Western Zhou Yan State Capital Museum
| Established | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Location | Beijing |
| Coordinates | 39°36′55″N 116°03′00″E / 39.61528°N 116.05000°ECoordinates: 39°36′55″N 116°03′00″E / 39.61528°N 116.05000°E |
| Type | Archaeological site, History museum |
| Public transit access | Public Bus |
The Western Zhou Yan State Capital Museum (Chinese: 西周燕都遗址博物馆) is an archaeological museum in southwestern Beijing Municipality at the site of the capital of the ancient State of Yan during the Western Zhou Dynasty. The site is located in Dongjialin Village, just north of Liulihe Township (琉璃河镇), in Fangshan District, 43 km (27 mi) south of Beijing's city centre. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, over 3,000 years ago, the walled settlement at Liulihe, as the site is also known, served as the capital of the Yan, a vassal state of the Zhou Dynasty. The discovery of the site in 1962 is considered to be one of the 100 major archaeological discoveries in China during the 20th century. Artifacts from the site including engraved bronze ware and chariots provide the earliest archaeological evidence of urban settlement in Beijing Municipality. The museum at the site, operated by the municipal government, opened in 1995.
The ancient city at Liulihe measured 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from east to west and 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from north to south, covering an area of 5.25 km2 (2.0 sq mi). Some 829 m (2,720 ft) of the north wall and 300 m (980 ft) of the west wall still remain and are visible in the farmland around the museum. A moat 2 m (6.6 ft) deep surrounded the city. A palace was located inside the city just north of city center with sacrificial sites and living quarters nearby. Cemeteries located outside the city to the southeast are divided by the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway into Sectors I and II. Sector I, from the Shang Dynasty, is smaller in size and contains remnants of human and dog sacrifice. Sector II, possibly from the Zhou Dynasty, contains greater numbers of large- and medium-sized tombs of nobles with chariots and rich set of burial items. In all, 200 tombs have been found, with the largest containing 42 sacrificed horses. Several thousand ceramic, ivory, jade, bone, lacquer and bronze artifacts including bronze ceremonial vessels and weapons have been found at the Liulihe Site.
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