Suoyang City Ruins

Opening Hours: all day

Tickets: free

The Suoyang City Ruins, located in Guazhou county, Gansu Province, China, offer a glimpse into ancient Chinese history, featuring a well-preserved military defense system and agricultural irrigation network. The site spans approximately 15,788.6 hectares with an additional buffer area of 23,484.66 hectares, showcasing various aspects of ancient civilizations, including ancient city sites, Buddhist temples, canal systems, reclamation areas, tombs, and other relics.

The surrounding area, covering about 60 square kilometers, contains the remnants of an ancient canal system and reclamation area, demonstrating an intricately preserved ancient irrigation network. Comprising five trunk canals and over 100 branch canals and sub-canals, the system spans approximately 26.6 km for the trunk canal, with branch canals and sub-canals covering about 69.4 km in total.

Archaeological surveys suggest that the development of Suoyang City dates back to the 7th-13th century. Recognizing its cultural and historical significance, the site was listed as one of the fourth batch of national key units protected as cultural relics by the State Council in 1996. Subsequently, in 2010, it was included in the project approval list of the first batch of national archaeological parks by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Four years later, in 2014, the site earned a place on the World Heritage list during the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha.