Ancient nomadic campsite belonging to Liao Dynasty unearthed in China

An ancient nomadic campsite was unearthed by Chinese archeologists in Qian’an county in north-east Jilin province of China on 24 September 2014. The unearthed campsite was supposed to be used by the nomadic emperors from the Liao Dynasty (907 AD – 1125 AD).

Though archaeologists did not disclose the overall size of the campsite, but it is believed to be the largest ever campsite found in China.

The head of the Jilin Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage Jin Xudong is planning to make this campsite appear in the World Heritage list.

Findings about the campsite

The campsite unearthed consists of four parts overall. The biggest part of three kilometers width is about one-third the size of the entire campsite. It contains as many as 900 bases for camping.

The ancient campsite served as an administrative centre during the reign of the nomadic Khitans, although their capital city was in Inner Mongolia in China.

Emperors of the Liao dynasty usually had four campsites where they lived during the four seasons. In spring and summer, they moved to the north while in autumn and winter they settled in the south.

Background

In 2009, the ruins of the spring campsite were discovered and have undergone archaeological excavation in August 2014. Since then, archaeologists unearthed more than 100 cultural relics including tiles, pottery, porcelain, copper coins and Buddha statues.