Gaolicheng Mountain Fortress

Gaolicheng Mountain Fortress

Gaolicheng Mountain Fortress is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Gaolicheng Mountain Fortress, also known as Jian’an City from the Goguryeo period, is located on Shicheng Mountain in front of Gaolicheng Village, Qingshilin Town, approximately 7.5 kilometers northeast of Gaizhou City. About 2 kilometers southeast lies Qingshilin Village, the Daqing River flows to the east, and it is 1.5 kilometers west of the Ha-Da Highway. The fortress site is built along two undulating ridges running north-south, with trees planted on the slopes.

The walls of Gaolicheng Mountain Fortress were constructed from earth and stone, forming an irregular rectangle that is wider in the west and narrower in the east. Inside the fortress lies a large basin, higher in the east and lower in the west, with a small hill in the middle commonly known as “Golden Hall Hill.” This hill is about 20 meters high, with a relatively flat top measuring 100 meters from east to west and 12 meters from north to south, serving as the command center during defense. To the north of Golden Hall Hill at the foot of the mountain lies a north-south earthen dike, commonly called “Drawbridge Beam,” which is 70 meters long, 15 meters high, and 30 meters wide. It connects to Golden Hall Hill in the south and is built against the slope in the north, featuring a gap through which water flows. Approximately 20 meters south of the west gate’s inner wall lies a horse-watering bay. The fortress contains five water sources and springs that do not dry up in winter or summer. Mountain streams flow westward from both the northern and southern sides of the small hill. The western end of the fortress is 1.5 kilometers wide from north to south, while the eastern end is 1 kilometer wide. The total perimeter of the fortress exceeds 5 kilometers. The walls are built from stone blocks, with some sections utilizing natural steep cliffs without stone walls. The walls between gates are made from rammed earth. The northern wall is entirely built of stone and is relatively straight, while the southern wall is winding and uneven. Today, only the better-preserved foundations of the stone walls remain, standing about 1.5 meters high.

The fortress has three gateways and one water gate. There is one east gate, two west gates, and the water gate is situated between the two west gates. The northern and southern walls of the west gates each extend inward and outward with sloping walls, spaced about 40 meters apart from east to west. The east gate also features inward and outward extensions, with an additional north-south partition wall added between the two gate walls. The north gate is not well preserved.

Although this fortress site has not been excavated, it contains abundant relics. Previously discovered items include red square-patterned and rope-patterned roof tiles, stone mortars, and iron stirrups. Iron armor fragments and burnt earth have also been found, in addition to a cluster of Han Dynasty tombs.

According to the “Zizhi Tongjian” (Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government), a famous “Battle of Jian’an” took place here between the Tang Dynasty and the Goguryeo Kingdom. Gaolicheng Mountain Fortress in Qingshilin preserves the characteristics of Goguryeo-era mountain fortresses and holds significant historical value.

In 1963, the Provincial People's Committee designated Gaolicheng Mountain Fortress as a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) listed it as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The scope of cultural relics protection and the construction control zone announced by the Liaoning Provincial People’s Government (Liaoning Government Document [1993] No. 8) are as follows: the area within the city walls and within 100 meters outside the outer base of the walls is the protected zone; the area within 150 meters outside the protected zone is classified as a Class I construction control zone.

In May 2013, it was officially designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Gaolicheng Village: Gaolicheng Village...... More detailed information on Gaolicheng Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units