li (i.e., the outer city wall). In the fourth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1371 AD), Commander Chen Heng built brick walls along the inner city perimeter. In the 27th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1762 AD), Magistrate Wang Qi renovated the city, extending it over nine li and thirteen steps, standing two zhang and four chi tall, with 2,411 crenellations and 49 watchtowers. The four gates are named Dongminghua (East Enlightenment), Xipingxin (West Trust), Nanxiaoyi (South Filial Piety), and Beiyong’an (North Eternal Peace), each gate tower having three bays and two stories, with platforms atop the moon-shaped walls. Today, the layout of the four gates and five passes of Huaiyang City remains unchanged. The inner city wall stands 3 to 5 meters above the surface of Longhu Lake, well-preserved. The outer city wall, spanning 30 li, remains intact. Inside the outer wall lies a large surrounding lake covering 16,000 mu, including 10,080 mu of water surface. The lake is lush with reeds and fragrant with lotus blossoms. The scenery praised in the Book of Songs · Songs of Chen — “by that marshy pond grow reeds and lotuses” — is now even more vibrant. The Hexagram Platform of Fuxi, the String-Singing Platform of Confucius, the General-Pointing Platform of Chen Sheng, and the Reading Platform of Su Zhe complement each other, exuding an elegant and classic charm that makes this waterside ancient city even more spectacular. Historical figures such as Cao Zhi, Li Shangyin, Zhang Jiuling, Yan Shu, Zeng Gong, Su Shi, and Su Zhe have all left behind poetic verses here. The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, visited Chen and composed writings. Today, the entire county town is a provincial-level historical and cultural heritage conservation unit.

　　The Ancient City of Chen and Chu is located in the heart of the Central Plains and has historically been a strategic battleground. Its towering walls, solid gates, and the surrounding embrace of lake waters naturally form an impregnable natural barrier.

　　Information source: Huaiyang Government Website