In the Liaobin village twenty-nine kilometers northeast to Xinmin City, there resides a thousand-year-old relic of an ancient city. It's located at the convergence of Liao River and Xiushui River, which was an important transport path and key military terrain attracting endless combats over the years. It became a military stronghold as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty (BC 317-420).The golden age of Liaobin came during the times of Liao Dynasty, where the Emperor founded a perhaps one of the earliest forms of local government or state, if you like, and subsequently huge number of migrants from Jizhou were brought into the region. Unfortunately its splendor and prosperity did not survive the extended warfare later on and the ancient city was hence devastated.
The ancient Liaobin is a typical Chinese square city with South and North gates and tamped clay rampart. It occupied an area of 110,000 square meters. The brick-made, thirteen-storied, 44-meter high octagon temple, the famous Liobin Pagoda was situated southwest of the city. Each facet of the pagoda was carved with a seated Buddhist shrine, on top of which were two elegant flying Apsaras and two retinues standing alongside.
The glories of the Pagoda did not age well under years of weathering, making the body tumbling down and the sculptures derogating. The National Preservation Center for Culture Relics at Shenyang City hence initiated a complete restoration of the ancient Pagoda, making it possible for the original bearing reappear to visitors.
During the reconstruction a underground ancient palace were rooted out, and pieces of antiques including teeth of the Buddhist were unearthed. Among all the remnants, a dark-green glazed bowl with patterns of looped rust-flower was particularly rare and treasures, for its delicacy dating back to the Tang Dynasty or the Five Dynasties Period.