Royal Palace of Nanyue Kingdom (Materials for the Educational Course “Archaeology of Foreign Asia”)
https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2022-21-7-9-24
Abstract
Purpose is to present a description of the complex of archaeological sites associated with the palace complex of the Nanyue kingdom, and thereby emphasize the importance of regional centers in the formation of Chinese civilization and attract the attention to understudied topics.
Results. The palace district in the capital of the Nanyue kingdom was located on the territory of Yuexiu district in Guangzhou, covering an area of approx. 400 000 sq. m. The complex included the remains of various buildings, household and waist pits, wells, a palace park with a pond and an artificial meandering stream. The nature of some earlier finds remains unclear (stilt dwellings or shipbuilding workshop). The palace complex was built no earlier than the 170s BC and existed until the fall of Nanyue in 111 BC. The palace park is one of the oldest monuments of landscape art in China; it probably served not only as a place for recreation and entertainment, but also as a space for ritual ceremonies.
Conclusion. In matters of organizing the space of the palace district, the Nanyue elites were guided by the standards adopted in the capitals of the Qin and Han empires, adapting them to local conditions. The studied archaeological complexes demonstrate a high level of production technologies, urban planning and landscape art. One of the most promising areas of research is the analysis of the semantics of the spatial organization and architectural objects of the palace park.
About the Author
M. A. KudinovaRussian Federation
Maria A. Kudinova, Candidate of Sciences (History)
Scopus Author ID 57204361448
WoS Researcher ID AAJ-2405-2021
Novosibirsk
References
1. Dai Kaiyuan. Query of Validity of “Remains of the Shipyard of Qin and Han Dynasties in Guangzhou”. Journal of Wuhan Institute of Water Transportation Engineering, 1982, no. 1, pp. 17– 26. (in Chin.)
2. Dmitriev S. V. Osnovnye komponenty khan'skogo goroda na primere Chan"ani [The main components of a Han city on the example of Chang'an]. Obshchestvo i gosudarstvo v Kitae: XXXII nauchnaya konferentsiya [Society and State in China: XXXII scientific conference]. Moscow, Vostochnaya literatura Publ., 2002, pp. 43–56. (in Russ.)
3. Feng Yongqu, Chen Weihan, Quan Hong, Li Zaoxin. Excavation of the Site of the Royal Residence of the Nanyue Kingdom in Guangzhou from 1995 to 1997. Cultural Relics, 2000, no. 9, pp. 4–24. (in Chin.)
4. Guangzhou Qin-Han zaochuan gongchang yizhi shijue [Trial excavation of the Qin and Han shipbuilding workshop site in Guangzhou]. Cultural Relics, 1977, no. 4, pp. 1–17. (in Chin.)
5. Han Weilong, Liu Rui, Mo Huixuan. Guangzhou shi Nanyueguo gognshu yizhi Xi Han mujian fajue jianbao [Brief report on the excavation of inscribed wooden slips of the Western Han Dynasty at the Nanyue Kingdom Palace Site in Guangzhou]. Archaeology, 2006, no. 3, pp. 3– 13. (in Chin.)
6. Hu Jian, Yang Yong, Wen Jingwei. Guangzhou shi Nanyueguo gognshu yizhi 2003 nian fajue jianbao [Brief report on the excavation of the Nanyue Kingdom Palace Site in Guangzhou in 2003]. Archaeology, 2007, no. 3, pp. 15–31. (in Chin.)
7. Huang Zhanyue. Nanyueguo kaoguxue yanjiu [Archaeological Research of Nanyue Kingdom]. Beijing, China Social Sciences Press, 343 p. (in Chin.)
8. Jin Xingde. A Query about “Theory of Berth Site” from the View of Shipbuilding Requirement. Tropical Geography, 2009, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 194–196. (in Chin.)
9. Kravtsova M. E. K probleme interpretatsii rannesrednevekovogo kitaiskogo rituala (na materiale Prazdnestva tret'ego dnya tret'ego mesyatsa) [On the Problem of Interpretation of the Early Medieval Chinese Ritual (based on the Feast of the Third Day of the Third Month)]. Sovetskaya etnografiya [Soviet Ethnography], 1991, no. 1, pp. 103–114. (in Russ.)
10. Li Zaoxin. The Capital and Palace City of Nanyue in the Western Han Dynasty and Their Related Problems. Zhongguo gudu yanjiu [Studies on Ancient Chinese Capitals], 2020, iss. 38, pp. 115–125. (in Chin.)
11. Li Zaoxin. Guangzhou shi Nanyueguo gongshu yizhi Nanyue gongcheng bei qiang jizhide fejue [Excavation of the North Wall Foundation Site of Nanyue Palace City at the Nanyue Kingdom Palace Site in Guangzhou]. Archaeology, 2020, no. 9, pp. 31–52. (in Chin.)
12. Liu Longwen. Dui Guangzhou Qin-Han zaochuantai “yizhi” de qianyi [A Brief Discussion on the “Relics” of the Qin and Han Shipbuilding Platforms in Guangzhou]. Guangdong Shipbuilding, 1995, no. 2, pp. 38–41. (in Chin.)
13. Liu Rui, Li Zaoxin. Palace and Government Office Site of the Nanyue State in Guangzhou. Acta Archaeologica Sinica, 2002, no. 2, pp. 235–260. (in Chin.)
14. Nanyue gongyuan yizhi. 1995, 1997 nian kaogu fajue baogao (shang) [Report on Archaeological Excavation of the Site of the Garden of Nanyue Kingdom in 1995 and 1997, vol. 1]. Beijing, Cultural Relics Publ., 2008, 328 p., 24 color pl., 126 pl. (in Chin.)
15. Quan Hong, Li Zaoxin. Observation of the Exotic Cultural Factors of the Octagonal Stone Pillars Unearthed at the Royal Palace and Garden Sites of the Nanyue Kingdom. Cultural Relics, 2019, no. 10, pp. 69–78. (in Chin.)
16. Sima Qian. Istoricheskie zapiski (Shi ji) [Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)]. Moscow, Vostochnaya literatura Publ., 2010, vol. 9, 623 p. (in Russ.)
17. Wei Zheng. Steppe-stylistic and foreign cultural relics unearthed from Han tombs in Shandong Province and northern part of Jiangsu Province (China). In: Sovremennye resheniya aktual'- nykh problem evraziiskoi arkheologii [Modern Solutions of Actual Problems of Eurasian Archaeology]. Collection of scientific papers. Barnaul, Altai Uni. Press, 2018, pp. 256–262. (in Russ.)
18. Xi Longfei. From “Zhou Tiger” in Shaanxi Province to “Mai’s Shipway” in Guangzhou – Review of the “Three Discoveries for Qin & Han Dynasty in Guangzhou” by Mr. Mai Yinghao. Tropical Geography, 2009, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 96–101. (in Chin.)
19. Xu Hong. Faxian yu tuili [Discoveries and Inferences]. Taiyuan, Shanxi People Publ., 2021, 256 p. (in Chin.)
20. Zhang Yun. Nanyueguo gongshu yizhi dui haishang Sichouzhilu yanjiu jiazhide fenxi [An analysis of the value of the Nanyue Kingdom Palace Site for the Maritime Silk Road research]. Fujian wenbo, 2012, no. 4, pp. 26–30. (in Chin.)
Review
For citations:
Kudinova M.A. Royal Palace of Nanyue Kingdom (Materials for the Educational Course “Archaeology of Foreign Asia”). Vestnik NSU. Series: History and Philology. 2022;21(7):9-24. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2022-21-7-9-24