Discovering Ancient Sites: Yijin City Site in Lin'an

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was a time of great division in Chinese history, with constantly-changing regimes and military conflicts throughout the Central Plains. The state of Wuyue, located in the southeastern coastal region, gradually rose to prominence during this period of chaos.

Despite its small territory, Wuyue's capital was Hangzhou (also known as the Western Capital) during its peak, with Shaoxing as the Eastern Capital. It controlled one army and thirteen provinces, with an area roughly equivalent to present-day Zhejiang Province, southeastern Jiangsu Province (including Suzhou), Shanghai (excluding Chongming Island), and northeastern Fujian Province (including Fuzhou). "Army" referred to the Yijin Army, an important military unit during the Five Dynasties period. Yijin City was the seat of the Yijin Army and a military stronghold of Qian Liu, which also served as his residence, ancestral temple, and administrative center.

According to the "Chronicles of Wuyue," on the 16th day of the fourth month in the first year of the Longji Era of Tang Dynasty (889 AD), Qian Liu began building fortifications on Maoshan in Lin'an (now known as Taimiao Mountain), which Tang Dynasty Emperor Zhongzong named "Anzhong Camp" in 890. In the second year of the Guanghua Era (899), Qian Liu put down a rebellion led by Dong Chang and Anzhong Camp was renamed as the Yijin Camp by the emperor. In 901, it was elevated to the status of Yijin City.

The Yijin City Site is an irregular pentagon with a missing southeast corner, covering an area of approximately 0.47 square kilometers. Since 2017, archaeological excavations have been conducted at the site by cultural heritage authorities, revealing the foundations of large buildings in the north of the city, including building platforms, drainage ditches, and courtyard brick floors.

Excavations at the former South Elementary School area uncovered the remains of the south city wall and gate of Yijin City. In addition to the south city wall, the south gate, and roads, remnants of courtyard, wells, and drainage ditches were found in the northern part of the excavation area. The layout of the courtyard was neat and orderly, with a well-planned drainage system. On either side of the courtyard in the central part of the excavation area, a well was discovered. The well-planned drainage system and orderly courtyard layout are representative of Wuyue's construction techniques.

The Yijin City Site has been incorporated into the plan for the Lin'an Wuyue King Mausoleum Archaeological Site Park. In the near future, this thousand-year-old city site will be showcased to the public once again.