New Discoveries of the Ancient Baoma city in Antu, Jilin Province

The ancient Baoma City is located in Erdaobaihe Town, Antu County, Jilin Province. According to the previous excavations, it’s predicted to be remains of the Temple of the God of Changbai Mountain in the Jin Dynasty. From July to October 2017, the fourth initiative excavation was conducted jointly by Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Research Center of Chinese Frontier Archaeology, Jilin University, covering an area of 562 square meters.

During this season, a large building complex with rammed-earth platform (numbered by JZ4) in the southeast corner of ambulatory inside the courtyard was completely uncovered. The platform was 18.8 m long from south to north and 12.2 m wide from east to west. It was built on a slope. Walls and grid structures on the platform were relatively well-preserved. The building was about 6 rooms in width and 4 rooms in depth with its door in the west. Outside the door, there was a stone made jagged ramp. Inside the building, there was square-brick paved floor on which obviously burned traces could be observed. Besides, there were completely heating facilities being found in the room, including hearth, and flue. The chimney is placed outside the room.
Moreover, south door on the south wall and southeast corner of outer wall was excavated, too. The preservation of south wall and east wall and the exit of drainage system inside the city were figured out during the clearance. A south-north drainage ditch and an east-west drainage ditch met here and went through the stone culvert under south wall, finally merging with drainage ditch outside the city. South door was 7.7m wide and walls of both sides were about 0.4m high residue. Outside the wall, there was a drainage ditch paralleled with south wall. It belonged to drainage system outside the city.

The ancient Baoma City ruin is one of the most important architectural sites of Jin Dynasty recently excavated, with best preservation state and largest covering area. It displays a high-level architecture with exquisite decoration of Liao and Jin periods as well as other historical periods in Northeast China or even the whole country. Besides, it’s the first national mountain ritual remains uncovered outside the Central Plains of China. Therefore, the discovery will benefit research on the social customs and religions of Northeast China and the cultural communications between South China and North China in the Jin Dynasty. What’s more, it is also of profound significance in exploring diversification of Chinese cultures and formation and development of a multinational and unified nation.    (Translator: Ma Huanhuan)