Gushan New Fort

Gushan New Fort

Gushan New Fort is a cultural heritage site protected by Liaoning Province.

Gushan New Fort is located in Lanheyu, within the mountainous eastern region of Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, Liaoning Province. Here stands an ancient city with a long history — "Xinchengzi," one of the Six Famous Ming-Era Cities of Benxi. Historical records indicate that this city was built during the Ming Dynasty and was then known as "Gushan New Fort." It was a frontier defense castle built by the Ming to contain the Jurchens. In the first year of the Wanli era (1573), when Ming Dynasty’s Vice Minister of War Wang Daokun inspected the defenses in Liaodong, the Liaodong Regional Commander Li Chengliang, assessing the situation where “the Jianzhou Jurchen crown prince had recently suffered defeat and Wutang had no desire to fight,” proposed to “extend the old border and relocate six forts.” This would not only “expand the territory by 700–800 li,” but also “block enemy incursions,” achieving two goals at once. The court approved Li Chengliang’s proposal, and he assigned the task of relocating “one of the six forts” — Gushan Fort — to Zhangqihaladianzi to Qinghe Guard Commander Wang Weiping. Wang Weiping, a veteran of long-term frontier service with substantial military experience, personally surveyed the geography of Zhangqihaladianzi and was greatly surprised: “Zhangqihaladianzi is a mountain gorge. It starts northeast from Gushan and extends 25 li into Jian territory. Its width does not exceed several dozen zhang, and at narrow points is only some ten zhang wide. Its shape is like a twisted gourd — there is entry but no exit. On both sides are high, steep cliffs, densely forested, which had traditionally been used by the Jianzhou people for firewood. Although it is said to be a shortcut, connecting west to Jianchang after 30 li and east to Aiyang after 50 li, there were no fixed boundaries, no watchtowers, no external aid, and the entire fort could fall into enemy hands. I cannot hold it.” Therefore, Wang Weiping believed that even if this fort were built, it would ultimately come under the jurisdiction of Qinghe, and thus proposed choosing another location instead. As a result, “on his own initiative, he built a new fort ten li northeast of the old Gushan Fort,” naming it “Gushan New Fort.”

Within the city, a stele commemorating the city’s founding is still preserved. The stele is made of slate, shaped like a ceremonial tablet, with an overall height of 2.18 meters, a width of 0.83 meters, and a thickness of 0.15 meters. The base is granite, 0.48 meters high and 0.8 meters wide. The stele head and body are connected, and the seal script on the stele head’s canopy reads “Record of the Founding of Gushan New Fort.” The main text describes the process of building the fort (the full inscription is provided afterward). The reverse side of the stele has 21 lines of regular script. Most of the text on the reverse is obscured by “stone flower” erosion, but visible parts include characters such as “appointed official...” The edges of the stele are adorned with carved scroll patterns.

To the north of the fort lies a primary school established by the village, built on the former site of Ming’an Temple, which was constructed in the 34th year of the Wanli era. The temple site is clearly identifiable, and a fragmentary stele made of granite is also preserved. The inscription includes references to the fort, such as “...under the General Command, Right Affairs Officer in charge of Gushan Fort affairs, Dingliao Front Guard □ Affairs Office, Town Pacifier Zhang Mao,” as well as the names of donors who contributed to the temple’s construction. From this, we know that Gushan Fort was under the jurisdiction of the Dingliao Front Guard of the Liaodong Town, and the fort’s “commander” was not a “Baihu” but a “Town Pacifier.” This was the situation in the 35th year of the Wanli era.

Protected area: Within the city and the outer base of the city walls, extending 200 meters east, 100 meters south and west, and 50 meters north.

Construction control zone: A Class I control zone extends 20 meters beyond the protected area, with a Class II control zone extending 30 meters beyond the Class I zone.

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected by Liaoning Province