Archaeological Studies Of Han-Tang Period Port City In Ningbo Area

Ningbo,located in the south wing of the Yangtze River Delta,is a famous international port throughout the history.The study of Han-Tang Period port city in Ningbo was mainly focused on the early stage evolution from the Gouzhang Port to Mingzhou Port during the Han and Tang dynasties.Gouzhang is the earliest city emerged in Ningbo area and it was also the earliest port.In the area of the Wangjiaba Village in Cicheng Town,Jiangbei District,archaeologists discovered the ancient Gouzhang city during the period from the Warring States to the Eastern Jin Dynasty.The Gouzhang city was likely to build defense system based on natural watercourses.During the excavation,cultural accumulations dated back to the middle to late period of the Warring States to the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty to Eastern Jin Dynasty was discovered respectively inside the city.In addition,there were house sites with building elements such as plate tiles,cylindrical tiles,eaves tiles and so on.It is inferred that the area is the location of official buildings in different periods.In the northwest of the accumulation area dated back to the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty,on the junction of Houhe River and Yuyao River,a stepped wharf was discovered in the period of Sun Wu and Jin Dynasty,indicating that this place should be the dock area.Located in the area of Wangjiaba Village,the old city of Gouzhang was built in the middle and late period of Warring States.It was related to the Chu-Yue War and was abandoned in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty due to the Chaos of Sun En.The documents of the Han and Jin Dynasties contained a rich literature resource of the Gouzhang Port.From these literatures and materials,it is possible to outline the route of the Gouzhang Port connecting Qing State and Xu State to the north,as well as Jiao State and Guang State to the south.The importance of the Gouzhang Port is mainly reflected in the fact that it is a government-controlled city-level port located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River,which aimed at monitoring the southeastern seas,developing southern Zhejiang,Fujian coastal areas and even Lingnan,as well as communicating between Fujian’s coast and the central government.In the traditional research based on the local documents,“the ancient city of Yinjiang(Xiaoxi)" is the key to the problem of the change of county governance in the Ningbo region during the Han and Tang dynasties.In the local literature,there is a rich resource of the "Ancient Yinjiang(Xiaoxi)City".However,neither the analysis of the historical materials nor the archaeological work in the vicinity of the town of Yinjiang could ever support the existence of the ancient city of Yinjiang(Xiaoxi).The archaeological excavations of the Ancient Urban Site in Yinjiang Town revealed a riverside site in the Song and Yuan Dynasties,reflecting the prosperity of local towns during the Song and Yuan dynasties driven by water transport.Since its establishment,Mingzhou has been located in the Sanjiangkou area of Ningbo City.Nevertheless before the establishment of Mingzhou there was a settlement site during the Han Dynasty and Six Dynasties in the Sanjiangkou area where east to the Yongfeng Warehouse Site,west to the Ximenkou,south to the Tianyige Museum,and north to the Yuyao River.The high-level architectures were found in this settlement,and the core area of the settlement is located along the Shangshu Street.Therefore the settlement should be the Gouzhang Town that was relocated to the place in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty.It is also the basis for Mingzhou’s establishment here.The Inner city of Mingzhou starts south from Drum Tower,runs north to Park Road,west to Hutong Street and east to Caijia Lane.There were public buildings such as temples in the southeast of the Inner City.The northeast area was from the shore of the Yuyao River to the Dongmenkou,forming a harbor area filled with shipyards and docks.Additionally,the northwest area is the core area of the Gouzhang city,which was relocated in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty.It is also the residential area for the aristocracy.The town of Wanghai,which sits at the estuary of the Yongjiang River,is also an important harbor district of Mingzhou Port.The formation of the harbor district in Wanghai Town originated from the Jiakou Military District set in the Southern Dynasties.The Jiakou port was located at the entrance of the Xiaojiajiang River and was the port of the Mao County in the Han Dynasty and the Six Dynasties.In the 8-9th century,the route from Mingzhou to the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Archipelago across the East Sea was explored.The Yueyao Celadon was the main export product of the Mingzhou Port.The Han Dynasty and Six Dynasties was a vital stage in the development of the port city in Ningbo area.The locations of the eaves tiles from the Han Dynasty and the Six Dynasties unearthed in the Ningbo region were indications to the locations of the county government offices or ports during these periods.Using the GIS system to spatially analyze and simulate the burial sites and kiln sites found in Ningbo during the Han Dynasty and Six Dynasties,it can be observed that the Yuyao River Valley and the northern margin of the southern mountainous area—the Xiaojiajiang River are the two axes developed in the Ningbo region during the Han Dynasty and Six Dynasties.The four counties of Yin,Mao,Yuyao and Gouzhang were all located on these two axes.By taking the city site as the center and simulating people’s walking range in unit time,it can be revealed that there were a large number of settlements outside the city at that time.The comparison of the ranges of people walking in each unit’s time also indicates the ability of the residents in the city to obtain resources and the different radiation ranges of different administrative powers centered by the counties.The significant increase in the number of cemeteries during the period from the Han Dynasty to the Six Dynasties shows that the development of Ningbo had entered an explosive growing phase during the Six Dynasties..Archaeological materials and literature records indicate that during this period,the social stratum in Ningbo had become increasingly divided and the social economy had grown significantly.The development of Han-Tang Period cities in Ningbo can be divided into the emergence period(middle to late Warring States to the Western Han Dynasty),development period(the Western Han Dynasty to the Southern Dynasties),depression period(9th year of Kaihuang period in Sui Dynasty to 26th years of Kaiyuan period in Tang Dynasty),and revival period(26th years of Kaiyuan period to the 1st year of Changqing period in Tang Dynasty).During the period of Han Dynasty and Jin Dynasty,the ports in Ningbo were scattered distributed.From the Southern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty,the port group of "Mingzhou-Wanghai Town" was formed.From the perspective of the development background of each port and their spatial relationships with the governing city,both Gouzhang Port and Mingzhou Port are the government-led ports in nature,while the Jiakou Port during the Sixth Dynasty was a self-supporting port.The Wanghai Town in the Tang Dynasty was,in nature,located between the government-led port and the self-supporting port.The development of Gouzhang Port,Mingzhou Port and Jiakou Port(Wanghai Town)indicates that the administrative forces are able to promote the development of ports:in contrary,the development and growth of ports would inevitably lead to the intervention of the administrative forces which would further cause the changes in the administrative structure.