Did you dig an ancient tomb near Chengdu Tianfu Square? Official latest response: Confirmed as a Ming Dynasty drainage ditch!

On September 5th, the news that an ancient tomb was suspected to have been excavated while digging a street lamp base near Chengdu Tianfu Square was first reported by Red Star News and attracted public attention.

Previously reported: An ancient tomb was excavated near Chengdu Tianfu Square? Official response

After the construction unit reported to the cultural heritage department, on September 6th, the relevant person in charge of the cultural heritage department of Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism told Red Star News reporters that after on-site evaluation by archaeological experts, this is a complete Ming Dynasty drainage ditch, which is "quite important" and will be backfilled for protection.

▲ Construction site

Progress:

On site inspection by the cultural relics department

Confirmed as a complete Ming Dynasty drainage ditch

On the morning of September 4th, a citizen reported to Red Star News that an ancient brick was dug up at a bus stop near Xiyu Street in Chengdu's Tianfu Square during the excavation of a street lamp base, suspecting the existence of an ancient tomb or building below. When the reporter visited the site, according to the on-site construction personnel, the bricks were dug during the construction on the same day, which may be the drainage ditch left by the old imperial city of Chengdu. Afterwards, the construction was stopped and a report was made.

On the morning of September 5th, the staff of Qingyang District Cultural Relics Management Office went to the scene to inspect and then reported to the relevant departments.

On the morning of the 6th, the relevant person in charge of the Cultural Protection Department of Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism told Red Star News that after receiving the report from the Cultural Management Office, archaeological experts conducted an evaluation at the construction site. After analysis and identification by experts, it was confirmed that this is a complete Ming Dynasty drainage ditch, which is "quite important". But its functionality as a drainage ditch is completely lost, and experts speculate that during previous wars, other parts of the drainage ditch may have been destroyed or only this section remains.

▲ Square pits at the construction site

Follow up:

Backfilling protection, not excavated temporarily

The construction unit will not carry out construction on the original site

"The best way to protect cultural relics is to bury them underground." The person in charge mentioned earlier stated that once excavated, changes in the environment such as carbon dioxide, sunlight, and humidity can cause significant damage to the cultural relics. Therefore, they no longer excavate further, but instead carry out backfilling protection.

Considering the priority of cultural relics protection, they have coordinated with the construction unit to backfill the excavated drainage ditch on its original site under the guidance of the archaeological institute. "It will take about 1-2 days to complete the backfilling." If large-scale construction is to be carried out in the future and all excavations are required, the next step is to consider whether to excavate it for original site display or create a miniature archaeological site landscape.

The person in charge stated that this is a multifunctional lamp pole construction and distribution cabinet renovation project, and the land area is relatively small and easy to adjust. Therefore, it is recommended that the construction unit choose a new site for construction.

On the afternoon of the 6th, Red Star News learned from the person in charge of the construction unit that after following the suggestions of the cultural heritage unit, the construction of this site will no longer be carried out.

▲ Xiyu Street Bus Station

Protection:

Large scale projects require "archaeological preparation"

The municipal project has a small area and has not been explored beforehand

In the process of urban construction, the National Cutural Heritage Administration has protected cultural relics through various ways such as "archaeology in advance". According to the Red Star News reporter, "pre archaeological", also known as "pre archaeological, post transfer", the "Cultural Relics Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulates that when a construction unit carries out basic construction projects, the archaeological exploration and excavation items that were originally carried out by the construction unit after obtaining land shall be carried out before the construction unit obtains land, in order to implement "net land transfer" or "standard land transfer".

The above person in charge of the cultural relics protection office said that Chengdu strictly implements the requirements of the National Cutural Heritage Administration, and large-scale infrastructure projects must be pre archaeological, so many underground cultural relics have been strictly protected. Why did Ming Dynasty drainage ditches be excavated under this project? The person in charge stated that due to the fact that the project is a municipal construction project with a small construction area of only a few square meters, the exploration significance is not significant, and "small construction projects follow a convenient and fast green channel", the planning department does not need to conduct exploration first.

More news>>

1、 What major archaeological discoveries are there near Tianfu Square?

Public information shows that "Old Imperial City" was once the center of Chengdu, located in the area of Tianfu Square. It used to be the location of the Shu Prince's Mansion in the Ming Dynasty, and since at least the Ming Dynasty, the people have been calling this place "Imperial City". The Xiyu Street Bus Station, which excavated the drainage ditch of the Ming Dynasty, is adjacent to Tianfu Square, and cultural relics are scattered around Tianfu Square

At the other end of Xiyu Street, in 2010, two merit tablets recording the life stories of Li Jun and Pei Jun, the prefects of Shu County, were unearthed on Dongyu Street in Tianfu Square. The tablets were inscribed with words such as "Weiwei Han" and "Liebei Wudu". Some scholars believe that the Han tablets on Dongyu Street are relics of the Han Dynasty Wenweng Shishi School, and the excavation site may be the original site of the Han Dynasty Shu County School and Yizhou State School.

In early 2013, a 9-ton stone rhinoceros appeared at the construction site of the Sichuan Grand Theater on the northeast side of Tianfu Square. Archaeological experts have confirmed that this stone rhinoceros is likely one of the five town water stone rhinoceros made by Li Bing during his water control efforts, and is now housed in the Chengdu Museum. In addition, a large architectural pedestal from the Eastern Han Dynasty was excavated in the area, and excavators believe that the architectural pedestal may be a site of an official office or court institution in a large city from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the Shu Han Dynasty.

The Donghuamen Archaeological Site Park behind Tianfu Square was formerly known as Chengdu Sports Center. From 2013 to 2018, during the construction of the sports center renovation and upgrading project, historical relics spanning over 2000 years from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties were gradually excavated. After investigation, the site mainly includes the living area of the major cities of the Qin, Han, and Six Dynasties, the garden area of the Maha Pool Garden from the Sui, Tang, and Two Song Dynasties, and the architectural complex of the palace city of the Shu Prince's Mansion in the Ming Dynasty. There are abundant relics such as water wells, roads, waterways, and arch bridges, as well as important historical sites such as the Han Dynasty Shu Commandery Office, the Sui Tang to Song Dynasty Maha Pool, the Five Dynasties Xuanhua Garden, the Ming Dynasty Shu Prince's Mansion, and the Qing Dynasty Gongyuan. These buildings have exquisite layouts and grand structures, providing important evidence for the study of Chengdu's urban history.

Data map of the external site area of Donghuamen Site Park

On April 26, 2022, the excavation site of the Ming Dynasty Shu Prince's Mansion at Chengdu Sports Center

2、 What should we do if cultural relics are discovered during construction?

According to the requirements of the Cultural Relics Protection Law of the People's Republic of China:

Firstly, work must be stopped to protect the site and ensure that cultural relics are not damaged.

2. Call the cultural relics department or archaeological institution and invite experts to determine whether it is a cultural relic and whether it has value. For some residual bricks, construction can continue after cleaning is completed, but if a complete Ming Dynasty drainage ditch is excavated, which has important value, it needs to be protected.

3. Determine the protection plan. The cultural heritage department will organize experts to evaluate the value, current situation, age, and significance of cultural relics, and determine protection plans based on the evaluation results. Determine whether to carry out original site backfilling, excavation for revealing display, or greening above.

If Chengdu citizens or construction units have inquiries or complaints about cultural relics, they can call the Chengdu Cultural Tourism and Cultural Relics Consultation and Complaint Hotline -12345.

Chengdu Business Daily - Red Star News Reporter Zhang Ling Photography Report