Zhengzhou found the earliest city in China

Xishan Ruins, located in Guxing town, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, , is a Neolithic cultural city site, 5,300-4,800 years ago

西山遗址，位于河南郑州古荥镇，是一处新石器时代文化城址，距今5300-4800年。

Zhang Yushi was interviewed by reporters to introduce the general situation of Xishan site.

张玉石接受记者采访，介绍西山遗址概况。

In the 1990s, the emergence of the Xishan Site could be described as "extraordinarily surprising". “In the 1970s, prehistoric city sites sprang up in many areas, and most of them were mature, and it is speculated that there should be more ancient city sites in China with older history.” On March 31, Zhang Yushi, a researcher at the Henan Provincial Research Institute of Cultural Relics and Architecture Protection, who was also the leader of the Xishan Site, said that the excavation of the Xishan Site has made up for the historical deficiency.

上世纪90年代，西山遗址的横空出世可以用“石破天惊”来形容。“上世纪70年代，史前城址在许多地区大批涌现，但它们的建造多已比较成熟，根据推测，中国理应存在历史更为悠久的城址聚落。”3月31日，河南省文物建筑保护研究院研究员、西山遗址发掘领队张玉石说，西山遗址的发掘，弥补了这一历史的缺憾。

overlook of Xishan Site

俯瞰西山遗址

During the continuous excavation from 1993 to 1995, the total excavation area reached 6385 square meters in 3 years, then a city as the core of the Yangshao cultural site emerged.

1993~1995的持续发掘，3年的时间，总计发掘面积达6385平方米，一座以城池为核心的仰韶文化遗址赫然面世。

Xishan site covers an area of 200,000 square meters. The city-wall and the moat were located in the center of the site with a flat surface between square and circle shapes. It was the basic form at the beginning of ancient Chinese cities which inherited the form of circular-shaped moats of Yangshao culture and be the pioneer of square cities in later ages.

西山遗址，面积达20万平方米，西山城池居于遗址中心，平面介于方圆形之间，上承仰韶文化圆形环壕聚落之形，下启后世方形城池先河，正是中国古代城池发端之初的基本形态。

floor plan of the northwest corner

西北隅城墙平面

On September 5, 1995, Yang Huancheng, then director of Henan Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage, solemnly announced that after three years of large-scale excavation and unremitting exploration by the Archaeology leadership training class of the State Bureau of Cultural Heritage from 1993 to 1995, an ancient city site of Yangshao period buried for thousands of years was reappeared recently in the West Hill of Zhengzhou. Confirmed by experts, that was the oldest and most advanced city site in China.

1995年9月5日，时任河南省文物局局长杨焕成郑重宣布：经国家文物局考古领队培训班1993～1995年连续三年的大规模发掘和不懈探索，一座湮埋数千年之久的仰韶时代古城址近期在郑州西山重新面世。经专家确认，这是迄今国内发现的年代最早，建筑技术最为进步的城址。

Ditches outside the west wall

西墙外壕沟

The city walls and moats were built at least 5,300 years ago, and before that the archaeological discovery of city hall was only over 4,000 years ago . The appearance of Xishan Ruins pushed back the history of city building in China by more than 1,000 years, making it the earliest city hall discovered in China at that time." Yan Tiecheng, a cultural scholar, said she proved that Zhengzhou was the first city to enter the civilization era 5,300 years ago.

“西山城池至少建于距今5300年前，此前考古发现的城池不过4000余年，西山城池的面世，将中国筑城历史向前推了1000余年，成为当时中国发现的最早城池。”文化学者阎铁成说，她向人们证实，在5300年前，郑州地区率先开启古国时期，开始迈向文明时代。(郑报全媒体记者 苏瑜 秦华\文 李新华\图)