Ancient City of Xin'an, also called Ancient City of Nantou is located to the north of Nantou overpass, Nanshan district of Shenzhen City. First built in the year 331, covering an area of 70,000 square meters, the ancient city is not only the largest historical site in Shenzhen with a history of 1730 years, but also a designated provincial heritage site where there are historic records of Shenzhen's evolution and relationship with Hong Kong.
There are many buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties in the ancient city , such as ancient wells, streets, arches, South City Gate, County Magistrate Court, Xian'an Jail, Coastal Defense Office, Dongguan County Guild, Guandi Temple, Wen Tianxiang Temple, Heroes-meeting budding and Yiliya pawnshop.
In recent years, a series of important archaeological discoveries proved that the city has its own 'roots'. More than 300 relics were unearthed there, most of them are porcelain. Archaeologists also found relics of corner watchtowers, which were previously only found in Wuchang, Hubei Province, a very famous town in Chinese history.
The rebuilt Nantou Ancient City Museum was the home of the former Bao'an County People's Government, opened to public in 29th September 2004, displaying for the first time 300 precious ancient artifacts that were chosen from more than 3,000 antiques excavated at the ancient city and Wubeiling between November 2001 and November 2002. They include pottery, jade and stoneware.
High-tech 3D animated films are used to illustrate the history of the ancient city. It is reportedly the first time a museum in China has used this technology.
