Jue’ercha City

Jue’ercha City

Jue’ercha City is one of the Six Ancestral Cities of pre-Qing times. The Six Ancestral Cities are called Ningguta in Manchu, meaning “six places.” The Six Ancestors were the six sons born to Fuman, the great-grandfather of Nurhaci. The eldest was Deshiku, the second was Liuchan, the third was Suochang’a, the fourth was Jurchang’an—Nurhaci’s grandfather, the fifth was Bao’lang’a, and the sixth was Bao’shi. The six are commonly known as the Six Kings, also referred to as the Six Ancestors. They each built their own fortified settlements, living in six separate locations, forming a strategic military encirclement to defend against outside invasions. Jue’ercha was the fortified settlement where Deshiku, Nurhaci’s paternal great-uncle, lived.

According to the customs of the Jurchens at that time, sons had to live separately from their fathers upon reaching adulthood. Fuman’s eldest son, Deshiku, came to a place then called Jue’ercha and built a fortified settlement there. The city is bordered by the Suizi River to the north, steep cliffs to the east, a rugged slope to the south, and hills to the west. The hilltop fortress commanded three key transportation routes to the south, east, and west. From the ruins, it is evident that the construction project was massive, indicating that Deshiku, the founding patriarch, mobilized considerable manpower and resources, investing significant effort and cost. In Jue’ercha City, Chieftain Deshiku governed local affairs as a tribal leader, organizing city wall construction, road building, and sacrificial ceremonies. He engaged in hunting and gathering, developed agriculture, and conducted trade at border markets, rapidly strengthening his tribe. Deshiku was a mid-level slave owner and lived a relatively wealthy life. However, for reasons unknown, he did not inherit his father Fuman’s position as the Left Vice Commander of Jianzhou. After Fuman’s six sons grew powerful, they referred to themselves as the “Six Beile” (Lords); Deshiku also called himself a Beile, but he was never officially granted a title by the Ming Dynasty, which only regarded him as a “Sheren” (a minor official). He had three sons: the eldest was Suhochen, the second was Tantu, and the third was Niyanggu. At Jue’ercha City, we can trace the footprints of the Jurchens. Within just over a hundred years of arriving by the Suizi River and at the foot of the Yantong Mountain, they transitioned from clan society and slavery to feudalism at remarkable speed, eventually becoming the rulers who unified China under the Qing Dynasty. The rapid development of Jurchen society offers a rare example of how an ancient people advanced from a less developed state to a more advanced one in a short period.

Phone: 024-55154496

Ticket Price: 10 yuan

Source: Xinbin County People’s Government Website