The Site of Gushan Fort

The Site of Gushan Fort

The Site of Gushan Fort is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Site of Gushan Fort is located in Xinchengzi Village, Lanheyu Township, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County. It is the ruins of an ancient city, which was square-shaped with a perimeter of approximately 1,200 meters. The city walls were built from large blue bricks mixed with rubble and earth, and parts of the walls still remain today. The surviving walls are about 3 meters high at their tallest and over 1 meter at their lowest.

The site of the Old Gushan Fort was built in the fifth month of the second year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty, over 400 years ago. The so-called New Gushan Fort refers to the replacement of the old fort, which was located 5 kilometers southwest of the new one. The old fort was an important stronghold in Liaodong during the Ming Dynasty, and its ruins can still be faintly discerned.

In the first year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty, Wang Daokun, Vice Minister of War, inspected the border regions. Li Chengliang, the General of Liaodong, suggested relocating Gushan Fort to Zhangqihaladizi. This move would not only help defend against invasions from the "Eastern Barbarians" but also allow for the “benefits of farming and herding.” After the proposal was approved, Wang Weiping, the garrison commander of Qinghe City, was assigned to “build the new fort and relocate the troops.” However, Wang Weiping, “fearing hardship and seeking ease,” falsely claimed convenience and did not move the fort to Zhangqihaladizi as planned. Instead, he built a new fort just ten li northeast of the old one, at the site of what is now Xinchengzi Village. The Gushan Fort was completed on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the third year of the Wanli era (1575 AD), at a cost of 770 taels of silver and 610 stones of grain. The wall was “three zhang and five chi high including the battlements, with a base two zhang thick, and featured nine gate and corner watchtowers, all built with brick and stone. There were also 173 rooms for the fort commander’s residence and soldiers’ barracks.” Upon completion, it was named the New Gushan Fort. Although the new fort was built, Wang Weiping was punished for “violating the original plan,” and “none of the officials were rewarded.” In the fourth year of the Wanli era, a stele inscribed with “Record of the Construction of the New Gushan Fort” was erected to document the event. This stele remains preserved within the ancient fort in Xinchengzi Village to this day and serves as an important cultural relic for the study of Benxi’s local history.