Huanbei, discovered in 1999 on the northern edge of modern Anyang, is a Bronze Age city that predates the Yinxu capital and was only occupied for a few generations before being abandoned — probably after a fire — around 1300 BCE. The site is remarkable for the survival of its city wall outlines and the remains of a large palatial complex, including a building that at roughly 10,000 square metres was one of the largest timber-framed structures ever built in ancient China. Excavations have confirmed that Huanbei was a fully planned urban centre, laid out on a grid, with a central palace district surrounded by residential and craft production areas.
The site is not yet developed for mass tourism — there is no large visitor centre and much of it remains under excavation — but for visitors with a serious interest in early Chinese urbanism, it provides a counterpoint to Yinxu that shows the experimental phases before the classic Shang culture reached its peak. Archaeologists believe Huanbei may have been the capital of an earlier king who preceded the rulers buried at Yinxu, and the stratigraphic relationship between the two sites is one of the active questions of Chinese Bronze Age research. Viewing is limited; check current access arrangements locally.