Duntaishan Beacon Tower

Duntaishan Beacon Tower

The Duntaishan Beacon Tower is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

The Duntaishan Beacon Tower is located in Haixing Community, Haixing Subdistrict Office, Bayuquan District, perched atop Duntaishan Mountain within the district. At the foot of the mountain lies the bustling Yingkou New Port, with a view of the Bohai Sea to the west.

The tower is square-shaped, tapering towards the top, standing 12.85 meters high with a base side length of 14 meters and a top side length of 11.4 meters. It consists of a foundation built from granite slabs, a body made of blue bricks, battlements, and a watchtower house. Each side has two identical water channels. The solid tower body was rammed with sand, stones, and soil, and access was originally via rope ladders. It is a remnant of a beacon tower built during the Ming Dynasty. Due to years of neglect, parts of the wall have been damaged. In 2000, the Bayuquan District government raised funds to restore it to its original appearance. There were as many as 174 beacon towers in our city.

As a type of military facility, beacon towers were used for a long time, dating back as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties in China when they were employed in warfare. They gradually fell out of use in modern times with rapid advances in military technology. Beacon towers were often built on isolated high mountains with wide visibility all around, facilitating the transmission of military intelligence. They came in various shapes including round, square, trapezoidal, and conical. Building materials varied depending on local conditions and included stone, brick, brick-and-stone combinations, and rammed earth.

Most beacon towers were built on elevated ground following the contour of the mountain, spaced at varying distances — some placed every thirty li, others every ten or five li, and even two or three li apart. Each tower had a watchhouse and equipment for signaling with smoke or fire, such as firewood and saltpeter. Beneath the towers were also barracks for soldiers, sheep and horse pens, and storage buildings.

According to relevant sources, the distribution of beacon towers mainly fell into five types. The first type were those built outside the Great Wall, extending gradually into the distance; the second type were built inside, extending toward the imperial capital; the third type were connected with neighboring counties, commanderies, and passes; the fourth type were built right alongside the Great Wall on both sides; and the last type were built directly on the Great Wall itself. During the Ming Dynasty, those built inside the Great Wall were called “inner beacon towers,” while those built on the walls themselves were referred to as “border beacon towers.”

Though usage varied slightly across dynasties, the general practice for beacon towers was the same: smoke signals by day and fire signals by night to report military intelligence. A small number of soldiers, ranging from a few to over ten, were stationed at each tower, including one fire signal leader who managed daily watch duties, with the rest taking shifts. Some towers even had cooks. Methods of signaling mainly depended on the situation of the enemy threat. The “Wujing Zongyao” (Collection of the Most Important Military Techniques) records the Tang Dynasty system: “If enemy infantry or cavalry numbering between fifty and fewer than five hundred enter the territory, light one beacon fire. If information about the barbarian border arises, accompanied by dust and suspected movement southward, light two beacon fires. If the invading force numbers between five hundred and fewer than three thousand, also light two beacon fires. If five hundred or more but fewer than one thousand barbarian horsemen are confirmed moving south, light three beacon fires. If the invaders number three thousand horsemen or more, also light three beacon fires. If over one thousand barbarian troops of unknown number approach, light four beacon fires. If an invading force numbers over ten thousand, also light four beacon fires. If only one beacon fire is lit, the alert is contained within the responsible state or county. For two or more beacon fires, the alert is sent all the way to the capital. The state, county, or town where the signal originated must immediately document the situation and send a report by express courier. Once the signal sequence reaches the capital and returns, a single beacon fire signals the return to safety. For any alarm signals raised due to enemy presence, two safe signals — lit and extinguished twice — follow after three days.” The Ming Dynasty followed largely the same method, with improvements including the addition of cannon fire, along with sulfur and saltpeter for igniting smoke and fire. During the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, regulations stipulated: “For border beacon towers, if one or two to one hundred enemies are sighted, light one beacon fire and fire one cannon; for five hundred enemies, light two beacon fires and fire two cannons; for over one thousand enemies, light three beacon fires and fire three cannons; for over five thousand, light four beacon fires and fire four cannons; and for over ten thousand, light five beacon fires and fire five cannons.” The combination of fire and cannon sounds allowed military intelligence to be conveyed faster and more accurately.

In 1984, the Yingkou Municipal People’s Government designated the Duntaishan Beacon Tower as a municipal cultural relic protection unit. On November 18, 2000, the Bayuquan District government funded its restoration. In 2014, the People’s Government of Liaoning Province (Liaozhengfa [2014] No. 27) announced it as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit. The cultural relic protection scope and construction control zone announced by the Yingkou Municipal People’s Government (Yingzhengfa [1990] No. 38) are as follows: with the beacon tower as the center, the area within 30 meters is the protected zone; an additional 70 meters beyond the protected zone constitutes a Class V construction control area.

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

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