The history and culture of the ancient city ruins of Xue State?

The Ancient City of Xue State

According to the "Teng County Chronicles·Historic Sites Chronicles" of the Wanli Ming Dynasty: "Xue City is located forty miles north of Xue River and south of the county. It is eighteen miles on Tuesday. In ancient times, when Xi Zhong sealed the country, the city was built by Tian Wen."

Tian Wen died of illness, and various scholars fought for the throne, and Qi and Wei were destroyed.

After the fall of Xue State, Xue County was established in the Qin Dynasty.

Xue County was established from the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

In the Sui Dynasty, Xue was abolished and became the territory of Teng County.

Later, Xuedi gradually turned into a village, and the old city has gone through vicissitudes of more than 2,000 years. The city foundation still exists and is clearly visible.

The Jinpu Railway passes through the city along the east side, with Guanqiao in the east, Zhangwang in the west, Longfeng Mountain in the north, and Weishan Lake in the west.

During the Warring States Period, this was a famous city with a population of 60,000.

The plan of the ancient city is irregular square.

The four city walls have ups and downs, each with its own ups and downs.

The perimeter is 10,600 meters. The existing city wall is 4-7 meters above the ground and about 20-30 meters wide at the bottom. It is entirely made of rammed loess.

The total area of ??the ancient city is approximately 68 square kilometers.

The terrain within the ancient city is flat, and Huangdianggang Village is located in the center of the city. It is said that this is the remains of the palace of Xue State.

In the northeast of the old city, there were two tall mounds of earth, said to be the tombs of Tian Ying and Tian Wen, but they are now abandoned.

"Shui Jing Zhu·Sishui" says: "The tomb was made of stones as a coffin, which was tightly made and immovable, and its beauty can be found.

Today's tomb has been developed, like a palace. The walls are made of iron and steel, and the buckles make a sound. When passers-by come and go, they all look at it and think they have some objections."

In 1977, four pieces of bronze were unearthed in the ancient city of Xue State. One of the inscriptions was fifteen characters and the other was seventeen characters:

"Xue Zizhong (Zhong) An Zha ( "Make) inn (簠)

His descendants and descendants will enjoy Yongbao."

"Xue Zhong (Zhong) of the walking horse made his own hairpin

The descendants of the descendants will enjoy the eternal treasure."

The Tengzhou area in the Xia and Shang dynasties belonged to the Dongyi tribe in the late primitive society. It was one of the places with many human activities in the Haidai historical and cultural area.

Xuedi is named after the Xue River, which originates from the western end of the Yimeng Mountains, meanders southwestward through the Tengnan Plain and enters the ancient Sishui (today's Weishan Lake).

According to current archaeological discoveries, there are many ancient cultural sites scattered along both sides of the Xue River in southern Tengzhou, from the Beixin Culture 7,300 years ago, through the Dawenkou Culture, Longshan Culture, to Yue Shi Culture and the entire development process of prehistoric culture can almost be traced here.

In recent years, archaeological excavations at the Qianzhang site have filled the gap between prehistoric culture and the historical development of Xuedi before the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and are important for studying the history of the formation and development of the entire Chinese nation and clan state. Significance and circumstantial evidence.

An archaeologist once said: In an area of ??only 20 miles with the Xue River as the center in Tengzhou, various cultures such as Beixin Culture, Longshan and Yueshi Culture, and even class society are distributed. There are a large number of relics of this cultural type, and the relics are quite concentrated, continuous and stable, lasting for six or seven thousand years. This is very rare not only in Shandong Province, but also in the whole country. It can almost be said that the history of ancient Xue State is almost A microcosm of the history of the formation and development of the Chinese nation-state...

The ancient Xue State started from the earliest master Xi Zhong being granted the title until the Mengchang Juntian father and son were granted the title again during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, completing the process of establishing the Xue State with the surname Ren. During the succession and transformation of the Xue family of the Xiangtian family, "it was passed down for sixty-four generations, and the state was ruled for nineteen hundred years" ("Teng County Chronicles: Xue Family").

Of course, during this period, the Xue State of any surname also moved to "Pi" for a time, but the status of the ancient Xuecheng area as the center of a certain Fang State or Hou State in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties has not changed.

In recent years, drilling and excavations at the site of the ancient city of Xue State have proven that there are still remains of other small towns built in different eras under the existing walls of the ancient city, and some have also been discovered in other places around Qianzhangda Traces of an earlier walled fortress.

This can be further explained: The Xue River Basin in southern Tengzhou has been an important place for human activities for thousands of years, especially after entering human civilization, from Xia, Shang, and Zhou to Qin, Han, and During the Three Kingdoms period, until the Sui Dynasty deposed Xue, this place had always been the center of the rule of Fang, Hou, and counties. During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, it once became the center of ancient Xu, and during the Warring States Period, it was the capital of Xuzhou.

Numerous documents indicate that it was Xi Zhong who "lived in Xue" in the Xia Dynasty who invented the chariot. The invention of the boat chariot played a huge role in promoting the development of the entire history of human civilization.

Of course, the invention and perfection of the car may not be the work of Xi Zhong alone. However, for thousands of years, people have always respected Xi Zhong as the "originator of car manufacturing." "Car" has also become one of the symbols that Chinese civilization once led the world.

Xi Zhong was named "Chezheng" (an official in charge of cars) by Xia Yu because he built carts in Xuedi, and Xue became his fief.

This is the earliest owner of Xuedi recorded in writing.

Historical records record that after Xi Zhong became the Yellow Emperor, he was given the surname Ren. Sima Qian said in "Historical Records" that "fourteen of the twenty-four sons of the Yellow Emperor were given the surname", among whom was the surname Ren.

Today, there is a clan monument with the surname Ren under an ancient locust tree in Dakangliu Village in the east of ancient Xuecheng City. Most people in the nearby villages have the surname Ren.

In this way, the surname Ren in the world came from near the ancient Xuecheng in the south of Tengzhou City, and his ancestor was the great inventor of the "car" - Xi Zhong!

We have never seen what the "car" invented by Xi Zhong looks like.

According to various historical materials, there is a description of a chariot in the book "Guanzi: Situation" written in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period:

"Xi Zhongzhi is a chariot, which is square, round and straight. , all comply with the rules and regulations, so the machine can be used well, and the tool can be used firmly and firmly."

Tengzhou has a long history. It was the place of "Three Kingdoms and Five Towns" in ancient times. It has many cultural relics and historic sites and rich burials. , so many exquisite Shang and Zhou bronzes were unearthed in the Tengzhou area, which became one of the three major collection features of the Tengzhou Museum.

The unearthing of these high-level and valuable bronzes, ancient tombs, and chariot and horse pits objectively confirms the glory and longevity of the ancient civilization in Tengzhou area.

What’s interesting is: Teng Xiaoguo, another “country” located in the same territory as the ancient Xue Kingdom more than 2,000 years ago, is located in the same territory as the present-day Tengzhou. The two “countries” are adjacent, and their “capitals” are less than 40 kilometers apart. Huali, but the decorations and styles of the unearthed bronzes are very different: the bronzes of the Xue Kingdom have exaggerated and elegant decorations, with the romantic style of Jingchu culture, while the bronzes of the Teng Kingdom are strict and solemn, with the orthodox legacy of Zongzhou etiquette.

Why are the styles of bronze inscriptions from two ancient countries that lived in the same place at roughly the same time so different? It remains to be revealed through expert research.

The place where Xi Zhong built his car is said to be at the foot of Xigong Mountain in Xiazhuang Township, Xuecheng District today.

5 meters.

There are two steles in front of the tomb. The steles are broken and only the words "Gong built the second tomb of Xi Ran" remain. It is said that they are the tomb of Xi Zhong and the tomb of Ran You respectively.

Ran You was one of the seventy-two disciples of Confucius. He once served as the Prime Minister of the Jisun clan of the State of Lu.

It seems that he also admired the prestige of Xi Zhong, or was from the same clan, so he chose this geomantic treasure.

In addition, there are ruts on the rocks, which are said to have been left by Xi Zhong when he was building a chariot.

At the southern foot of the mountain, there is the former site of the Chefu Temple, which was a place where officials of past dynasties built temples and offered sacrifices. Now it has disappeared, leaving only broken monuments, broken bricks and old tiles, telling the story of the past under the setting sun. The prosperity...

"Teng County Chronicles" contains many poems and essays about literati from past dynasties who came to Xigong Mountain to pay homage to the ancient times. One of them said:

"Che Zheng left the title of Yi Dai Inherited, there are no people and ghosts in the vast land.

The rivers and mountains still exist, and the name will last forever..."

I wander around my homeland, recalling the grandeur of carriages and horses in those days. , and now they are all lost in the mulberry fields and the sea.