On September 24th, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics released important archaeological achievements for the year 2021. In the release, six archaeological achievements were highlighted, including the ancient city site of Lu County, the Han Dynasty tomb complex of Baigezhuang in Pinggu, the Jinzhongdu site, the Zhengyangqiao site, the Wanshousi East Road site, and the Qing Gulun and Jing Princess Garden.
Lu County Ancient City Site
The Lu County Ancient City Site is the earliest known ancient city in Tongzhou District and one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in China in 2016. In 2021, the exploration within the city site was completed, and excavation work was carried out on the South Gate and the ruins and tombs outside the city.
It is reported that the exploration area completed in the city is 27.50000 square meters of rammed earth city walls, building foundations, roads, water wells, kiln sites, ash pits and other relics have been discovered, providing a comprehensive understanding of the accumulation and era of the inner layers of the city site. The types, shapes, distribution, and burial conditions of the relics in the city have been basically explored.
The discovery of the foundation site of the Nancheng Wall, roads from the Tang Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, ash pits, and drainage ditches at the Nancheng Gate provided important information for studying the regulation and construction methods of county towns in the Han Dynasty. In the southeast suburbs, Han Dynasty wells, ash pits, drainage ditches, and roads were excavated, and a cellar from the Northern Dynasty period was discovered. Nearly 400 iron weapons, agricultural tools, and other items were unearthed. In the northern suburbs of the city, the burial periods discovered cover the late Warring States period, Western Han Dynasty, Eastern Han Dynasty to Tang Dynasty, and precious cultural relics such as pottery, porcelain, jade, and copper have been unearthed.
Han Dynasty Tomb Group in Baigezhuang, Pinggu
A total of 130 tombs were excavated from the Han Dynasty tombs in Baigezhuang, Pinggu, divided into two categories: earth pit tombs and brick chamber tombs. More than 600 pieces (sets) of cultural relics such as pottery, bronze, and jade were unearthed. It is a tomb group that continued from the early and middle stages of the Western Han Dynasty to the late Eastern Han Dynasty. This batch of tombs is arranged in an orderly manner, with a coherent era and diverse burial objects. It is of great value for understanding the cultural landscape, internal composition of families, and other aspects of the Han Dynasty in the northeast of Beijing and the central region of Hebei, especially for accurately distinguishing and grasping the cultural landscape and connection of several important archaeological time nodes of the Han Dynasty, such as the mid Western Han, Xinmang, and early Eastern Han The key factors of transition and transformation provide important research data.
Jinzhongdu Site
In 2021, five sites were excavated in the eastern, northern, southwestern, and southeastern parts of the outer city of Jinzhong Capital, and important relics such as Jin Dynasty architectural sites, ash pits, water wells, rivers, and roads were discovered. In addition, there are also relics from the Tang, Liao, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Especially the roads discovered in the southwest corner of the outer city belong to the first level road after the main street inside the gate, and the intersections formed provide important physical information for studying the layout of streets and alleys in the capital city of Jinzhong. The discovery of the above five locations is speculated to be closely related to Kaiyang Square, Kaiyuan Square, Xianzhong Square, Nanyongping Square, Nanyuan Square, etc. in the eastern part of the outer city of Jinzhong Capital, and has an important role in studying the changes of cities such as Youzhou in Tang Dynasty, Nanjing in Liao Dynasty, Jinzhong Capital, Yuandu City, and Beijing City in Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Zhengyangqiao Site.5 meters, 3 meters long, 1 meter wide.4 meters, height 0.48 meters. It should be a relic of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhengyang Bridge is an important node on the central axis of Beijing, built during the Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty. The Zhenshui beast is one of the nine sons of the dragon, named after its good nature of water. Therefore, it is often placed by the bridge. People hope that it can observe the water situation, prevent river flooding, and alleviate water disasters. Generally, important ancient bridges were equipped with a water holding beast on the wings of geese in all four directions.
This discovery plays an important role in studying the moat, defense, water conservancy, and transportation systems of Beijing, and helps to understand the geographical location of Zhengyang Bridge. It is a material demonstration of excellent traditional Chinese culture on the central axis of Beijing.
Wanshousi East Road Site
Archaeological excavations on the East Road of Wanshou Temple have unearthed ancillary facilities such as the Qing Dynasty Void Hall, Jingsi Baoen Hall, Xijing Courtyard Main Room, Yuanguang Gate, Pingmen and Yonglu, Corridor, and Kitchen. Additionally, one architectural site during the Ming Dynasty and the Republic of China periods has been cleared. I have basically understood the architectural layout of Wanshousi East Road in the Qing Dynasty and can confirm it with the style of Lei Tu. The architectural sites of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China and their relationships play an important role in clarifying the historical evolution of Wanshou Temple, providing new material materials for the study of the engineering practices and shapes of Wanshou Temple buildings in the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and further enriching the cultural connotation of the Grand Canal cultural belt.
Qing Gu Lun and Jing Princess Garden Bedding
The three large and medium-sized joint burial tombs discovered in the Dongba area during the mid Qing Dynasty were identified as the gardens of Princess Gu Lun and Jing and their descendants based on literature and archaeological results. The joint burial tomb of Princess Gu Lun and Princess Jing and their consort Se Teng Ba Zhuer is a large scale, consisting of a tomb passage, a barrier wall, a door cover, a stone gate, a door opening, a coffin bed, a gold well, and a gold coupon. This discovery is a typical representative and physical historical evidence of the imperial garden and dormitory system in the Qing Dynasty.
The relevant person in charge of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics stated that these six important discoveries span a long period of time and have a wide distribution area. Zhengyang Bridge is an important node of the central axis. The old town of Lu County, Wanshou Temple, Gulun and Princess Jing Garden are all located in the Grand Canal cultural belt. Jinzhong Capital is located in the West Mountain Yongding River cultural belt. Baigezhuang Tombs are located in the Great Wall cultural belt, further demonstrating the importance of archaeological work in the construction of the national cultural center, extending the historical axis, enhancing the historical credibility, enriching the historical connotation, and activating the historical scene, It is an important achievement in the practice of the concept of “protection in development, development in protection” and archaeology in advance, a concrete manifestation of the formation process of the pluralistic integration pattern of the Chinese nation, and an important content in demonstrating and demonstrating the history of Chinese civilization and local history.
(Li Rui)