Site of Fushun Pass

Site of Fushun Pass

The Site of Fushun Pass is a cultural tourism attraction.

Site of Fushun Pass

The Fushun Pass is located near Guanling Village in Qiandian Town, Shuncheng District, about 10 kilometers east of Fushun City, Liaoning Province. The pass was situated on a high point north of the strategic Hun River valley. During the Ming Dynasty, Fushun Pass was an important route for the Jianzhou and other Jurchen guards to access the Liaoxi Plain, as well as one of the key passes along the Liaodong section of the Ming Great Wall.

During most peaceful periods, Fushun Pass and Fushun City served as major gateways through which the Ming Dynasty conducted horse market trade with the Jianzhou Jurchens. The Veritable Records of Emperor Yingzong of Ming states: “In the fourth year of the Tian Shun era, eighth month, day Jiwei, an imperial decree was issued to the commanding general and other officers stationed at Liaodong: whenever Jurchens from Jianzhou and other guards arrive at the border, they must be directed to enter through Fushun Pass, and trade should continue at Fushun City.” Through the Fushun Horse Market, large quantities of iron farming tools, oxen for plowing, and advanced Han Chinese agricultural techniques were introduced to the Jianzhou Jurchens, laying a solid material foundation for their rise, development, and eventual unification. Of course, the Fushun Horse Market, from its inception, primarily served the political needs of the Ming Dynasty. As such, opening and closing the market naturally became tools for the Ming to control and manipulate the Jianzhou Jurchens. At times, to restrict the development of the Jurchens, the Ming court would simply shut the market for extended periods, causing significant damage to the social and economic life of the Jurchen people.

In the forty-fourth year of the Wanli era (1616 AD), Nurhaci established the Later Jin regime in Hetu Ala (present-day Xilaocheng, Xinbin County, Liaoning). Two years later, in the forty-sixth year of Wanli, he officially declared war on the Ming. His first military move against the Ming was to attack Fushun Pass. Historical records state that the day before the assault on Fushun Pass, Nurhaci sent emissaries to deliver a message claiming that 3,000 Jurchens would come the next day for trade, luring merchants and soldiers out of the pass. He then launched a surprise heavy assault and swiftly captured Fushun Pass. Upon learning that the Jurchens had taken Fushun Pass and surrounded the city, Li Yongfang, the defending commander of Fushun City, hastily convened civil and military officials to discuss countermeasures. In the end, they decided to surrender to Nurhaci, allowing the Jurchen forces to take this vital stronghold of Liaodong without much resistance. After resting his troops in Fushun City for three days, Nurhaci left, taking with him over 300,000 livestock and people. Before departing, he set fire to Fushun City and burned it to the ground. From then on, until the twenty-first year of the Kangxi era in the Qing Dynasty, Fushun City remained in ruins, with only a dozen or so scattered households living there. It wasn’t until the forty-third year of the Qianlong era (1778 AD) that the Qing Dynasty rebuilt Fushun City to commemorate Nurhaci’s founding of the nation.

Fushun Pass has now been completely destroyed. Locals refer to its ruins as Nanchengdi (Southern City Site), where remnants of Ming Dynasty bricks, tiles, and other construction materials can still be found.