Chunqiu Yancheng, Archaeological site in Changzhou, China

Chunqiu Yancheng is an archaeological site in Changzhou with the remains of an ancient city from early China. The settlement was surrounded by three artificial rivers that served as waterways and protective barriers, enclosing remnants of walls, residential areas, and craft workshops.

The site dates to between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, when it served as a major administrative and trade center. Over time it was abandoned, which allowed archaeological layers to be preserved beneath sediment and soil, offering insight into this distant period.

The name Yancheng is linked to two traditions: a Shang-era state of Yan whose people fled south, and Wu prince Jizha, who withdrew to Yanling. The character yan was once written without its water radical, and the two forms were used interchangeably. Today the site is run as a Spring and Autumn theme area, with a recreated traditional commercial street and a museum beside the earthworks.

Visitors can explore a museum displaying finds and view reconstructed buildings showing ancient construction methods. It helps to allow time for a thorough walk through the different areas to fully appreciate the excavated remains and displays.

The site's three concentric cities and three concentric rivers form a layout found nowhere else among China's ancient city ruins; most have one city and one river, a few two. The triple moat system is the feature visitors tend to overlook.