Songsong Mountain City

Songsong Mountain City

Songsong Mountain City is located on "Chengzi Mountain" to the north of Songsong Village in Weiziyu Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County. The mountain city sits on the northern bank of the Taizi River and was built at an altitude of 600 meters. It consists of the West City, East City, and North City. The West City is the main section. The site utilizes an irregular semi-circular mountain ridge for its fortifications, with a conical layout. The surviving sections of the city wall include the east wall, south wall, west wall, and north wall, with a total perimeter of 1,100 meters. The terrain around the site is higher on the east, south, and north sides. There are three gates around the city—south, north, and west—with only the west gate serving as the sole drainage outlet. About 20 meters inside the west gate, there is a well, which likely served as one of the main water sources. The west and south walls were mostly built with shorter stone walls added along cliffs that are 30–40 meters high. One section of the east wall is situated on a ridge that is steep outside and gentle inside; here, artificial stone walls were constructed, and based on the elevation difference between the inner and outer sides, a “mountain skin cutting” method was used, where only the outer wall was built. Another section, located in a lower part of the valley, features taller stone walls built with rectangular stones stacked in double layers on both the inner and outer sides.

The East City is adjacent to the West City, located in the eastern valley known locally as "Shancheng Valley." This valley is enclosed by mountain ridges on the north, east, and south sides, forming a city wall with a perimeter of 4,000 meters and an oval layout. A natural gap on the south side serves as the gate. The city wall mainly follows the steep mountain ridges, with only a short artificially built stone wall of less than 300 meters on the southern part of the east wall. The North City is another enclosed valley on the northern side of the West City, also surrounded on three sides. At the valley entrance, there is an approximately 200-meter-long artificially built stone wall that blocks the valley, forming a closed unit together with the surrounding mountain ridges. The total perimeter of the artificial blocking wall and the mountain ridge walls is 22,500 meters.

Weiziyu Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County. In 1958, the Weiziyu Commune was established; in 1984, it was renamed Weiziyu Manchu Ethnic Township; and in 1985, it became Weiziyu Town. Located in the southwestern part of the county, it covers an area of 408 square kilometers and has a population of 16,000. The Tieling–Changdian and Shenyang–Tonghua highways pass through the town. The town administers Tonggou, Xixiang Xiaopu, Xixiang Dapu, Bangchui Lazi, Fujia, Liujia Waizi, Weiziyu, Weiziyu Xian, Liangzhongchang, Xidianzi, -gou, Songsong Shangbao, Songsong Xiabao, Yujia, Lujia, Diabianzi, Diabianzi Xian, Beiwaizi, Pianlaha He, Xiaonaniu, Huangtuhuang… More detailed information about Weiziyu Town++