Hanjourney.com | Famous tourist attractions in China

1. Yinxu Scenic Spot, Anyang,
Henan
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2. G eographic location:Xiaoyan Village, Yindu
District, Anyang City
Level:AAAAA
Famous scenery:Yubei Mall Ruins, Jiaguyu Cave
Suitable for the play season:Suitable for all seasons
Yinxu, formerly known as “Beimeng”, is the site of the late
Shangcheng of the Shang Dynasty in China, located in Anyang City,
Henan Province. In the 14th year of Pan Geng, the 19th monarch of
the Shang Dynasty was moved to Beimeng (now Anyang, Henan), and
the name of “Northern Mongolia” was changed to “Yin”. In the fifteen
years of Pan Geng, the construction of Yindu began. Since the Pan
Geng moved to Yin, to 1046 BC, Emperor Xin died in the country, and
experienced Pan Geng, Xiao Xin, Xiao Yi, Wu Ding, Zu Geng, Zu Jia,
Yan Xin, Kang Ding, Wu Yi, Wen Ding, Emperor B, Emperor In the
273-year rule of 12 kings of Xin Dynasty, Yin has always been the
political, economic, cultural, and military center of the late Shang
Dynasty.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Yin Ruins were famous for
discovering the oracle bones. In 1928, the Yin Ruins officially began
archaeological excavations. A large number of Ducheng architectural
sites and rich cultural relics represented by oracle bones and bronzes
were unearthed, systematically demonstrating the splendid and
brilliant Chinese Shang Dynasty. The bronze civilization established
the scientific position of the Yin Shang society as a history of faith. It
was named the first of China’s “100 major archaeological discoveries”
in the 20th century.
The Yinxu has unearthed about 150,000 pieces of oracle bones. The
information recorded in Oracle has advanced the credible history
recorded in China to the Shang Dynasty, and it has also produced a
new discipline, oracle bone.

3. Yinxu is the first city in China to have a test of literature and is
confirmed by archaeology and oracle bones. It consists of the ruins of
the Yinxu Wangling, the ruins of the Yinxu Palace, the site of the
Yubei Mall, and the oracle bone.
In March 1961, the State Council listed Yinxu as the first batch of
national key cultural relics protection units. In July 2006, Yinxu was
listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization as a World Cultural Heritage List. It is now a national
AAAAA tourist attraction. On October 13, 2018, the 90th Anniversary
Commemorative Meeting of the Yinxu Scientific Discovery and the
Yinxu Development and Archaeological Forum was held. On October
11, 2018, he was selected as the “National Primary and Secondary
School Students’ Practice Education Base” list.
Geographic location
Yinxu is located around Xiaotun Village, Yindu District, Anyang City,
Henan Province. The geographical coordinates are 114°18′50′′E,
36°07′36′′N, about 80m above sea level, about 6km in length and
width, and the total area is about 36 square kilometers. The protected
area has a core area of 414 hectares and a buffer area of 720 hectares.
The overall layout of the Yin Ruins is rigorous. It is centered on the
ruins of the Yinxu Palace in the Xiaoxu Village, along the banks of the
Weihe River. The existing relics mainly include the Yinzong Palace
Zongmiao Ruins, the Yinxu Wangling Site, the Yubei Mall, the
Hougang Site, the Settlement Site (the clan), the family cemetery
group, the oracle bone cave, the cast copper ruins, and hand
workshops.

4. Cultural relics
Palace ancestral temple
The palace ancestral temple ruins are located in Xiaotun Village and
Garden Village on the south bank of the Weihe River in Anyang City,
Henan Province. It is 1000 meters long from north to south, 650
meters wide from east to west, and has a total area of 71.5 hectares.
It is the place where Shangwang handles government affairs and
residence, and is also the most important place in Yinxu. The site and
its components, including the palace, the temple and other building
bases, more than 80. On the west and south sides of the palace
ancestral temple ruins, there is a artificial excavation to form a
defensive trench, which surrounds the palace ancestral temple and
plays a role similar to that of the palace city.
In the palace Zongmiao District, there is also the wife of the wife Wu
Ding of Shangwang Wuding. This is the only preserved tomb of the
royal family members found so far. It is also the only member of the
Shang Dynasty royal family who can contact the Oracle and determine
the age, the owner and identity of the tomb. Tomb. There are 16
people in the tomb, and 1928 pieces of unearthed objects, including
468 bronzes, 755 jade articles and 564 pieces of bones, and nearly
7,000 sea shells.
There are also a large number of oracle bones in the Zongmiao area of
the Yinxu Palace. About 15,000 pieces of oracle bones were
unearthed.

5. Wangling Site
Wangling Site is located in Houjiazhuang and Wuguan Village North
Heights on the north bank of the Weihe River in Anyang City, Henan
Province. It is about 450 meters long from east to west and 250
meters wide from north to south, with a total area of about 11.3
hectares. Since 1934, 13 large tombs have been discovered here, with
more than 2,000 burial tombs, ritual pits and chariot pits, and a large
number of beautifully crafted bronzes, jade, stoneware, pottery, etc.,
which are recognized by the academic community. The location of the
Shang Dynasty Wangling. Among them, the number of ritual pits in
the Eastern District is numerous and arranged in an orderly manner.
There are many people and animal skeletons in the pit. It is a public
ritual venue for the ancestors of the Yin royal family. It is now the
M260 exhibition hall.
In addition, the late mother Wu Dafang Ding, unearthed in the east of
Wangling, is the heaviest bronze found today.

6. Yubei Mall
Yubei Mall is located in the garden of the north bank of the Weihe
River in Anyang City, Henan Province. The city site is generally
square, 2.15 kilometers wide from east to west, 2.2 kilometers long
from north to south, with a total area of about 4.7 square kilometers.
There are slabs of walled bases around it. The discovery of the site of
the Yubei Mall has extended the historical time of Yin Shang and
extended the scope of the Yin Ruins.
The ruins of the Yubei Mall were earlier than the Yinxue merchant
culture in the traditional sense. It was slightly later than the
Zhengzhou early Shang culture, and it was probably a Tudor site in
the middle and late Shang Dynasty.

7. Hun tombs
On May 3, 2017, archaeologists discovered 18 Xiongnu tombs during
archaeological excavations in the Yinxu Grand Site. These Xiongnu
tombs are neatly arranged and the tombs are the same. Judging from
the unearthed objects, these tombs were later than the Yin Ruins, and
they were different from the shape of the Central Plains tombs. Its
era should be in the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin
Dynasties, about 1800 years ago.
Excavation history
Historical shadow cloud
According to the “Shangshu”, “Historical Records”, “Bamboo Book”
and other documents, there was a Shang Dynasty in Chinese history
more than 3,000 years ago. The dynasty lasted for nearly 500 years
and is the beginning of the ancient Chinese history with the territory
of the country. . The first merchant, Wang Mingtang, founded the
country in Qidu in the early 16th century BC and quickly conquered
the neighboring forces and stabilized the political map of the Shang
Dynasty. The throne of the Shang Dynasty was inherited by the

8. method of “father of the dead” or “the brother of the brother and
brother”. There were 31 business kings before and after.
The Tudors of the Shang Dynasty had migrated several times. Since
the first 2019, the 20th generation of the merchants, Pan Pan Geng
moved to Yin, and in 1046 BC, Emperor Xin died in the country, and
experienced Pan Geng, Xiao Xin, Xiao Yi, Wu Ding, Zu Geng, Zu Jia,
Yu. The 273-year rule of 12 kings of Xin, Kangding, Wuyi, Wending,
Diyi and Dixin was the political, economic, cultural and military
center of the late Shang Dynasty. After the demise of the business, it
gradually became a ruin.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Ruo Daoyuan gave a
more precise description of the position of the Yin Ruins in the “Shui
Jing Zhu”. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, there were many
bronzes unearthed in the Anyang area, which attracted attention, but
it was considered to be the capital of Shangwanghe.
Iron cloud turtle
Xiaoyan is located on the bank of the Weihe River in the western
suburb of Anyang City. This area is slightly higher, so it has been used
as an ideal place to bury the undead since the Warring States Period,
especially during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It was not until the
Ming Dynasty that it became a residential area composed of several
households. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, the residents of
Xiaoyan often dig from the ground to the broken bone pieces in the
farming. At the end of the 19th century, local rumors of broken bones,

9. the so-called keel, were able to cure the disease, so the villagers
collected pieces of bone fragments, either reserved for use or sold to
Chinese medicine shops. Since then, the “keel” has been continuously
excavated from the ground.
In 1899, the stone scientist Wang Yurong bought medicine because of
illness. He found some very old words on the keel sold in the Chinese
medicine shop in Beijing. He realized that this is a very precious
cultural relic, and began to purchase heavily, and then verified these
“Oracle”. It is “Yin people’s knives and pens.” In 1900, the Eight-
Power Allied Forces captured Beijing, and Wang Rongrong was
indignant. The collection of keel was resold by his son Liu Wei from
the late Qing Dynasty. In 1903, Liu Wei published and published his
collection of oracle bones, becoming the first Oracle article “Tie Yun
Tibetan Turtle”.
After the news of the Shang Dynasty oracle bones spread, the whole
academic community was excited, and many scholars joined the ranks
of the collection of oracle bones. The “keel” in each Chinese medicine
shop is worth a hundred times. Since the sale of oracle bones is
profitable, the antique merchants concealed the land of the oracle
bones. In 1908 (a talk about 1910), Luo Zhenyu sought out from
various sources and began to know that the bones of the bones were
out of the “small rafts of Binhai,” so he sent people to buy oracle
bones many times, and made some interpretations of the text,
thinking that small The 屯 is the Yin Ruins mentioned in the
literature. At this point, the Yin Ruins site was first known by the
academic community. In 1917, Wang Guowei conducted a textual
examination of the materials on the Oracle bones, sorted out the list
of merchants Wang Shi, and further confirmed that Xiaotun Village
was the capital of Pan Geng.

10. Unearthing process
In 1928, with the strong support of Fu Sinian, the first 18-day trial of
the Yin Ruins began. A total of more than 800 pieces of oracle bones
and bronzes, pottery, bones and other cultural relics were unearthed.
In the spring of 1929, Li Ji presided over the official excavation of the
Yin Ruins. By the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, a total of
15 scientific excavations were carried out, and the palace district and
the Wangling district of the Shang Dynasty were found, confirming
the records of the “Zhushu Ji Nian” on the late Shang Dynasty. In the
late generation, it became an unshakable conclusion.
In 1950, the tomb of the Wuguan Village was excavated and became
the first excavation of the Yin Ruins in New China. In 1976, the tomb
of the wife of Wang Wuding, the wife of the woman, was discovered
in the northwest of Xiaoyan. By 1986, more than 20 excavations had
been carried out on more than a dozen points, and about 150,000
pieces of lettering oracle bones were obtained. In January 1999, a
large commercial site was discovered about 2 meters below the
northeast of the Yin Ruins site. It overlaps slightly with the old
“Yinxu” range, but the whole is on the north bank of the Weihe River.
The academic community named it “Zhubei Mall”.
With the enrichment of archaeological discoveries, the scope of Yinxu
research has become wider and wider, from the Yinxu cultural stage
to the environment (such as geography, landforms, vegetation,
resources, flora and fauna); from race, population, family
organization, to architecture. Industry, handicraft industry (such as
casting copper, making jade, making pottery, bones); from
agriculture to burial system, sacrificial system; from writing to art
and the nature of late business society, Shang Dynasty gradually
became a history of faith.

11. Archaeological achievements
On October 13, 1928, Mr. Dong Zuobin was appointed by the Institute
of History and Language of the Central Research Institute to conduct
the first excavation of the Yin Ruins in Xiaoyan Village, Anyang,
Henan Province. Since then, until June 1937, 15 archaeological
excavations have been carried out in Xiaoyan, Hougang,
Houjiazhuang, Dashang Village and other places.
This is a major event in the history of Chinese archaeology and world
archaeology, and an important milestone in the academic history of
China in the 20th century. At this stage, the excavation of the Yin
Ruins not only obtained rich archaeological materials, but also left
many precious image images, field records, work logs, and letters to
the residence, which became important materials for studying the
germination and development of Chinese archaeology in the 20th
century.
October 13, 2018, October 13, 2018, organized by the Institute of
Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Henan
Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, and the Anyang Municipal
Government, the 90th Anniversary of the Yin Ruins Science Discovery
and the Yinxu Development and Archaeological Forum, from the Sea
More than 200 archaeologists and scholars from both inside and

12. outside attended the grand commemoration to commemorate the
contribution of the archaeological ancestors of the Yin Ruins. They
summed up the archaeological achievements of the Yin Ruins in the
past 90 years. They discussed the archaeological heritage of the Yin
Ruins and the 90th anniversary of the scientific excavation of the Yin
Ruins. Representatives of archaeological workers – Zheng Zhenxiang,
Yang Xiwei, Liu Yiman, Xu Guangde, Liu Zhongfu and former Anyang
City Cultural Relics Team Captain Meng Xianwu of the Institute of
Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences awarded the
medals and commemorative certificates of the archaeological
excavations of the Yinxu. . He also held the academic works of Yin
Ruins in the “90 Years of Archaeological People and Things in the Yin
Ruins”, “The Pottery Unearthed in the Yin Ruins”, “The Complete
Form of the Bronze War of the Yin Ruins”, “The Crested Bones of the
Yin Ruins” and “New Jade Articles Unearthed from the Yin Ruins” The
starting ceremony.
Site value
Oracle
Oracle is the predecessor of Chinese characters and one of the three
oldest writing systems in the world. It not only proves that ancient
Chinese characters are of independent origin, but also provides the
ancient Chinese word-making rules, which has fundamentally
influenced Chinese culture since 3,000 years. Impact. The discovery

13. of the oracle bones in the Yin Ruins not only advanced the credible
history of Chinese written records to the Shang Dynasty, but also
because of the rich content of the Oracle language, involving all
aspects of the politics, economy, culture and ideology of the Shang
Dynasty, it is important for the comprehensive restoration of the
history of the Shang Dynasty. The meaning is called the earliest
“archive” of ancient China and even mankind. The study of oracle
bones has also produced a new discipline – oracle bones.
Bronze
Bronze unearthed from the Yin Ruins, including ceremonies, musical
instruments, weapons, tools, living utensils, decorations
Articles, works of art, etc., rituals have tripods, cymbals, cymbals,
cymbals, princes, etc., musical instruments include cymbals, bells,
cymbals, etc., weapons have ge, spear, cymbals, knives, cymbals, etc.,
tools have hoes, chisels, axes, Saws, shovel, etc., with bronze mirrors,
rod heads, leaks, spoons, cymbals, pedestals, angles, etc., decorative
art masks, head masks, bronze cows, copper tigers, brass bells, etc.
The rich and varied forms and the mysterious patterns reflect the
religious feelings and aesthetic concepts unique to the Yin and Shang

14. dynasties, reaching the peak of the development of the Chinese
Bronze Age and occupying an important position in the history of
ancient Chinese civilization.
The text (golden text) cast on the bronzes, especially the long
inscriptions, was a reflection of the real life of the people at that
time, retaining the true face of the time, and thus has a very high
research value.
There are four or five thousand bronzes unearthed from the Yin
Ruins. According to statistics, in the bronzes unearthed in the 1930s,
there were more than 170 ritual devices and more than 1,340
weapons, as well as tools and other miscellaneous devices. Between
1950 and 1986, more than 650 pieces of rituals were discovered,
more than 1,400 weapons, and some tools, art and miscellaneous
items. After 1986, many bronzes were still found. Bronze vessels are
mainly unearthed in large and medium-sized tombs. Among them, the
most unearthed is the well-preserved No. 5 tomb, the woman’s tomb,
which has 468 pieces and is complete in variety.
The most exquisite casting technique in bronze is the ritual. The
ceremonial instruments unearthed from the Yin Ruins are not only of
various types, but also of various shapes, showing round, flat, square
and other shapes, among which are rounds. The largest and heaviest
of the descendants of the Wuguan Village tomb, the pentad square,
133 cm high, 110 cm long, 78 cm wide and 875 kg, is the largest
ancient bronze ware found in the world and the peak of bronze
civilization. The work. In addition, the two dynasties, Xin Ding Ding,
unearthed from the tomb of M1004 in the northwest of Houjiazhuang,
are also heavy rituals.

15. Building style
The Shang Dynasty architecture, represented by the palace ancestral
temple building and the tomb of the royal tomb, is solemn and
solemn, reflecting the unique sense of balance, order and aesthetic
interest of ancient Chinese architecture. It embodies the palace
construction pattern of the Yin and Shang Dynasties. Architectural
art, architectural methods, and architectural techniques represent the
advanced level of ancient Chinese palace architecture. The Yinbei
Mall in Yinxu has a tall city wall, a majestic palace, and a strict
“central axis” layout, which has become a feature of Chinese cities for
thousands of years.
Historical value
The excavation of Yinxu has almost completely changed the history of
Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties in the traditional view of history, and
truly established the scientific position of Yin Shang society as a

16. history of faith, establishing a reliable chronological basis for Shang
and Zhou archaeology, and Xia culture played a basic role; it filled the
gap between the Chinese business culture represented by Zhengzhou
Erligang and the late merchant culture represented by Yinxu, thus
perfecting the Chronological Framework of Shang Dynasty.
The Yinxu cultural relics represented by bronzes and jade articles
show that the handicraft industry in the Yinxu period was
unprecedentedly developed, not only with complete categories, but
also with a high level of craftsmanship. Some major handicraft
production sectors, such as bronze smelting, jade, ceramics, bone
making, car making, and textiles, have reached a considerable scale.
The white pottery and original porcelain in this period occupied an
important position in the history of Chinese ceramics. The merchant
carriages unearthed in the Yin Ruins use a large number of bronze
members, and they are double-set and double-wheeled. The structure
is exquisite and complex, reflecting the superb mechanical and bronze
casting and other composite technologies.
The burial system, distribution pattern, burial method, and ritual
rituals of the Yinxu Tombs reflect the social organization, class status,
hierarchy, and kinship of the late Shang Dynasty, representing the
highest level of the ancient Tombs in ancient China. Later, the
Chinese dynasties followed suit and gradually formed a unique
mausoleum system in China. At the same time, the funeral customs of
the Yin Ruins, represented by people’s sacrifices, people’s plaques,
car and horse burial, and animal sacrifices, highlight the ritual
system centered on the hierarchy in the Yinxu period, reflecting the
funeral customs at that time.

17. Archaeological influence
The excavation of the Yin Ruins is a combination of Chinese
traditional pebbles and Western field archaeology, and is a symbol of
the rise of modern Chinese archaeology.
The excavation of the Yinxu Palace District and the Wangling District,
the discovery of a large number of precious cultural relics such as
bronzes and jade articles, attracted the attention of Chinese and
foreign academic circles and established the international status of
Chinese archaeology;
In 1931, Liang Siyong discovered the “three stacks” of the Hougang
site in Anyang. For the first time, the relative age relationship
between Yangshao culture, Longshan culture and Shang culture was
divided from the stratigraphy, which laid the foundation for the
formation of Chinese archaeological stratigraphy. The basic Yinxu
excavation site has become the cradle of Chinese archaeological
talents. From here, Li Ji, Dong Zuobin, Shi Yiru, Gao Gou, Liang
Siyong, Guo Baozhen, Yin Da, Xia Wei, Hu Houxuan and other first
generation elites in Chinese archaeology .
The excavation of the Yin Ruins has responded positively to the
skepticism that has been prevailing in the history of Chinese
academic circles since the early 20th century. As the existence of the
Shang Dynasty was confirmed by archaeology, the Chinese academic
community was able to explore the “Xia Dynasty” in the relevant
literature.

18. Management protection
In 1961, the State Council listed Yinxu as the first batch of national
key cultural relics protection units, and defined the scope of key
protected areas, general protected areas and peripheral areas, and
formulated specific protection measures.
In 1982, after the publication of the “Law of the People’s Republic of
China on the Protection of Cultural Relics”, the Henan Provincial
Government and the Anyang Municipal Government also promulgated
regulations related to the protection of the Yin Ruins, which
incorporated the protection of the Yin Ruins into the legalization
track and delineated the scope of protection of the Yin Ruins. Building
control zone.
In 1987, the Anyang Municipal Government purchased nearly 80,000
square meters of farmland in the northeastern part of Xiaoyan (Yinxu
Palace District), and took effective protection measures for the site. A
museum of the site type (Yinxu Museum) was built here. The layout
and architecture of the palace hall of the Yin Dynasty became a resort
integrating archaeology, gardening, ancient construction and tourism.
In 1988, the Chinese Ancient Capital Association listed Anyang in the
seven ancient capitals of China.
In 1997, Yinxu was designated as the first batch of 100 patriotic
education demonstration bases in China.
In 2000, the archaeological community selected “China’s 100th
archaeological discovery in the 20th century”, and Yinxu ranked first
with the highest number of votes.
In 2001, with the application of the World Heritage, the Anyang
Municipal Government requisitioned nearly 1,000 mu of land in the
Yinxu Palace and Wangling Site as state-owned, which directly
controlled it under the jurisdiction of the government, effectively

19. preventing Xiaoyan and Garden Villa from moving to the palace
reserve. Expand and invest huge sums of money to resettle and
relocate residents in key protected areas outside the protected area.
Wang Yuxin, president of the China Association of Businessmen,
spoke highly of this and praised “protecting the Yin Ruins as the first
major achievement of Anyang.”
In 2006, the Anyang Municipal Government invested more than 1.5
billion yuan to comprehensively manage the surrounding
environment of the Yin Ruins, explore the display methods of the
sites, and built the Yinxu Museum to collect, protect and display
movable cultural relics unearthed from the Yin Ruins.
On July 13, 2006, at the 30th session of the World Heritage
Committee in Lithuania, Yinxu was included in the World by the
World Heritage-received selection criteria (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vi). The
Heritage List becomes a world cultural heritage.
In 2010, it was included in the first batch of 12 archaeological sites in
the country.
In 2011, it was rated as the first batch of “5A-level tourist scenic
spots” by the National Tourism Administration.

20. Visit information
Visit time
8:00—18:00 (October–March)
8:00—18:30 (March-October)
Traffic routes
The Yinxu Palace Zongmiao Ruins are located in the northwest suburb
of Anyang City.
At the northern end of Yinxu Road, 5 km from downtown Anyang,
visitors can arrive in three ways:
Self-driving: Take the Anyang exit of Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway and
turn right along Renmin Avenue to the Fifth People’s Hospital.
Bus: 1,6,15,18,39,41, get off at Yinxu Station and walk for 5 minutes.
By train: Take the Anyang Station, take the bus No. 1 at the Cultural
Palace, and take a 5-minute walk to the right.
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