Laosicheng

Laosicheng is the largest and best preserved Tusi city in Southwest China, known as Tujia "open air museum". There are not many visitors here. It's a secluded and simple place. There are records in historical books about Laosicheng as "a giant town of five streams and a border town of ten thousand li". If you are interested, you can read Yongshun Laosicheng (Volume I, Volume II). There are only a few existing sites, such as the ancestral hall, Peng's ancestral hall, Tusi underground palace and Tusi ancient tombs. You can find a guide to take you around.

Laosicheng site

synonym

Laosicheng (place name) generally refers to the site of Laosicheng

Laosicheng site is located in Laosicheng village, Lingxi Town, more than 20 kilometers east of Yongshun County, Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Western Hunan Province. Fushicheng was originally named fushicheng. In 1724, Sicheng moved to Kesha township. In order to distinguish the old and new Sicheng, fushicheng, also known as Laosicheng, was the political, economic, military and cultural center of Peng's Tusi in Yongshun from the fifth year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty (1135) to the sixth year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1724).

Laosicheng is divided into inner Luocheng and outer Luocheng, with crisscross eight streets and ten alleys, densely populated and prosperous shops. There are records of "3000 households in the city and 800 households outside the city" in historical books, and "the giant town of five streams and the border city of ten thousand li".

Laosicheng is the materialized carrier of Tusi system and the living specimen of the development of regional ethnic autonomy system in ancient China. It was announced as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 2001.

In September 2010, Laosicheng site was listed in the list of the first batch of national archaeological sites parks in China.

On July 4, 2015, "Chinese Tusi heritage", jointly represented by Yongshun Laosicheng site, Tangya Tusi city site in Enshi, Hubei, and Hailongtun Tusi site in Zunyi, Guizhou, was listed in the world cultural heritage list. On May 1, 2016, the site of Laosicheng was officially opened to the public as a scenic spot.

In December 2016, Laosicheng scenic spot was listed as national AAAA scenic spot.

From the date of resumption of operation to December 31, 2020, the scenic spot will implement the policy of free visit for medical workers (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) in the whole country. You can apply for free tickets with your doctor's card, nurse's card and ID card.

Historical evolution

In the fourth year of Kaiping in the late Liang Dynasty (910 A.D.), Ma Yin, the king of Southern Chu, accepted Peng Li into southern Chu and appointed him as the governor of Xizhou. Peng's benefaction in Xizhou rallied people's hearts and became the hereditary chieftain of Xizhou.

In 1135, when Peng fushichong was the chieftain of Shaoxing in Southern Song Dynasty, he often felt that xiaxizhou (huixiping, Zhangxian County in ancient times) was constrained by Chenzhou's forces. So he moved the Chieftain to Fushi County of Lingxi and built a city here, which is now the old city. There is another record about the change of Sizhi: before moving to Laosicheng, that is, in 971 ad, the fourth chieftain Peng Yunlin moved Sizhi to Longtan city (now Macha Township, Yongshun County).

In the Yuan Dynasty, the original Xizhou was divided into Yongshun pacification division, Geman pacification division (governing Nanwei prefecture), Sizhou pacification division (governing Maizhuo, Huixi, Shirong sanganhuazhou, lvchidong and laredong). Yongshun Peng chieftain's actual jurisdiction space has become extremely limited.

In the Ming Dynasty, Yongshun chieftain rebuilt the old city. Most of the existing buildings in the site were built in the Ming Dynasty.

In 1724, Yongshun chieftain Peng zhaohuai moved Sizhi to Kesha Township in the upper reaches of Lingxi River, which is called xinsicheng. In 1728, Yongshun chieftain Peng zhaohuai voluntarily offered his land and left Xiangxi, Hunan Province, with his descendants, returned to Jiangxi Province to establish a family. The Yongshun chieftain regime, which lasted for 818 years, came to an end. From then on, the old city gradually deserted depression.

From 1995 to 2012, Hunan Provincial Institute of cultural relics and archaeology, together with the cultural relics team of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture and Yongshun County Bureau of cultural relics, carried out archaeological investigation, exploration and excavation on Laosicheng and its surrounding sites for five times.

In 2010, Yongshun County Government issued the "protection and utilization project of Laosicheng", which is expected to be completed in 2015. It is planned to build Laosicheng site into a national archaeological site park and a cultural and ecological tourism destination.

On September 29, 2015, Laosicheng National Archaeological Heritage Park was officially opened.

On May 1, 2016, the site of Laosicheng was officially opened to the public as a scenic spot.

Layout distribution

overview

The total area of Laosicheng site is 25 square kilometers, the urban area is 250000 square meters, and the huge wall and buildings are preserved on the surface. Laosicheng was chosen in a remote and barren mountainous area mainly for military purposes. The natural environment constitutes a solid defense. Around the city site, there are a series of dangerous military passes and defense facilities. The city site includes palace area, government office area, street area, tomb area, religious area and Yuanshu area.

Palace District

The palace district is located in the north of the city, built on mountains, high in the northeast and low in the southwest. The shape is slightly oval, with a circumference of 436 meters and a total area of 14000 square meters. There are four gates in the palace area, cemented with lime and tung oil. Daximen is the main gate, connecting with the ancient road on the right street. There are some steps left. The residual height of the wall on both sides is about 2 meters. It is paved with red sandstone staggered joints. There are gates in the northwest, southwest and Southeast corners of the palace area. The wall is about 1 meter thick and 436 meters long. The main building is located in the south of the central part of the palace area. It is built against the mountain and facing the west gate. From bottom to top, it forms a four step terrace. The foundation is made of rammed earth. The relics include Baokan, wall base, wall, terrace, apron, drainage ditch, etc.

Yamen District

Yamen district is located in the north of the central city, adjacent to the living area in the north. It is the administrative office and temporary residence of Tusi and his officials. The plane is nearly rectangular, the perimeter of the city wall is 408.8 meters, and the area is 8762.4 square meters. The East, South and west walls are well preserved, with a general residual height of 1-2m. The remnant of Ximen in Yashu district is still exposed on the ground. The gate is 3.4 meters wide. It is made of stone steps and connected with Zhengjie street.

Street District

There are eight streets, five lanes and two entrances in Laosi city. The remaining famous ones are Zhengjie (Xinjie), Hejie, Wutun street, Zijin street, zuojie, Youjie and Yudu street. Among them, Zhengjie and Youjie are the best preserved. The streets and lanes are paved with reddish brown pebbles.

Burial area

The southeast suburb of Laosi city is Zijinshan chieftain cemetery. The whole cemetery is built into four columns according to the mountain. The surface of the whole cemetery is composed of earth sealing, platform worship, "eight character" gable, flower belt winding corridor, north-south Shinto, stone statue, Zhaobi and other relics. It is of great value for restoring the whole appearance of Ming Dynasty chieftain cemetery, studying Ming Dynasty funeral culture, chieftain lineage and production technology.

Religious District

There is a sacred area in the south of Laosi City, which is not only a religious area during the Tusi period, but also the spiritual center of the people in the Tusi area. According to archaeological exploration and local chronicles, the temples that can be identified include the ancestral hall, Guanyin Pavilion, Wugu temple, Guandi temple, Jiangjunshan temple, Babu temple, etc. Various types of temples, regularly held religious activities and sacrificial ceremonies, become a means to gather people and strengthen social cohesion. During the Tusi period, there were many battles. With the help of supernatural deterrence, Jiangjunshan temple and Guandi Temple played a role in boosting morale.

Yuanshu District

Along the Lingxi River, behind the old city, there is a quiet Hutian. There are many Tusi manors, villas, Diaoyutai and other facilities. It is a garden villa area during the Tusi period. Eight stone inscriptions have been found on the cliffs on both sides of the Lingxi River, recording the time when the chieftain, his family members and friends enjoyed the banquets.

Cultural relics

summary

There are many remains in Laosi City, including ancestral hall, Peng's ancestral hall, Tusi Dezheng tablet, Yinan memorial archway, Tusi underground palace, Tusi ancient tombs, etc. Other cultural relics and relics include the hand waving hall, underground rain path, bronze bell, stone horse, Tusi official seal, Ruoyun academy site, etc.

Ancestral hall

This hall covers an area of more than 580 square meters. The main hall is five rooms wide and four rooms deep. It is 17.5 meters long, 13 meters wide and 20 meters high with double eaves on the top of the mountain. It is a timber structure with 34 columns supporting the roof. The column base is of double drum type, and the ridge and eaves of the hall are ceramic tiles with exquisite patterns. In front of the gold pillar in the hall, there is a shrine built for the "ancestor" God. It is a unique architecture with national characteristics in Wuling mountain area.

Peng's ancestral hall

Peng's ancestral hall is located in the center of Sicheng, behind the "bedroom Palace" of Tusi. It provides the memorial tablets of Tusi of past dynasties. There are exquisite wood carvings, and it also collects the three cardinal guides and five regular genealogies formulated by Tusi of past dynasties. It was built when Peng Yuanjin, the 24th generation chieftain, was appointed Xuanwei envoy in 1591.

Yinan memorial archway

Yinan memorial archway is located in Zijin Mountain and yacaoping of Ruoyun Academy in the south of Sicheng. It was built in the Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty. It is engraved with the word "descendants will enjoy forever". It is in recognition of Peng Jinan, the 26 generation chieftain, who led the local soldiers to fight against Japanese invaders. In 1554, he was only 18 years old

Chinese PinYin : Lao Si Cheng