On the morning of December 14, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage held an online meeting in Beijing to focus on three important archaeological discoveries and research results in Gansu, Henan and Shaanxi. The reporter learned that the online conference on the progress of the major project of "Archaeology China" focused on important archaeological discoveries in the Han and Tang Dynasties. Through meticulous excavation and careful analysis, the archaeologists judged that the "Jiangcun Tomb" was the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han. The other two projects are the ruins of Zhengpingfang in Luoyang City, Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the latest research results from the tombs of the Tuguhun royal family in the Tang Dynasty found in Wuwei, Gansu. The tomb of Emperor Wen of Han, the third emperor of the Han Dynasty, is undoubtedly the most concerned project, in addition, the latest research results of the Sui and Tang Dynasties Luoyang City Zhengpingfang Site have also attracted the attention of many netizens.
Zhengpingfang ruins in Luoyang, Henan: Tang Dynasty Confucius Temple, Guozijian, Taiping Princess Residence
The ruins of Zhengpingfang in Luoyang, Henan, are one of the important Lifang ruins in the Guochenglifang Area of Luoyang City in the Tang Dynasty, and are the location of the Tang Dynasty Confucius Temple, Guozijian, and Taiping Princess Residence (later changed to Anguo Female Taoist Temple). The site is rectangular in plan, with a length of 533.6 meters from north to south and a width of 464.6 meters from east to west. The square is divided into three parts by a "D" shaped road: the western half of the square, the southeast district and the northeast district. The western half of the house is a large mansion, the southern half of the house is speculated to be a garden area, and the northern part is a courtyard area. The courtyard is symmetrically arranged in the central axis, with three roads in the east and west, and a total of five entrances in the middle road. Five large rammed earth platforms are distributed from the central axis to the south to the north, and are surrounded by walls (or corridors), which are presumed to be the residences of the Taiping Princess. In the southeast area, three courtyards side by side with east and west were found, and there were north-south passages between the courtyards, and there were pavilions (or buildings) at the northern end of the passage. The east road and middle road of the courtyard are both three entrances, which are speculated to be the Confucius Temple and the Guozijian respectively. The zhengpingfang site is a vivid example of the square system in the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and the pattern of the square connecting the north and south square gates of the T-shaped street seen by the excavation, as well as the symmetrical and multi-entry courtyard layout of the central axis, embodies the traditional urban planning ideas of ancient China and is of great value to the study of the history of the political system and social life history of the Tang Dynasty.
Location map of Zhengpingfang courtyard
About the ruins of Zhengpingfang in Luoyang City, Sui and Tang Dynasties
Sui and Tang Luoyang City was once the world's most prosperous international metropolis, as well as the eastern starting point of the Silk Road and the center of the Sui and Tang Grand Canal, which has an important position in the history of the development of China's capital. Zhengpingfang is an important lifang in the Shangfang district of Luoyang City in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, located at the junction of Zhao Village and Xigang Village in anle Town, Luolong District, east of Dunxingfang, west of Pleasant Fang, north of Shufang, and south of Lehefang.
According to the records, there are the residences of Princess Taiping (later changed to the Anguo Female Taoist Temple), the Confucius Temple, the GuoziJian, and the private residences of high-ranking officials and nobles such as the Changzhou Assassin Shi Pingzhen Mansion, the Bingbu Shangshu Li Yixiu Residence, and the Xiangyang County Wang Lu Ying Residence. At present, large rammed earth buildings have been found, with large volumes and strict layouts, which should be the foundation site of large buildings, and archaeological excavations are being carried out intensively. In addition, many major historical events also occurred in Zhengpingfang, such as during the Anshi Rebellion, When An Qingxu (An Lushan's eldest son) imprisoned the Tang Dynasty general Zhen Ji in the Anguo Female Taoist Temple.
With the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, from 2020 to 2021, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Luoyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology jointly carried out archaeological excavations at the Zhengpingfang site.
The site of Zhengpingfang is nearly square in plan, 533.6 meters long from north to south, 464.6 meters wide from east to west, only the foundation of the square wall remains, and a square gate is found in the middle of the south and north square walls. A "D" shaped street was found in the square, and the longitudinal street ran through the north and south to connect the square gate, dividing the Zhengping Square into two parts, the east and west, and the horizontal street was located in the middle of the east half of the square. The western half of the square is a large mansion, about 225 meters wide from east to west, and the length of the north and south is equal to that of Zhengpingfang. In the middle, there is a corridor that divides the mansion into two parts, the north and south, the southern half is initially speculated to be a garden area, and the northern part is a courtyard area. The courtyard is symmetrically arranged in the central axis, with three roads in the east and west, and a total of five entrances in the middle road. From the central axis to the south to the north, there are five large rammed earth platforms, which are surrounded by walls (or corridors), and the building structure is strict and orderly. The eastern half of the square is divided into north and south parts by the horizontal street. Among them, the south square wall of the southeast district is also opened in the middle, and the three-way courtyard side by side with east and west is found inside the door, and there are north-south passages between the courtyards, and there are pavilions (or over-the-floor) buildings at the north end of the passage. The east road and middle road of the courtyard are three entrances, and the west road has not yet been excavated. A large number of architectural components such as lotus pattern tiles, cylinder tiles, plate tiles, and ridge decorations have been excavated from the Zhengpingfang site, as well as daily necessities such as cups, plates, and bowls with blue glaze, white glaze, and black glaze.
Zhengpingfang No. 3 Courtyard (Confucius Temple) remains map
Zhengpingfang No. 2 Courtyard (Guozijian) South Gate Ruins
The significance of the discovery of the Zhengpingfang site
The ruins of Zhengpingfang are a vivid example of the mill system in the capital of the Tang Dynasty. The pattern of the T-shaped street connecting the north and south square gates, as well as the symmetrical and multi-progressive courtyard layout of the central axis, embodies the traditional urban planning ideas of ancient China and is an important example of the history of the development of ancient Chinese architecture. The architectural base site of the western half of the square is grand in scale, similar to the architectural specifications and layout of the Palace in Luoyang City in the Tang Dynasty, and the excavated building components are the same as those seen in the palace; the phenomenon of the opening of the door of the eastern half of the square also shows its special status, which is close to the functional attributes of the Taiping Princess Residence, the Guozijian and the Confucius Temple recorded in the literature. It is speculated that the western half of the fang mansion may be the residence of the Taiping Princess, the east road of the southeast district may be the Confucius Temple, and the middle road may be the Guozijian. This excavation will provide important information for the study of the history of the political system and social life in the Tang Dynasty.
(Comprehensive Surging News, CCTV News, Luoyang Net, Luoyang Daily)