Ancient City of the Zhii State

　　The Ancient City of the Zhii State is situated on the ancient Yu-Jin Road in Zhicheng Town, Jiyuan City, Henan Province. It was initially constructed during the Spring and Autumn Period and was within the eastern territories of the Zhou Dynasty. During the Warring States Period, it briefly served as the capital of the Han State, and in 358 BC, it came under the control of the Wei State. By 221 BC, it was established as Zhii County by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and during the Han Dynasty, it became a fiefdom for nobles.

　　The Ancient City of the Zhii State functioned as a capital twice during the Warring States and Han periods, yet its layout differs from that of many major ancient capitals. Most large capitals typically had an inner city (palace city) and an outer city (municipal city), whereas the Ancient City of the Zhii State had a palace city but no outer city. Experts infer that it was not the capital for a long period.

　　The city has a roughly square floor plan, stretching 1,865 meters from east to west and 1,766 meters from north to south, covering an area of 3.3 million square meters. The city walls were built using rammed earth, with layers 8–11 centimeters thick. The ramming pits are circular, about 6 centimeters in diameter and around 0.5 centimeters deep. Flat ramming techniques have been identified on the southern wall. The city walls contain layers of rammed earth dating back to the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, and Western Han periods, and the terrain inside the city slopes gradually from south to north.

　　A 70-meter section of the western corner of the city wall still stands above ground, where one city gate and one water gate have been discovered. Only a remnant about 1 meter high remains of the northern wall’s eastern section. The eastern wall is 1,766 meters long and approximately 6–30 meters wide, with a height of about 1–8 meters. The southern wall is 1,865 meters long, approximately 8–32 meters wide, and about 2–9 meters high.

　　The Nigou River (ancient Tugou Water) enters the city through the southwestern water gate, then turns north and flows out through another water gate. The northwest corner of the city, known as Getapo (formerly called the Golden Throne Hall), served as the palace district. At the city center stood the ancestral temple of the ancient Zhii State, which was converted into the Daming Temple during the Northern Song Dynasty. About 50 meters in front of the temple, on the western bank of the Nigou River, more than ten pottery kilns were discovered, believed to be the site of a pottery workshop. Inside the eastern city gate lies a square elevated platform with sides of 100 meters—remnants of a high-rise structure from the ancient city. Over the years, a large number of artifacts such as pottery, stone tools, bone tools, ironware, and bronze ware have been unearthed within the city walls, among which the stone molds for five-zhu coins from the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, stone millstones, and bronze incense burners are particularly valuable and reflective of their time. Investigations reveal that the layout of residential wards within the city walls was relatively organized.

　　Based on unearthed relics, before the early Han Dynasty, the inner city was mainly inhabited by aristocrats, officials, landlords, soldiers, and other consumer-class groups, along with a small number of artisans and merchants. The areas to the east, west, and north of the outer city were home to workshops and civilian residences. The southern part of the city, known as Jinshan (South Ridge), served as a burial ground. Its elevated location and view across the Yellow River toward Mangshan Mountain conformed to ancient feng shui principles. Archaeological findings indicate that the tombs were mostly constructed with hollow bricks, showcasing key features of Han Dynasty tomb architecture. The structural design of these brick-and-stone tombs reflects a relatively advanced level of mechanical understanding, material use, and construction techniques for the era. Valuable relics unearthed from the tombs highlight the level of productive forces at the time.

　　In May 2006, the Ancient City of the Zhii State was designated as a part of the sixth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.