China has announced plans to construct a new park in the area formerly occupied by an ancient Hun city. The national heritage park, which will include an underground museum, will help preserve local Chinese culture and attract tourists to the area in northwestern China.
The ancient city, known as Tongwancheng Town, is the only remaining site of Hun ruins in the world. A centuries-old Chinese nomadic tribe known as the Xiongnu occupied the area in the third century B.C. Those behind the creation of the new park hope to increase the public’s knowledge of cultural protection, as well as educate them on the history of ancient China.
Guo Xianzeng, deputy head of the provincial bureau of cultural heritage, told Xinhua News that officials will also attempt to list the park as a world cultural heritage site once it’s finished.
The Huns, who thrived during the third century B.C., became one of the largest nomadic ethnic groups in north China. Evidence shows they may have helped facilitate the Great Migration, which aided the collapse of the Roman Empire.
Tongwancheng Town, which is 1,600 years old, is made up of three main parts: the palace, where the ancient imperial palace stood, the inner part, which housed important government buildings, and the outer part, which was where the town’s commonpeople took up residence.
The State Council of China designated Tongwancheng Town as a cultural relic under top state protection in 1996 due to concern that the land in the area would turn into desert. Preservation of the site is a top priority for the Chinese government.
As of now, the park is set to be completed within five years.
