Beijing, Olympic Village construction uncovers an ancient imperial palace

The opening ceremony for the Beijing Winter Olympics, which will see athletes compete for their country until Feb. 20, 2022, took place today, but few people know that the Olympic Village has been “moved” across the street from the exact spot where it was originally supposed to be built. This is because in the course of construction in 2017 (Beijing won its Olympic bid in 2015 and it was decided that the Olympic Village for athletes in Zhangjiakou would be built in Taizicheng Village), remains of an ancient palace from the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) were unearthed, so the organizers were forced to relocate the Village just beyond the archaeological remains. The rediscovered palace can now be visited by the public as an archaeological park, inside which one can admire artifacts found at the site, including white-glazed Ding porcelain, fragments of sculptures depicting dragon heads and some ceramics. The remains of the ancient palace, which form a true architectural complex, include city walls, moats, roads and building foundations.

The discovery occurred near Taizicheng village in Zhangjiakou City, a city among other places where major skiing and snowboarding events will be held. Officials knew of the existence of ancient ruins in the village, but thought they belonged to old buildings with no value.So it was a big surprise for the archaeologists to discover the large complex of the ancient imperial palace. They realized that this was the first time they had come across remains of a Jin Dynasty palace in that area and that it was probably the Taihe Palace, erected as the summer residence of Emperor Zhangzong, who ruled from 1189 to 1208.

“We hope that some foreign athletes participating in the Winter Olympics will be able to go to the exhibition site with the approval of the International Olympic Committee, in compliance with anti-Covid regulations, so that they can enjoy themselves and at the same time learn more about Chinese history and culture,” commented Zhang Wenrui of theHebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology (Taizicheng village is in fact located in Hebei Province).

Pictured is an artifact found during the construction of the Olympic Village for the Beijing Winter Games. Photo courtesy of the Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Beijing, Olympic Village construction uncovers an ancient imperial palace

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