Gate ruins of ancient capital unearthed in central China

An aerial drone photo taken on June 18, 2024 shows the excavation site of the ruins of Jinglong Gate from the Northern Song Dynasty in Kaifeng, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua/Yuan Yueming)

ZHENGZHOU, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of an inner city gate of the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126). This discovery marks the largest and highest-scale city gate ruins from the Northern Song period found so far.

The ruins are located in the city of Kaifeng, which was the ancient capital of the Northern Song Dynasty for 168 years.

Jinglong Gate, the only inner city gate of the ancient capital discovered to date, is about 60 meters wide with the gateway extending 19.3 meters.

"The overall scale of Jinglong Gate is larger than the Shuntian Gate in the ancient capital of Song, which had earlier been discovered," said Wang Sanying, vice president of Kaifeng municipal institute of cultural heritage and archaeology.

He added that the discovery of the inner city gate holds great significance in locating the imperial city of the Northern Song Dynasty and the palaces within.

During the excavation that started in November, archaeologists also found overlapping walls built in different periods, ranging from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This discovery shed further light on the historical evolution of Kaifeng.

The new discoveries proved that the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), which overturned the Song regime, did not overlay its imperial capital on that of the Song as previously speculated by researchers.

The authorities have decided to carry out protective backfilling to bury the excavation site of Jinglong Gate ruins, as the location has been frequently hit by heavy rains and elevated flood risks.

Liu Haiwang, the Party chief of the Henan provincial institute of cultural heritage and archaeology, said that in the next step, the local government will optimize the excavation plan to better protect and display the historical site. 

This undated file photo shows a view of the ruins of Jinglong Gate from the Northern Song Dynasty in Kaifeng, central China's Henan Province. (Kaifeng Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute/Handout via Xinhua)

This undated file photo shows a schematic map of the ruins of Jinglong Gate from the Northern Song Dynasty in Kaifeng, central China's Henan Province. (Kaifeng Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute/Handout via Xinhua)

This photo taken on June 18, 2024 shows the ruins of an ancient building near the ruins of Jinglong Gate from the Northern Song Dynasty in Kaifeng, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua/Yuan Yueming)