In the heart of East China’s Jiangsu Province, Xuyi officials have unveiled plans to transform the ancient Sizhou Ruins into an archaeological park and museum. Situated on a remote island, these ruins were once the bustling epicenter of a populous city that played a vital role as a waterway transport hub in eastern China.
Often referred to as the “Pompeii of the East,” Sizhou’s history took a dramatic turn approximately 300 years ago during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). A devastating flood, aided by silt from the Yellow River, obliterated the city in an event reminiscent of Pompeii’s volcanic destruction. For centuries, the remnants of this once-vibrant city lay buried beneath layers of earth and silt, untouched and forgotten.
Liang Jie, a renowned expert on the Grand Canal based in Yangzhou, shared that the future archaeological park atop the Sizhou Ruins is a vital component of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park program. This program envisions a grand assembly of 22 primary exhibition parks, all of which come together to form the Grand Canal Cultural Belt stretching across China.
Diving deep into the annals of history, the Sizhou city was constructed during the North Zhou reign (557-581), which falls under China’s Northern and Southern Dynasties era (386-589). The city’s strategic positioning along the Tongji Canal, one of the quartet of canals constituting the Sui-Tang dynasties Grand Canal (now a UNESCO World Heritage site), elevated its prominence.
It was only in 2012 that a collaborative team of archaeologists from prominent museums in Nanjing, Xuzhou, Zhenjiang, Huai’an, and beyond began to excavate the Sizhou Ruins. The excavation has so far revealed five foundational structures, a significant east-west thoroughfare, segments of the southern city perimeter, and a city gate. Local experts, fascinated by the unique city layout, have likened its appearance to a turtle. In addition, the site yielded three intricately inscribed stone incense burners near a temple’s remnants, which point to the city’s religious significance during the Ming Dynasty’s Zhengde period (1368-1644). The rich Buddhist inscriptions on these artifacts are indicators of the city’s erstwhile role as a significant center for Buddhism.
Sharing his enthusiasm for the project, Xuyi’s vice county leader, Chen Jun, announced a series of cultural and tourism initiatives for the site. A substantial investment of approximately 6 billion yuan ($818 million) is earmarked for these plans.
However, Sizhou isn’t an isolated tale of sudden historical obliteration. Northwest China’s Qinghai Province houses the Lajia Ruins, dating back 4,000 years. A catastrophic combination of an earthquake-induced landslide and the subsequent rupturing of the Yellow River’s embankment drowned Lajia in silt. This site, which opened its doors to tourists in 2020, offers haunting insights into a bygone era – from the skeletal remains of its inhabitants to a terracotta bowl preserving 4,000-year-old noodles, sealed in a vacuum-like condition by the disaster’s swift onslaught.
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