Yecheng City is situated on the northern banks of the Zhanghe River, 13 kilometers southwest of Linzhang County, Hebei Province.
The city was once the capital of Cao Wei, the later Zhao, the Ran Wei, the former Yan, the Eastern Wei and the Northern Qi, after which it was abandoned. The site comprises the south and north cities.
According to historical records, the northern city was built in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), earlier than the southern city. In 204 of the Eastern Han (25-220), Emperor Cao Cao of the Wei State ordered the erection of three high platforms in the city: the Bronze Finch, Golden Tiger and Ice Well. During the later Zhao of the Six States Period (304-439), a large number of palaces were built inside the city, with carved-stone walls, gold columns, silver balusters, streams of pears used as shades and jade walls. Moreover, a five-storied pavilion was erected on the Bronze Finch Platform. To the north of the platform were nine grand palaces named the Nine Gorgeous Palaces. After the Northern Qi (550-577) was conquered in 577, the northern city was gradually discarded.
The southern city was built by Gao Huan of the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550) and expanded during the Northern Qi Dynasty. The city constructions were grand and gorgeous. It is believed the palace doors and windows were decorated with gold and silver, the buildings were made of jade instead of stone and sandal wood was used to build rafters and bracket sets embossed with rare birds and animals. Following the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the southern city was gradually abandoned.
The first excavation at the Yecheng City Site was carried out in 1957. According to archaeological studies, the northern city was square-shaped, seven kilometers long from east to west and five kilometers wide from south to north, with seven gates on all sides. A street stretching from east to west cuts the city into the south and north sections. Built in the center of the northern section is a palace with residences and offices used by lords to its east, including an imperial Bronze Finch Garden to the west. The three famous platforms were constructed in the center of the western section, while folk houses were erected in the southern section. The arterial road was built along the central axis, leading to the Central South Gate in the south and to the palace in the north. The city had a clear-cut, overall arrangement and a convenient traffic system that gave rise to a new style of city planning. Such an architectural style greatly influenced the lane system adopted by the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581-907).
The present northern city has few construction sites left — only bases of the Bronze Finch and Golden Tiger platforms, including a few rammed-earth bases. The oblong southern city has 14 gates on four sides. Unfortunately, at present, most of the precious relics at the Site of Yecheng City have disappeared.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
