North Gate of Xiongyuecheng

North Gate of Xiongyuecheng

The North Gate of Xiongyuecheng is a cultural relic protection unit of Yingkou City.

The North Gate of Xiongyuecheng is located in Guanghua Community, Xiongyue Town, Bayuquan District, on the northern bank of the Xiongyue River, which flows from east to west into the Bohai Sea. To the east, 3.5 kilometers away, is Wang’ershan Mountain, and to the west, 7.5 kilometers away, is the Liaodong Bay of the Bohai Sea.

The North Gate of Xiongyuecheng is a remnant of the Ming Dynasty Xiongyuecheng and holds certain reference value for the study and research of architecture and city fortifications of that period. This gate was then called “Suide Gate.” The existing remnants of the city wall measure 39.24 meters in length from east to west, 12.19 meters in width, and 8.53 meters in height. The base of the wall is 0.55 meters high, constructed with stone slabs, atop which is the city wall face built with blue bricks, sealed with white lime mortar, and filled with yellow sandy soil. The gate is of an arched top design, 5.3 meters in height, 12.19 meters in length, and 4.3 meters in width. Outside the gate lies a barbican.

The “Liao History: Treatise on Geography” records: “Xiongyue County, fifteen li west to the sea. Beside the sea there is Xiongyue Mountain, where the Lu Prefecture was initially established by the Liao.” Volume 87, Chapter on Construction — Fortresses of the “Fengtian General Annals” states: “Xiongyuecheng — according to the ‘Shengjing General Annals’: sixty li southwest of the county town (Gaizhou Town), it is the former site of Xiongyue County. The perimeter is three li and ninety-nine steps. There are southern and northern gates. Initially, a city defense commander (Zhangjing) was stationed. In the fifth year of the Yongzheng reign, a deputy commander-in-chief of Shengjing was relocated here to guard the area, also overseeing Fuzhou, Ninghai, Xiuyan, and Fenghuangcheng. In the forty-third year of the Qianlong reign, it was rebuilt,” “still named Xiongyue.” Historical records clarify that during the Ming Dynasty, Xiongyuecheng belonged to Gaizhou Wei, had fortress architecture, and was rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty.

Further according to Volume 1, “Rites Section,” “Geographical Records” of the “Gaiping County Annals”: “Xiongyue is sixty li southwest of the county seat. Currently, the city is only a little over one li. Before the Tang Dynasty, it is too remote to trace. Since the Goguryeo people built a stone city, twenty li in circumference, the Tang general Xue Rengui fought fiercely with the Goguryeo, capturing an expert archer within the stone city — referring to this place. It is verified that the Bohai Kingdom designated it as a commandery, the Liao as Lu Prefecture, establishing the Luduan Yuan Dejun military command that governed Xiongyue County. The Jin Dynasty incorporated it into Gaizhou.” Volume 1, “Geographical Records,” “Ancient Sites,” “Fortress” section, page 69, records: “Lu Prefecture was originally the land of the Bohai Commandery. The Liao established Lu Prefecture, the Dadefei military command governed Xiongyue County. The Jin Dynasty incorporated it into Gaizhou, still named Xiongyue.” Volume 14, “Book Section,” “Military Affairs Records,” “Battles of Previous Dynasties,” page 30, records: “The Battle of the Stone City in the Tang Dynasty — in the third year of Xianqing (the reign title of Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty, i.e., 658 AD), Xue Rengui campaigned against Goguryeo. He battled the Goguryeo general Wen Hemun at Xiongshan, then fought through to the Stone City (i.e., Xiongyuecheng). There were many skilled archers who killed many government troops. Xue Rengui, clad in white and riding alone, launched a surprise attack. The enemy was thrown into chaos, and he captured the archer alive.”

Xiongyuecheng has always been a strategic military location throughout history. In 1900, this ancient city was an important site for the Boxer Rebellion’s anti-imperialist struggle, where many battles took place. A photograph preserved in China’s National Museum shows a mass gathering of the Boxers in front of the theater stage of Daolin Temple within the city. During the Liberation War period, it served as the seat of the Xiongyue government, with Yang Yun serving as the district head and party secretary in the early liberation years.

In 1984, the Yingkou Municipal People’s Government (Ying Zheng Fa [1984] No. 108) announced the North Gate of Xiongyuecheng as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. The Yingkou Municipal People’s Government (Ying Zheng Fa [1990] No. 38) defined the protection scope and construction control zone as follows: taking the city gate as the center, the area extending 15 meters north and south is the protected zone. To the east of the gate, 60 meters of remaining wall exist; using this remnant wall as the boundary, an additional 20 meters north and south are included in the protected zone. To the west of the gate, the remaining city wall and the remaining barbican each extend 20 meters outward as part of the protected zone. The area within 30 meters north and south of the gate is designated as Class I construction control zone, extending 60 meters outward as Class II control zone. The remaining wall to the east of the gate extends 30 meters north and south as Class I control zone, then 50 meters outward as Class II control zone.

Source: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, News, and Broadcasting Contributor: Dong Wenjie

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