Archaeologists have been uncovering the secrets of China's lost
cities. They tell the story of the evolution of the city in China
from its distant roots in the Neolithic to a flowering that was to
occur in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-221 BC).
The year 2000 was to see the discovery in Lianyungang, Jiangsu
Province of a township site of the Longshan Culture (c.2310-1810
BC). With its double encircling walls this find is further
confirmation that the history of city building in antiquity can be
traced back in China to the late Neolithic Age. The Longshan
Culture is characterized by its burnished black pottery, examples
of which were first unearthed in Longshan, Shandong Province in
1928. The Lianyungang site offers an insight into ancient building
techniques through its finds of rammed earth foundations.
Of
the 50 or so early city developments found in China to date, one in
particular has attracted attention worldwide. Located in Xinmi
County in Henan Province, this was an ancient Longshan township
occupying an area of some 170,000 square meters.
Excavations here in 2000 brought to light substantial buildings
with winding corridors together with the foundations of a majestic
palace.
Another important source of archaeological evidence is the
Lingjiatan site currently under excavation in Hanshan, Anhui
Province. Dating back 5,500 years the long-buried Lingjiatan
townsite covers a total area of some 1.6 million square meters. It
was a scene of bustling activity in prehistoric times. Many
architectural remains including magnificent palaces, shrines and
the well laid out homes of the civil population have been unearthed
here. The story they have to tell is made all the richer by finds
of a cemetery, a moat, handicraft workshops and a marketplace.
China's earliest historical records to make reference to emerging
city development relate to the Xia Dynasty (c.2100-1600 BC). One
example to be found in The Annals of Wu and Yue brings us an
account of Gun, the legendary ruler whose son set up the Xia
Dynasty. He is on record here as "first constructing a city to
protect the king and the people." This important historical work by
Zhao Ye was itself written rather later as it dates from Eastern
Han Dynasty (25-220).
During the Shang Dynasty (c.1600-1100 BC) that was to follow the
Xia, more and more cities appeared as has been shown by modern
excavations of the grand capital cities of these far off times.
First came the discoveries of Yinxu (capital of the late Shang
Dynasty near Xiaotun village, Anyang city, Henan Province) and
Shang City (capital of the early Shang Dynasty located in the
downtown of Zhengzhou, Henan Province).
Then in 1983 archaeologists found the site of another city from the
time of the Shang in Yanshi city, Henan Province. Foundations of
massive palaces with an area of two million square meters were to
be uncovered here. Based on the archaeological finds, researchers
have suggested that the Yanshi city site might well be none other
than the city of Xibo, famous in history as the 16th century BC
capital of Tang, the founder of the Shang Dynasty.
Yet another Shang Dynasty capital came to light in 1999 in Anyang
city, Henan Province with the excavation of 25 rammed earth palace
foundations. Together they occupy an area of 16,000 square meters.
The most notable of these came complete with a well-preserved
plinth, gateway and steps and is the biggest of the period ever to
be found.
The discovery of the Jinsha site in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province
in 2001, indicates that Jinsha may have been the political and
cultural center of the Shu State some 3,000 years ago. This
regional kingdom was established on the ruins of the Sanxingdui
civilization, which preceded it on southwest China's Chengdu
Plain. The site has yielded up over 2,000 cultural relics. The
extensive Jinsha excavations cover an area of 3 square kilometers.
They are proving to have much to contribute to research into the
ancient Ba-Shu culture and are shedding new light on the decline
and fall of the mysterious Sanxingdui civilization.
"A
capital city should be square on plan. Three gates on each side of
the perimeter lead into the nine main streets that crisscross the
city and define its grid-pattern. And for its layout the city
should have the Royal Court situated in the south, the Marketplace
in the north, the Imperial Ancestral Temple in the east and the
Altar to the Gods of Land and Grain in the west." This description
is taken from the Book of Diverse Crafts, a classic work on
the science and technology of ancient China. It was compiled
towards the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). The
archaeological record shows that the model was to become the
town-planning standard for the capital cities of the subsequent
dynasties.
History records a flowering of thriving capital cities back in the
Eastern Zhou. The dynasty is divided into the aforementioned Spring
and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The
kingdoms of the Eastern Zhou were destined to witness the chaos of
many years of warfare.
Important capital sites of the states of these times include:
Qi
capital in modern day Linzi, Shandong Province
Lu
capital in Qufu, Shandong Province
Chu capital in Jiangling, Hubei Province
Yan capital in Yixian County, Hebei Province
Zheng and Han capitals in Xinzheng, Henan Province
Qin capitals in Fengxiang, Lintong and Xianyang, all in Shaanxi
Province
Extensive excavations at these sites have shown that without
exception, all walled cities of the period comprise an outer city
around an inner palace compound. Typically the palace would be
built to a commanding height so that it might better impose its
control over the capital.
In
2000 in Longwan, Qianjiang city, Hubei Province, 19 rammed earth
foundations including those of a huge palace of the Chu State were
brought to light. Much interest has been aroused not least because
surprisingly, Longwan turns out to be the only ancient city ever
found in China whose town plan failed to follow the traditional
symmetrical pattern as prescribed by the Book of Diverse
Crafts.
The local topography has played a key role in the Longwan layout.
Instead of being built along a formal north-south axis, the
palaces, winding walkways and courtyards stand here and there and
vary in height. The atypical town plan no doubt also owes something
to the influence of the unique culture of the Chu State, which held
sway over the middle reaches of the Yangtze River during the
Warring States Period.
(China.org.cn, translated by Shao Da, April 28, 2003)