Understand the course of history

Chaoyang is a famous historical city. Counties have been set up since the Western Han Dynasty. Chaoyang ancient culture has a long history. The ancient human site of "Pigeon Cave" proves that as early as 65438+ ten thousand years ago, human ancestors flourished in Chaoyang. The Niuheliang site in China proves that there was a primitive civilized society with a national embryonic form as early as 5,000 years ago. This great discovery has advanced the history of Chinese civilization for more than 1000 years. In recent years, the bird fossils discovered in Chaoyang have attracted wide attention at home and abroad. 10.3 billion years ago, a large number of bird fossils filled a gap in the study of biological evolution in the world, proving that the ancestors of birds in the world were in China and Chaoyang in western Liaoning. Chaoyang has outstanding people and hundreds of pagodas and temples dotted with mountains and rivers, which makes Chaoyang full of profound charm of ancient culture. The history and culture of Chaoyang have important influence and unique advantages in Liaoning Province and even at home and abroad. Over the years, with the progress of archaeological work and the excavation of historical and cultural heritage, people have gradually realized the important value of Chaoyang history and culture.

One of the cradles of China civilization.

The long history of Chaoyang can be traced back to the Paleolithic Age 654.38 million years ago. Gezidong ancient human site discovered by Daling River in Shuiquan Township, Kazuo County is the earliest ancient human settlement in northern China. Unearthed human teeth and animal fossils, stone tools and ash layers show that ancient humans at that time had been engaged in hunting, gathering and cooking with fire, and lived a primitive social life here. The fossils of ancient human upper arm bones and humerus found in Jianping county today show that a primitive "newcomer"-Jianping man-appeared on the land of Chaoyang 40,000-50,000 years ago, similar to modern people. According to 1979, the discovery of Niuheliang Goddess Temple and Jishitang Hongshan Culture site at the junction of Kazuo, Jianping and Lingyuan counties shows that primitive humans living in Chaoyang have entered the threshold of human civilized society after a long development process, and a primitive civilized society with the embryonic form of the country has emerged. Judging from a large number of exquisite painted pottery unearthed by Ji Shizhong and jade articles headed by Yu Zhulong, there was a division of labor between agriculture and handicraft industry at that time, and the production technology, craft level and aesthetic consciousness reached a considerable level. The discovery of large altars, temples and tombs in Chaoyang Hongshan Culture proves that the Chinese nation entered the ancient civilized society more than 5,000 years ago, thus making Chaoyang District one of the places where Chinese civilization flourished for 5,000 years and pushing the history of Chinese civilization forward for more than 1000 years.

The oldest historical city in northeast China.

The development and status of Chaoyang, a famous historical and cultural city, marks its unique historical advantages in politics, economy and culture. Liucheng, located in the southeast suburb of Chaoyang City, has a long history. During the Warring States Period, Yan had five counties, and Liucheng belonged to Liaoxi County. By the Han Dynasty, Liucheng had become the governor's office in the west of Liaoxi County, and was later ruled by Wuhuan County in three counties. Cao Cao's northern expedition to Wuhuan once sent troops to Liucheng, which shows that Liucheng has become an important town in Northeast China during the Qin and Han Dynasties. In 342 AD, the former Prince Yan established his capital as the Dragon City, which is located in the north of Liucheng and in the west of Longxi. During the 88 years when Yan Qian, Houyan and Beiyan were founded in the Sixteen Kingdoms Period, Longcheng was the capital of Sanyan for 52 years. Longcheng, a prosperous capital, has also become a political, economic, military, cultural center and historical city in Northeast China.

Strategic locations outside the Great Wall in previous dynasties

Chaoyang was called the land of western Liaoning beyond the Great Wall in ancient times. Because of its geographical location in the ancient traffic artery from the Central Plains to the Northeast, and the historical and ethnic activities in the contact zone between the Han nationality in the Central Plains and the ethnic minorities in the Northeast, the Central Plains has set up border towns here in the past dynasties, and all ethnic groups in the Northeast should also use this as a battlefield when they enter the Central Plains, making Chaoyang a strategic location beyond the Great Wall in the past dynasties. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Chaoyang was Yingzhou, known as "the hub of contacts between the central government of Sui and Tang Dynasties and all ethnic groups in Northeast China", and it was also the frontier position for the Central Plains Dynasty to continue to implement the feudal system for all ethnic groups in Northeast China. According to the needs of the war, the ancient Yingzhou road from the Central Plains to western Liaoning was also opened, from which you can visit Liaodong, Korea and Japan, making Yingzhou's economy and culture prosperous alternately. Yingzhou in western Liaoning has also become one of the frontier fortress themes often described in the literature of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. During the Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the Khitan, Nuzhen and Mongolian nationalities in northern China flourished, and the Chaoyang area in western Liaoning became a strategic place for these northern nationalities to compete fiercely with the Song Dynasty in the Central Plains. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Chaoyang was still an important building site. During the Qing Dynasty, Chaoyang was an important place for the Qing emperors to visit the East, and it was also a place where the Qing government borrowed land to support people and station troops to preserve its strength. 1840 After the Opium War broke out, the Qing government mobilized Mongolian cavalry from Chaoyang to station in coastal ports. Although with the unification of the whole country and the relative stability of administrative divisions in the Qing Dynasty, the role of Chaoyang as a strategic location beyond the Great Wall has also shifted, the fact that it has become the political, economic, military and cultural center of western Liaoning and even Northeast China for many times in history has made its important strategic position last forever.

A place where many nationalities live and blend together in history.

Chaoyang is historically a link area for exchanges between the nationalities in the Central Plains and the nationalities in the Northeast. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Chaoyang was a prosperous period in which many nationalities lived together and blended. During this period, the nationalities who once lived in Chaoyang were Qidan, Turkic, Shiwei and Xi. Due to the large-scale eastward expedition of Goguryeo in Sui and Tang Dynasties, a large number of Han people in the Central Plains poured in and settled. During the Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the three northern nationalities-Khitan, Nuzhen and Mongolia-all took western Liaoning as their important base areas, so Chaoyang, located in western Liaoning, was also in a period of multi-ethnic integration of political, economic, military and cultural prosperity. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chaoyang had the fiefs of Mongolian princes, so a large number of Mongols lived there. During this period, the Han nationality in the Central Plains also moved in a large number because of immigration and reclamation, and gradually occupied the majority. Since the Qing Dynasty, there has been no major turmoil and migration events in the ethnic distribution, and the ethnic distribution tends to be stable, thus forming the basis of the modern Chaoyang ethnic distribution.

The cultural relics and historic sites in Chaoyang not only become the symbol of the long local history because of their long origin, wide distribution, many kinds and great value, but also provide an extremely important basis for studying the origin and civilization of the Chinese nation. The human settlements in Chaoyang area are widely distributed, and there are more than 4,000 remains found in each period. The earliest ancient human settlement was in Gezidong, Kazuo County in the middle paleolithic period, which was consistent with the human culture in Zhoukoudian, Beijing. With the rise of towns representing political, economic and cultural development and progress, ancient buildings have developed rapidly, and temples and ancient pagodas are spread all over urban and rural areas. The earlier temples in Chaoyang can be traced back to the Dongzuitan in Kazuo Mountain and the Niuheliang Goddess Temple in Hongshan Culture period 5000 years ago, which were places where the ancients paid homage to their ancestors and heaven and earth. There are 22 ancient pagodas in Chaoyang, most of which were built by Liao Dynasty. The famous ancient pagodas include the South Pagoda and the North Pagoda in Chaoyang City, the Moyun Pagoda in Shangzhong Temple on Fenghuang Mountain in the east of the city, and the Lizhou Pagoda in Kazuo County. These ancient pagodas are beautiful in shape and exquisite in craftsmanship, which can be called the treasures of ancient architecture. There are 142 ancient temple sites in Chaoyang, including 22 in Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, 2 in Ming and Qing Dynasties 1 18 and 2 in modern times. The famous temples are Youshun Temple, Huining Temple, Vientiane Temple, Tianchengguan and Yuqing Palace. Chaoyang also found two ancient stone bridges, of which Lingyuan Tiansheng Jin Dynasty stone arch bridge has a history of more than 800 years. Four smelting sites were discovered, the earliest being the Spring and Autumn Period. A total of 20 kiln sites were found, most of which were ceramic tile kilns in Liao, Jin and Yuan dynasties. 4 10 ancient tombs were found, with remains in all periods. Tens of thousands of cultural relics have been unearthed in Chaoyang, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the province, and there are many cultural relics. Ceramic cultural relics were first discovered in Neolithic sites in Hongshan Culture, the most famous being bronzes in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and stone and jade cultural relics are extremely extensive. Painting and calligraphy relics were found in mural tombs in Jin, Liao and Yuan Dynasties. All these rich cultural relics and historic sites will show more and more far-reaching significance as huge historical wealth in Chaoyang, known as the "mysterious land".

Niuheliang Hongshan Culture Site

Youshun Temple

Niuheliang Hongshan Culture Site is located at the junction of lingyuan city and Jianping County, Liaoning Province. Named after the east foot of Mangniu River, it belongs to semi-mountainous and semi-hilly landform. Although it is a mountainous area, it is not closed. 10 1 National Highway and Jincheng Railway run through it. The whole site is located in ten thousand mu of pine forest, which is evergreen in winter and summer, with fresh air and elegant environment, and still maintains its original style. The site is located in the mountainous area of western Liaoning, with a total length of 10 kilometers. On the rolling hills of 50 square kilometers in Fiona Fang, altars, goddess temples and stone piers are regularly distributed, which constitute a large-scale religious sacrifice center. In Fiona Fang's carefully organized Jishi Tomb, the tombs are divided into several grades centering on the Grand Tomb, and the only funerary object is jade. The main types are realistic and deified animal jade ornaments, such as pig dragons, Xiong Long, phoenix birds and turtles, horseshoe-shaped jade rings running from top to bottom, and gouyun-shaped Yu Pei decorated with looming light-changing patterns. Together with the rows of painted pottery jars erected on the stone pier, it is a tool used by the tomb owner to communicate with the gods. These stone piers are located at the top of the mountain, layered on top of each other, and have the landscape of the tombs of later emperors. It fully shows the status of the owner of the central tomb as "one person alone". They are religious leaders and "kings". The Goddess Temple is located at the top of the main beam and dedicated to a group of goddesses around the Lord God. Generally, it is the original size of a real person, and the big nose and big ears in the center of the main room are three times as big as real people. The statue of God is shaped on the basis of real people, with moderate proportions and rich expressions. Authorities believe that "she is the ancestor of Hongshan people, that is, the ancestor of the Chinese nation." Obviously, such a sacred place for ancestor worship with superior scale and combination will not be owned by a nation or tribe, but only by the whole culture. Niuheliang is located in the center of Hongshan Culture, which is the advanced settlement center of this culture. It is well-deserved to regard it as a symbol of China's 5,000-year civilization. Since the discovery of Niuheliang site by 198 1, the "Hongshan fever" at home and abroad has continued unabated. Xinhua News Agency released the news of Niuheliang site to the whole world, the State Council confirmed Niuheliang site as a state-level cultural relics protection unit, more than 100 experts from China Archaeological Society gathered in Niuheliang for discussion, and related scholars from Japan, South Korea, India, Switzerland, Britain, the United States, Hongkong and Taiwan Province came to inspect it one after another. They agreed that Niuheliang site is not only the prehistoric holy land of the Chinese nation, but also one of the centers of world civilization. UNESCO and the World Bank have also sent people to evaluate the site for many times, and entrusted experts from Cambridge University in England to conduct field visits. They have submitted an application to the United Nations to include Niuheliang Site in the World Heritage List, and formulated a master plan for the protection, excavation and restoration of Niuheliang Site, and prepared to build it into a natural history park and a natural history park of Hongshan Culture Site. Goddess Temple, Stone Pier and Terrace are representative buildings of Niuheliang Cultural Site. These three sites are distributed along the north-south axis according to the mountain trend, and the altar, the temple and the tomb are trinity, which is the highest-level sacrifice center in Hongshan Culture. It provides rich material for the origin of Chinese civilization for 5,000 years, the activities of representatives such as the Yellow Emperor in the north in ancient times, and the study of religious history, architectural history and art history. Niuheliang is a land of "ancient culture, ancient country and ancient city" for 5,000 years, and it is a symbol of the founding of China for 5,000 years. Its appearance has advanced the history of Chinese civilization by 1000 years, and it is called "the new dawn of Chinese civilization history".

Dongshanzui sacrificial site

Hongshan Culture was a farming culture more than 5,000 years ago. It refers to the Neolithic cultural remains from Hexigten Banner, Inner Mongolia in the west, locust and Tianjin in the western Liaoning corridor in the east, Lunhe River basin in Urjilin in the north and Chaoyang area in the south. It was named after the first discovery in Hongshan, Chifeng. The Dongshanzui Sacrificial Site, located on the ridge on the west side of Daling River in xinglong village, Kazuo County, belongs to this cultural category. Hongshan Culture Sacrificial Site in Dongshanzui 1979 was jointly excavated by provincial, city and county museums. This site is 60 meters long from north to south and 40 meters wide from east to west. On the south side, there is a circular abutment paved with river pebbles, and on the north side, there is a rectangular stone foundation site. Groups of standing stones are built in, all made of processed stones, and the regular edges are outward, so that the edges of the abutment are even. There are neat stone bases on both sides of the platform base site of the square, forming a group of buildings with north-south direction, east-west symmetry and clear priorities. Near the base of the circular platform, there are two small pottery figurines with residual heights of 5 cm and 5.8 cm, both of which are naked, with bulging abdomen and hypertrophy of arms. The whole body is polished and smooth, as if painted with a layer of red. The whole image shows the characteristics of pregnant women. The appearance of female images in pottery shows that Kazuo area was in a period of high development of matriarchal clan society more than 5000 years ago. In addition, there are large figures sitting, jade dragon head, turquoise carved owl and other ornaments and a large number of unique painted pottery. Dongshanzui was listed as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit, and its achievements were incorporated into China history textbooks.

Chaoyang Shuangta

Twin Towers

Chaoyang Twin Towers are located at the north and south ends of Shuangta Street in Chaoyang Old Town, 300 meters apart. The North Pagoda is the oldest stupa in northeast China, with a history of 1500 years since its initial construction. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Chaoyang was the capital of Yan Qian, Houyan and Beiyan among the sixteen countries, and was named Longcheng. After the Northern Wei Dynasty destroyed the Northern Yan, Rebecca's granddaughter, Hong Feng, entered the Northern Wei Palace and was later honored as the Queen and Empress Dowager. During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen and Taihe (477-490), Feng Taihou built a four-eyed stupa in Longcheng. The former site of this stupa is located in the North Pagoda. The rammed earth platform more than 8 meters high under the North Tower and the large square dragon and phoenix pattern cornerstone in the Eastern Jin Dynasty are its remains. The stupa built by Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty is also in the North Pagoda, and the four-eye stupa of Feng Taihou and the stupa rebuilt in Sui Dynasty are all wooden pagodas. In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, a brick tower was built on the basis of the wooden tower. After several repairs in later generations, the unique North Tower was formed. The North Tower in the Tang Dynasty was a 13-story hollow brick tower with dense eaves. Its main body is square, and its shape is similar to the Little Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi 'an. There is a ticket gate on the tower. You can enter the tower. Colorful patterns are painted on the dense white-gray walls of each floor, which has high artistic value. When this tower was built in Liao Dynasty, a shell was wrapped around the base and the tower body, and two layers of eaves and the tower body were rebuilt. There is a sitting Buddha carved on all sides of the tower, sitting on the lotus seat. There are five elephants, two horses, five peacocks, five golden-winged birds and a biological pedestal under the lotus pedestal, along with two bodhisattvas and a small brick tower. Above the Buddha and Bodhisattva, there is a treasure cover and a flying sky. Five Tathagata, Eight Bodhisattvas and Eight Spirits Pagoda are commonly used decorative themes in the Mizong Pagoda of Liaota. During the restoration and reinforcement of the stupa in 1980s, the underground palace and the heavenly palace were discovered, and hundreds of precious Buddhist cultural relics made of "seven treasures" such as gold, silver, agate, coral, pearl, amber and glass were unearthed. Among them, the golden pagoda and the hexagonal gold-plated silver pagoda are rare treasures. The temple with the North Tower as the main building was called Baoan Temple in Sui Dynasty, Kaiyuan Temple in Tang Dynasty, Yanchang Temple in Liao Dynasty, and was destroyed by war at the end of Liao Dynasty and the beginning of Jin Dynasty. Beita 1988 is listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit. The South Tower, about 40 meters high, is a square hollow 13-story brick tower with dense eaves and built on a wide square brick foundation. There is a ticket gate in the south of the tower, which can go straight to the center of the tower. There are fake doors on the other three sides, and the lintel is decorated with cirrus patterns. On both sides of the door, there is a stone tablet engraved with the name of the Eight Pagodas. The contents of the Eight Pagodas reflect the great activities of Buddha Sakyamuni from birth to death. On the arch wall of the tower eaves on the first floor, there was originally a stone statue of bodhidharma, the ancestor of meditation. Sitting like an ordinary monk, wearing a cassock, holding a scroll and sitting cross-legged. This exquisite stone statue is now in the collection of Chaoyang Museum.