Tanheli () is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

in Ningxiang,

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

, one of

major national historical and cultural sites A Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National LevelEnglish translation for "全国重点文物保护单位" varies, it includes Major Site (to Be) Protected for Its Historical and Cultural Value at the National Level, Major Histo ...

. Situated in the upper reaches of the Wei River in Tanheli village, Huangcai town, Ningxiang, it is renowned as a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

cultural center in

South China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...

.nxagri.gov (July 3, 2015): About Tanheli Site (Chinese / 中文)
/ref> Tanheli is famous as the location where the

Four-goat Square Zun The Four-goat Square Zun () is an ancient Chinese ritual bronze ''zun'' vessel. It is more than 3,000 years old from the era of late Shang dynasty (11th – 10th century BC), and famous for its shape, each of the four sides of the belly has a big ...

and the

Da He ding The Da He ''ding'' or Da He ''fangding'' () is an ancient Chinese bronze rectangular '' ding'' vessel from the late Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC). Unearthed in Tanheli, Ningxiang, Hunan in 1959, it is on display in the Hunan Museum. Uniquely ...

were excavated along with 300 other bronze relics. It was identified as a site of the

Western Zhou dynasty The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong nomad ...

(ca. 11th century–771 BC). The core covers an area of .nxagri.gov: About Tanheli Site (July 3, 2015)
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* Bronze Age in China Archaeological sites in China Ancient Chinese cities Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Hunan History of Changsha Tourist attractions in Changsha Buildings and structures in Ningxiang {{Hunan-geo-stub