In the vast lands of Russia, the Abakan region hides a long-standing mystery. When archaeologists discovered the ruins of a Han Chinese-style palace here, they realized that this unusual archaeological discovery could point to a bigger secret. This land, which was the territory of the Xiongnu more than 2,000 years ago, has appeared the remains of Han Dynasty architecture
In the early 40s of the 20th century, the ruins of this palace were accidentally discovered in Russia during the construction of the road from Abakan to the village of Askiz. After four years of archaeological excavations, experts confirmed that it was a typical Han imperial palace, dating from 206 BC to 220 AD. The palace is large, 45 meters long from east to west and 35 meters wide, and consists of twenty rooms and a hall. Its core is a 12-by-12-meter square hall with walls up to 22 meters. Even more striking is the use of underfloor heating in the palace, which demonstrates the superb construction techniques of the Han Dynasty.
Who is the owner of the palace?Why was such a palace built on the territory of the Huns?Russian scholars S v Kiselev and L R Kyzlasov have come up with a bold speculation: the palace may have been built by the Han Dynasty general Li Ling. Li Ling was an outstanding general in the Western Han Dynasty and was valued by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. However, during the more than twenty years spent by the Huns, he probably built the palace for himself. However, there is disagreement in the academic community about the identity of the owner of the palace.
Recently, some scholars have suggested that the palace may have been built by Lu Fang, a usurper of the Han Dynasty. According to historical records, Lu Fang launched an uprising in 33 AD, surrendered to the Xiongnu after defeat, and then spent ten years in the Xiongnu. Some scholars have pointed out that the inscriptions on the palace tiles may correspond to the period of land release. However, there are certain problems with the speculation of these two palace owners.
For Li Ling, even if he had a high status among the Xiongnu, building such a palace required a lot of resources and manpower, which may not have been easy in the territory of the Xiongnu at that time. For Lu Fang, although he had enough wealth, it was difficult to complete such a project in the short time of the Xiongnu. Although scholars have made in-depth speculations about the owner of the palace, it is still impossible to determine his true identity. The palace may have been built by Li Ling or Lu Fang, but it may have had other owners. The identity of the owner of this Han Dynasty palace hidden in Siberia is still a mystery. Future research and archaeological discoveries may reveal more secrets and clues for us, but in any case, this palace is a testimony to the cultural exchange between Chinese civilization and the Xiongnu, and a masterpiece of ancient human wisdom and creativity.