The ancient Licheng City Site of Xiayi County lies in the southwest of the present county seat, surrounded by rivers and lakes on all sides.

Historical records note that Xiayi was known as Li in the Shang Dynasty. In the Zhou Dynasty, it came under the territory of the State of Song and served as the fief of the Kong clan. During the Han Dynasty, the Principality of Li was established here.

According to the Xiayi County Chronicle compiled in the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, the old city of Xiayi "was built in the Warring States Period, with a perimeter of more than five li". The moat lake was "formed from the pits left after earth was dug for city construction".

In recent years, a large number of cultural relics have been unearthed during fish pond renovation and lake development projects.

In 1983, when a fish pond was built in the lake in the western part of the old city, a batch of relics dating from the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties were discovered. Song Dynasty artefacts included over ten pieces of shadow celadon bowls and white-glazed black-pattern porcelain bowls and plates, a bluestone ink slab carved with dragon-and-fish motifs, a jade seal, a large bronze basin and urns for cremated ashes. More than a dozen green-glazed pottery statues of Heavenly Kings from the Ming Dynasty and blue-and-white porcelain bowls of the Ming and Qing dynasties were also found.

In 1992, during large-scale development of the lake, more Song Dynasty white-glazed black-pattern porcelain bowls, vases and plates were unearthed, together with a brick tomb of the Yuan Dynasty discovered in the east lake.

These discoveries prove that more cultural relics remain buried beneath the lakebed. The site is now listed as a Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit of Shangqiu City.