Ghost-Built City

　　Ghost-Built City is a tourist site in Nandun Town, Xiangcheng City, Henan Province. Legend has it that it was built overnight by ghosts, hence the name. It is a well-known attraction in Xiangcheng. Inside, there are various ghost models that are vivid and quite frightening.

　　Ghost-Built City and the Ancient Nandun City of the Ancient Dun Kingdom

　　The Origins of the Ancient Dun Kingdom

　　The "Ancient Dun Kingdom" in Shangshui

　　In Lige Village, Pingdian Township, Shangshui County, people sometimes find "ghost-beating coins," also known as ant-nose coins, in the fields—objects shaped like copper buttons. In fact, these rust-stained ant-nose coins tell the story of the turbulent ancient Dun Kingdom.

　　The ancient Dun Kingdom rose in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, with its capital located near present-day Pingdian Township, Shangshui County. The ruins of the ancient city are found in Lige Village and the area between Lige and Zhongziwangzhuang in Pingdian Township. After King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, he enfeoffed his close kinsmen, the Ji clan, in the area around present-day Pingdian Township, Shangshui County, in 1122 BC, establishing the Dun Kingdom. The Dun Kingdom built its city at Lige in Pingdian Township, neighboring states such as the Chen Kingdom and the Shen Kingdom.

　　However, due to its small territory, weak power, and sparse population, the Dun Kingdom became a target for stronger states. Artifacts unearthed from Zhujixiang in Shangshui and records in ancient texts show that the noble families of the ancient Dun Kingdom had intermarried with those of the Chen Kingdom, such as Yuan Zhong. Nevertheless, these marriage alliances failed to stop the Chen Kingdom’s invasions.

　　Fearing the might of the Chen Kingdom, the Dun Kingdom decided to relocate. They found a habitable area south of the ancient Yinshui River. Thus, the Dun Kingdom began dispatching subjects and craftsmen to build an earthen city at the site of the ancient Nandun City in present-day Xiangcheng’s Nandun. Once the earthen city was completed, the Dun Kingdom carried out a secret mass relocation. They moved their capital from Lige Village in Pingdian, Shangshui, southeastward dozens of miles to what is now the ancient Nandun City in Xiangcheng. Since the new location was south of the Yinshui River and south of the old city, the Dun Kingdom renamed itself Nandun.

　　After the relocation, the old city of the Dun Kingdom at Lige was taken over by the Chen Kingdom. During the Western Han Dynasty, it was established as Boyang County; during the Eastern Han, it was called Zhujia. It gradually declined by the Three Kingdoms period. The earthen remains of the old Lige city gradually eroded into burial mounds, forming the continuous mound phenomenon on the eastern slope of Lige.

　　When the Dun Kingdom secretly moved to the sparsely populated area of ancient Nandun City in Xiangcheng, a sudden earthen city appeared. Since no one could explain it, people began calling the Nandun ancient city the “Ghost-Built City.” Later, legends about Emperor Liu Xiu taking refuge were added, giving the Nandun ancient city even more mythical allure.

　　The Mythical Origins of Ghost-Built City

　　Many tales about Emperor Wang Mang pursuing Liu Xiu circulate in the Xiangcheng area, such as Liu Xiu’s Horse-Watering Pond, the Upside-Down Well, Liu Xiu’s Horse-Riding Ridge, and the footprints Liu Xiu left on a ginkgo tree when pulling on his boot. The “Ghost-Built City” is related to Wang Mang’s pursuit of Liu Xiu. Located two kilometers northeast of Nandun, with the “Ancient Nandun City” to the south and the “Guangwu Platform” to the north, it has been approved as a tourist attraction by the Henan provincial authorities and hosts a temple fair from the second day to the 15th day of the second lunar month each year.

　　In the late Western Han Dynasty, to protect the Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang relentlessly pursued Liu Xiu, the leader of the rebel forces. Liu Xiu, with just over a hundred cavalry, was chased for three days and nights without rest. One evening, Liu Xiu and his men arrived near Nandun, exhausted and unable to go on. They had to stop and rest. As soon as they lay down, they all fell fast asleep. A scout reported this situation to Wang Mang, who was hundreds of miles away. Alarmed, Wang Mang urged his troops to chase faster and ordered them to capture Liu Xiu before the fifth watch (1–3 AM).

　　This alarmed the Heavenly God Tai Bai Jin Xing (the planet Venus). While meditating with closed eyes, Tai Bai Jin Xing suddenly felt heat in his ears and restlessness in his heart. He quickly calculated and learned that the Purple Star (Liu Xiu) was in danger. If the Purple Star encountered misfortune, all immortals would be demoted. He rode a cloud to the area near Nandun, summoned the local Earth God of the East, and commanded him to lead the little demons under his command to build a new city for Liu Xiu overnight, to start at the second watch (9–11 PM) and finish by the fifth watch (1–3 AM). The Earth God was stunned—he was terrified. Immediately, he gathered three thousand little demons: some to carry earth, some to mix mud. When only a section of the west wall remained unfinished, over half of the little demons had collapsed from exhaustion, and the rest were barely able to stand, too weak to continue. The Earth God, feeling sorry for them, thought: if I exhaust all these little demons, who will serve me? So, he devised a plan and imitated a rooster’s crow through pinched nostrils: “Cock-a-doodle-doo…” Just a few crows, and the little demons thought dawn had arrived, scattering in all directions.

　　Hearing the crowing, Tai Bai Jin Xing checked the time—it was only the fourth watch (3–5 AM). He inspected the city walls and saw they were not fully complete. When he asked the Earth God what happened, the Earth God, unable to lie, confessed. Tai Bai Jin Xing was furious, kicked the Earth God five li (approximately 2.5 km) away, leaving him sitting face-down and northward. Since then, there have been no Earth God temples within five li of Nandun. The one remaining Earth God temple outside five li to the southeast—with its door facing north—is where that overseeing Earth God was kicked by Tai Bai Jin Xing.

　　By the time the fifth watch arrived and dawn broke, Wang Mang’s large army reached Nandun. From afar, they saw a new city had mysteriously appeared in the northeast corner of Nandun overnight, its walls manned by soldiers exuding a deadly aura and an imposing presence. Wang Mang realized it must have been divine intervention that saved Liu Xiu—otherwise, how could a city have been built overnight? The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he hastily ordered his troops to retreat forty-five li. That allowed Liu Xiu to escape. This is the legend of the “Ghost-Built City.”