I. The Dawn of Civilization: Liuwan Painted Pottery and Hehuang Prehistoric Culture
The history of Haidong begins four thousand years ago. The Liuwan Site, located in Gaomiao Town, Ledu District, is one of the largest prehistoric settlement sites in Northwest China and the most significant Neolithic to Bronze Age cultural remains along the upper reaches of the Yellow River. During multiple archaeological excavations from 1974 to 1981, over 1,700 tombs were unearthed here, yielding nearly 20,000 painted pottery artifacts — a quantity and complexity of decoration unmatched anywhere else in the country. These painted pottery pieces belong to the Banshan and Machang types of the Majiayao culture, as well as the Qijia culture, spanning a period from approximately 5,800 to 4,000 years ago.
The most representative motifs on Liuwan painted pottery include grid patterns, zigzag patterns, frog motifs, and deity figures. Among them, a human-figure painted pottery pot is a national treasure-level artifact, featuring a sculpted human face with deep-set eyes and a slightly open mouth — one of the earliest three-dimensional sculptures in China. These artifacts not only demonstrate the superb pottery-making skills of ancient peoples but also reflect the prosperity of early agricultural society in the Hehuang Valley. The archaeological community generally agrees that the Huangshui Valley, where Liuwan is located, is one of the important sources of Yellow River civilization. Its painted pottery culture spread westward along the "Painted Pottery Road," profoundly influencing the early cultural landscape of the Western Regions and even Central Asia. Therefore, Haidong's reputation as the "Cradle of Painted Pottery," bestowed by scholars and media alike, is by no means an exaggeration.
The discovery of the Liuwan site pushed back the history of human activity in Haidong by several thousand years. Stone axes, stone knives, bone shovels, and other farming tools unearthed at the site, along with remains of crops such as millet and foxtail millet, prove that the ancient ancestors of the Hehuang region had already mastered relatively mature dry-farming agricultural techniques. Moreover, the varying quantities of burial goods in the tombs reveal the early differentiation of social classes. These archaeological findings provide irreplaceable physical evidence for studying the process of civilization in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
II. Administrative Evolution: A Thousand-Year Transformation from the Qiangzhong Route to the Prefecture and County System
The administrative establishment of the Haidong region can be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties. From the Warring States period to the early Western Han dynasty, this area was nomadic land of the Qiang people, historically known as the "Huangzhong Qiang." In the second year of Yuanshou during Emperor Wu of Han's reign (121 BC), Huo Qubing led troops on a western campaign against the Xiongnu, opening up the Hexi Corridor, after which Han dynasty influence entered the Huangshui River basin. In the second year of Shenjue during Emperor Xuan of Han's reign (60 BC), Zhao Chongguo established military agricultural colonies in Huangzhong and set up the "Jincheng Dependent State," officially incorporating the Haidong region into the central dynasty's administrative system. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the area around present-day Ledu was established as Poqiang County, under the jurisdiction of Jincheng Commandery, marking the earliest county-level administrative division in the Haidong region with clear documentary records.
During the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Hehuang region became a focal point of contention among multiple regimes. The Former Liang, Later Liang, Southern Liang, and Western Qin regimes successively established commanderies and counties here. Among them, the Southern Liang regime (AD 397-414) once made Ledu its capital; although the state lasted only eighteen years, it left a significant mark on Hehuang history. Tufa Wugu, the founding monarch of Southern Liang, built a city in Ledu, making it one of the political centers between the Hexi Corridor and the Qinghai Plateau. To this day, the urban area of Ledu still retains the cultural emblem of the "Ancient Capital of Southern Liang."
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the administrative structure of the Haidong region was further refined. In the fifth year of the Daye era of Emperor Yang of Sui (AD 609), the Sui Dynasty established Xiping Commandery in the Huangshui Valley, governing counties including Huangshui and Hualong. In the Tang Dynasty, commanderies were converted into prefectures, and the present-day Haidong region fell under Shan Prefecture (governed from present-day Ledu) and Guo Prefecture (governed from present-day Hualong Qunke). After the opening of the Tang-Tubo route, Haidong became an important passage for exchanges between the Central Plains and Tubo, with Shan Prefecture city serving as a key military stronghold on the northwestern frontier during the Tang Dynasty. After the An Lushan Rebellion, Tubo occupied Hehuang and Longyou, and the Haidong region entered a period of over a century of Tubo rule.
During the Song Dynasty, the Gusiluo regime was centered on Qingtang City (present-day Xining), with the Haidong region as its hinterland. After the Yuan Dynasty unified the country, Xining Prefecture was established in the Hehuang area, with the counties of Haidong under its jurisdiction. In the sixth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1373 AD), the Ming court changed Xining Prefecture to Xining Guard, establishing the Niambo Thousand Household Station (present-day Ledu) under it, making the Haidong region an important part of the Ming Dynasty's northwestern border defense system. During the Qing Dynasty, Haidong was divided between Xining Prefecture and Lanzhou Prefecture, and it was not until the Republic of China period that Ledu County, Minhe County, and others were established, basically finalizing the administrative structure of Haidong. In 1978, the Haidong Regional Administrative Office was established, and in 2013, the region was upgraded to a city, with Haidong City officially inaugurated, governing two districts and four counties, a structure that continues to this day.
III. Ming-Qing Guard Stations and Ancient Fortresses: The Military Defense Network of the Hehuang Borderland
The Ming Dynasty was an important period for the development of the military defense system in the Haidong region. During the Hongwu reign, the Ming Dynasty implemented the guard station system on the northwestern frontier, with Xining Guard governing multiple thousand household stations. Due to its geographical position as the "Eastern Gateway of Qinghai," the Haidong region became a key area for guard station deployment. According to the Records of Xining Guard, during the Ming Dynasty a large number of fortresses were established along the Huangshui River valley, forming a dense defense network of "one fortress every five li, one stronghold every ten li." These ancient fortresses served both as military outposts and as grassroots units for immigrant farming, fulfilling the dual functions of military defense and daily production.
The Haidong region boasts numerous ancient fortress sites, with well-preserved examples including Qutan Fort in Ledu, Shihuihao Fort in Ping'an, Weiyuan Fort in Huzhu, and Gushan Fort in Minhe. Most of these fortresses were built on mountain peaks or at strategic river valley passes, with rammed earth walls several meters thick, equipped with defensive structures such as barbicans, watchtowers, and horse-faced bastions. Taking Qutan Fort in Ledu as an example, it sits on a ridge west of Qutan Temple, forming a pincer position with the temple and guarding the ancient route leading to Hualong and Minhe. The fort originally contained barracks, granaries, wells, and other facilities, capable of accommodating several hundred soldiers and civilians for extended garrison duty.
During the Qing Dynasty, as the situation on the northwestern frontier shifted, the military status of the Haidong region was adjusted, yet the ancient fortress system continued to function. During the Tongzhi reign, the Hui uprising in Shaanxi and Gansu spread to the Hehuang region, and many ancient fortresses became strongholds for local militia defense. In the Republican era, when the Ma family warlords controlled Qinghai, the Haidong ancient fortresses again served as garrisons for local armed forces. It can be said that the fortress cluster in Haidong is a living fossil of the military defense system in the Hehuang region since the Ming and Qing dynasties, with each fortress bearing the historical memory of clashing arms and galloping horses.
It is worth noting that the construction techniques of the ancient fortresses in Haidong reflect the highest level of northwestern frontier defense engineering in the Ming Dynasty. Techniques such as rammed-earth construction, horse-face bastions, and barbican structures are all directly inherited from the fortress architecture of the Nine Border Towns of the Ming Dynasty. These ancient fortresses are not only physical evidence of military defense but also important historical relics for studying the governance of the northwestern frontier, military colonization, and ethnic interactions during the Ming Dynasty.
IV. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun: Haidong's Special Position in the Historical Map
When mentioning the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun," most people first think of the regions of present-day Beijing, northern Hebei, and northern Shanxi that were ceded to the Khitans during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. However, in Haidong's historical narrative, the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun" carries a different and unique meaning. In the early Ming Dynasty, to strengthen control over the northwestern frontier, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang implemented a policy of "relocating people to strengthen the borders," moving large numbers of military and civilian households from the Jianghuai and Central Plains regions to the Hehuang area for farming and garrison duty. Among these migrants, some came from the ancient Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun region, bringing with them military organizational structures and place-name culture to Haidong.
According to local chronicles such as the "Nianbo Suo Zhi," the Ming Dynasty's Nianbo Qianhusuo governed sixteen Baihusuo, which were colloquially referred to as the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun." These sixteen hundred-household garrisons were distributed across the river valley on both banks of the Huangshui River, each commanding over a hundred soldiers and their families, forming relatively independent military farming units. This organizational model based on hundred-household garrisons as basic units echoed intriguingly in name with the prefecture-county layout of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun during the Five Dynasties period, leading later literati to dub it the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun East of the Sea."
From a military-geographical perspective, the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun" layout in Haidong was highly strategic. The sixteen garrisons were arranged linearly along the Huangshui River valley, stretching from Minhe in the east to Ping'an in the west, reaching the Beishan area of Huzhu in the north and the Yellow River valley of Hualong in the south, forming a complete defensive ring. Each garrison was established at a site nestled against mountains and beside water with fertile land, facilitating both agricultural production and rapid troop mobilization in response to sudden conflicts. This layout ensured over two hundred years of frontier stability in the Haidong region during the Ming Dynasty.
Although the term "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun" was a folk embellishment, it reflects Haidong's special status in the historical territorial landscape. It served both as a forward outpost for Central Plains dynasties in managing the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and as a corridor for multi-ethnic cultural exchange. This dual identity shaped Haidong's unique historical character—combining the rugged grandeur of a frontier with the openness and inclusiveness of a corridor.
V. Ancient Cities, Pagodas, and Pavilions: Landmark Architecture Across Time
The Haidong region preserves a wealth of ancient cities, pagodas, pavilions, and other historic structures, serving as vital material carriers of Hehuang civilization. The old county town of Ledu is one of the best-preserved Ming and Qing dynasty ancient cities in Qinghai Province, with city walls stretching about three kilometers in circumference and originally featuring four gates—east, west, south, and north—each topped with a gate tower. Although most of the city walls have vanished due to wars and urban development, the Ming and Qing street layout within the town remains clearly discernible. The Bell and Drum Tower stands at the center of the ancient city, a three-story wooden pavilion with upturned eaves and soaring corners, serving as the iconic landmark of Ledu's old town.
As for ancient pagodas, the most renowned in Haidong are the Drum Tower Pagoda in Weiyuan Town, Huzhu County, and the White Pagoda at Kadikava Monastery in Minhe County. The White Pagoda at Kadikava Monastery was built during the Ming dynasty, its entire body painted white and standing about 20 meters tall, bearing important witness to the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the Hehuang region. The pagoda enshrines relics of Sakyamuni and a large collection of Tibetan scriptures. Every Tibetan New Year, surrounding devotees come to circumambulate the pagoda and offer prayers. Additionally, the ancient pagoda at Xiaqiong Monastery in Hualong County and the White Pagoda at Gulei Monastery in Xunhua County are also religious architectural treasures with centuries of history.
Among ancient pavilions, the most noteworthy are the Guandi Temple Stage in Ledu and the Dragon King Pavilion in Huzhu. The Guandi Temple stage was built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is a typical temple stage building of the northwestern region, with a platform base about two meters high and a wide stage surface that can accommodate several hundred people watching performances at the same time. Every year on the 13th day of the fifth lunar month, during the Guandi Temple Fair, local operas such as Qinqiang and Meihu are performed here, continuing the ancient tradition of "performing plays to honor the gods." The Dragon King Pavilion is located in Donggou Township, Huzhu County. It is a two-story building with a hip-and-gable roof. Inside the pavilion, a statue of the Dragon King is enshrined, making it an important site where local Tu ethnic people pray for favorable weather and good harvests.
These ancient cities, pagodas, and pavilions are not only masterpieces of architectural art but also material carriers of the spiritual beliefs and cultural life of the people of Haidong. They bear witness to the historical changes of the Hehuang region from ancient to modern times and serve as precious physical materials for studying the architectural history, religious history, and folklore history of eastern Qinghai.
VI. Hometown of Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Living Museum of Diverse Ethnic Cultures
Haidong is the most ethnically diverse region in Qinghai Province, where Han, Tibetan, Hui, Tu, Salar, Mongolian, and other ethnic groups live together, creating a vibrant landscape of intangible cultural heritage. Huzhu Tu Autonomous County is the only Tu ethnic autonomous county in China. Its intangible cultural heritage items, such as Tu panxiu (coiled embroidery), Tu wedding customs, the wheel swing (lunziqiu), and the Anzhao dance, are renowned far and wide. Tu panxiu is celebrated for its unique stitching techniques and brilliant colors. The embroidered pieces often feature auspicious motifs such as sunflowers and the taiji diagram, reflecting the Tu people's love for nature and life.
Xunhua Salar Autonomous County is the main settlement area of the Salar ethnic group. Its intangible cultural heritage projects, such as the Salar wattle-and-daub building technique, Salar traditional clothing, and Salar banquet, are uniquely distinctive. The Salar wattle-wall buildings, with walls woven from willow branches and plastered with mud, stay warm in winter and cool in summer—a wise creation adapted to the climate of the Yellow River valley. The Salar banquet follows the tradition of "eight bowls and one pot," featuring braised dishes, fried dough cakes, and hand-grabbed lamb, representing the highest hospitality of the Salar people. In 2014, the Salar wattle-wall building technique of Xunhua was inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list.
The Nadun Festival in Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County is the grandest folk festival of the Tu ethnic group, hailed as "the world's longest carnival." The Nadun Festival begins on the 12th day of the seventh lunar month and lasts until the 15th day of the ninth lunar month, spanning over two months. During the festival, villages take turns hosting temple fairs, performing traditional programs such as the "Huishou Dance" and "Zhuangjiaqi" to celebrate the harvest and pray for peace. Hualong Hui Autonomous County is renowned for its unique Hui banquet music and "Hua'er" folk singing. Hualong's "Hua'er" is an important school of Qinghai's "Hua'er," characterized by high-pitched, resounding melodies and improvised lyrics full of the flavor of daily life.
The intangible cultural heritage of Haidong is a cultural treasure formed through the long-term interaction, exchange, and integration of various ethnic groups. They not only enrich the spiritual life of the people of Haidong but also make significant contributions to the diversity of Chinese culture. In recent years, Haidong City has intensified efforts to protect intangible cultural heritage, establishing multiple heritage transmission centers and bases, promoting heritage into schools and communities, and giving ancient cultural legacies new vitality in the new era.
VII. The Architectural Code of Ancient Fortresses: Rammed Earth, Timber Framing, and Defensive Wisdom
The construction techniques of Haidong's ancient fortresses embody a wealth of technical knowledge and cultural significance. In terms of building materials, Haidong's ancient fortresses generally employ rammed earth technology using locally sourced loess. The construction of rammed earth walls is a meticulous process: well-graded loess with suitable clay content is selected, mixed with fine sand and lime in specific proportions, and then compacted in layers. Each layer is approximately 15-20 centimeters thick, and during compaction, wooden mallets are used to pound repeatedly until the wall becomes dense and solid. This technique may seem simple, but it imposes strict requirements on soil quality, moisture content, and compaction force—only experienced craftsmen can master it.
The timber structures of the ancient fortresses equally demonstrate exceptional technical skill. Taking Qutan Temple in Ledu as an example, its main buildings such as Longguo Hall and Baoguang Hall follow the standard practices of Ming Dynasty official architecture, with rigorous beam-frame structures, imposing bracket sets (dougong), and elegant rooflines. The wood carvings, brick carvings, and stone carvings inside the temple are exquisitely crafted, with motifs such as dragons and phoenixes, flowers, and figures rendered with remarkable lifelikeness. The Qutan Temple complex is hailed as the "Little Forbidden City of the Northwest," and its architectural artistic value is in no way inferior to nationally protected cultural heritage sites such as the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Confucius Temple in Qufu.
Defensive functionality was the core consideration in the design of the ancient fortresses. The ancient fortresses of Haidong were mostly built on strategically advantageous terrain, following the contours of the mountains and commanding a high vantage point. The fortress walls feature horse-face bastions (defensive platforms) that protrude outward every few dozen meters, allowing defenders to fire from the flanks at enemies attacking the walls. The fortress gates employ a barbican structure, where an additional curved wall is built outside the main gate, creating a defensive posture akin to "catching a turtle in a jar." Inside the fortresses, facilities such as wells, granaries, and barracks were provided to ensure that basic survival needs could be met even during prolonged sieges.
The architectural code of the Haidong ancient fortresses is the crystallization of the wisdom of ancient working people. They not only played a significant role in military defense but also left behind a precious architectural cultural heritage for future generations. In 2019, Haidong City launched a conservation and restoration project for the ancient fortresses, carrying out emergency repairs on a number of key fortresses to extend the life of these time-worn historical structures.
VIII. Living Heritage: From Museums to the Scene of Daily Life
Haidong's history and culture do not remain confined to museum display cases; they live vividly in the lives of contemporary people. In Weiyuan Town, Huzhu County, Tu ethnic women still sit together during the agricultural off-season, embroidering panxiu (coiled embroidery) works with colorful silk threads. Their embroideries are not only used for their own households but also sold across the country through e-commerce platforms, becoming a "fingertip economy" that boosts income and prosperity. In Jiezi Town, Xunhua County, elderly Salar people still maintain the tradition of living in wicker-fence houses, while the younger generation, building on inherited craftsmanship, has developed new models of wicker-fence house architecture combined with modern design.
The living heritage of Liuwan painted pottery is equally remarkable. In Ledu District, a painted pottery-making experience base has been established near the Liuwan site, where visitors can hand-throw clay on the wheel and paint pottery motifs, experiencing the joy of pottery-making that ancestors enjoyed four thousand years ago. Local inheritors of intangible cultural heritage have also developed a series of painted pottery cultural and creative products, such as silk scarves with pottery motifs and tea sets shaped like painted pottery, bringing the ancient pottery culture into modern life. The annual "Liuwan Painted Pottery Culture and Art Festival" attracts a large number of tourists and scholars to participate.
The historical culture of Haidong is also reflected in daily life aspects such as cuisine and festivals. Ledu's "Hua'er Folk Song Festival," Minhe's "Nadun Festival," Huzhu's "Anzhao Dance" performances, and Xunhua's "Salar Banquet" are all typical examples of living heritage passed down through generations. These activities are not just tourism programs but cultural traditions spontaneously organized by local communities. In Zhongchuan Township, Minhe County, during the annual Nadun Festival, men, women, and children from the entire village join in, performing programs such as the Hand-Shaking Dance and the Farming Dance, creating a spectacular scene and lively atmosphere that fully showcases the vibrant vitality of Tu ethnic culture.
Living heritage transmission ensures that Haidong's history is no longer a cold past but a warm present and future. This approach to inheritance not only protects cultural heritage but also strengthens cultural confidence, injecting lasting cultural momentum into Haidong's economic and social development.
IX. Echoes of History: Contemporary Insights from the Haidong Civilization Corridor
Looking back over Haidong's millennia-long history, a clear thread of a civilization corridor comes into view. From the prehistoric splendor of Liuwan painted pottery to the establishment of Poqiang County in the Han Dynasty; From the brief establishment of the ancient capital of the Southern Liang Kingdom to the dense deployment of garrison fortresses in the Ming Dynasty; From the military layout of the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun" to the flourishing of multi-ethnic intangible cultural heritage — Haidong has always been an important corridor connecting the Central Plains with the Qinghai-Tibet region, pastoralism with agriculture, and Han areas with frontier territories. This corridor not only transported goods and troops, but also spread technology and culture.
The history of Haidong teaches us that the development of civilization cannot be separated from openness and exchange. Precisely because of its location at a transportation hub, Haidong was able to gather diverse cultures and form the unique Hehuang civilization. This spirit of openness and inclusiveness still holds significant practical relevance in today's world. As the "Eastern Gateway of Qinghai," Haidong plays an important role in the construction of the Lanzhou-Xining urban agglomeration, and its locational advantages are being transformed into development advantages.
At the same time, the history of Haidong reminds us that cultural preservation and inheritance remain a long-term mission. The restoration of ancient fortresses, the transmission of intangible cultural heritage, and the protection of cultural relics all require sustained investment and participation from the whole society. Only by bringing history to life and passing on culture can Haidong maintain its unique charm in the new round of development and achieve high-quality growth.
Standing at a new historical starting point, Haidong is telling the story of Hehuang civilization to the world with even greater confidence. This city, bearing the memory of four thousand years of civilization, is destined to write an even more glorious chapter in the new era.
