Ji'an Koguryo National Archaeological Site Park

Ji'an Koguryo National Archaeological Site Park
集安高句丽考古遗址公园

Address: 49 Yingbin Road, Ji'an, Tonghua city, Jilin province
Hours: 8 am - 5:30 pm
General admission: 120 yuan ($17.25)
Tel: (+86-435) 6262796

Located in suburban Ji’an, Jilin province, the Koguryo archaeological park consists of core zones including the ancient Guonei City, the Hwando Mountain City, the General’s Tomb, the Gwanggaeto Stele, the Yushan Aristocratic Cemetery and the Koguryo Quarry as well as a dozen tomb sites.

The Koguryo Kingdom (37 BC- AD 668) was a minority regime but it had the longest history in China, witnessing the reigns of 28 kings. Ji’an, the capital of the kingdom for 425 years, is home to a large number of heritages reflecting the historic development of Koguryo and showcasing its unique culture and civilization.

The imperial palace of the Koguryo Kingdom and the remains of the mausoleum were listed as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO in 2004.

Joint capitals of the kingdom during its early and middle phrases, the cities of Guonei and Hwando added a brand new system to the world with their integration of a plain city fortified by a mountain city. Known as the “oriental pyramids”, the 12 imperial mausoleums were built by stone bricks with strong structures, grand scales and wonderful workmanship. In addition, the wall paintings inside the tombs vividly depict the life scenes of the Koguryo times. Their colorful and smooth styles gained them renown as the “art treasure of northeastern Asia”. The Chinese inscriptions on the Gwanggaeto Stele clearly demonstrate the influence of Chinese culture on the kingdom.