Xingcheng Ancient City

Xingcheng Ancient City

Xingcheng Ancient City is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism destination.

is a heritage site left from 500 years ago. It is the most well-preserved Ming Dynasty ancient city in China and a national-level cultural relics protection unit.

Xingcheng Ancient City was first built in the third year of the Ming Xuande era (1428 AD).

The ancient city is roughly square-shaped, with a perimeter of 3,274 meters, a wall height of 8.88 meters, a base width of 6.5 meters, and a top width of 5 meters. Battlements are built along the outer edge of the wall top, while parapets are constructed on the inner side. Each of the four sides of the wall has a central gate: the eastern gate is called Chunhe Gate, the southern one is Yanhui Gate, the western is Yongning Gate, and the northern is Weiyuan Gate. Each gate is topped with a towering arrow tower, and each gate’s inner side has a ramp walkway along the wall. Cannon platforms are built high at the four corners, protruding from the city angles, used to mount Hongyi cannons. During the Ming-Qing Battle of Ningyuan, Qing Taizu Nurhaci was struck by a Hongyi cannon, severely wounded, and died not long after returning to Shengjing.

At the very center of the ancient city stands an imposing and magnificent bell and drum tower. Towering above, it presents a majestic presence, and visitors flock to climb it for a panoramic view of the city. The drum tower was used to beat drums for advancing troops during ancient warfare and to mark the time in peacetime. The tower is 17.2 meters tall and has three levels. Inside is an exhibition hall of cultural relics unearthed in Xingcheng. It houses precious artifacts from the Hongshan Culture period (approximately 5,000–6,000 years ago) as well as from the Spring and Autumn period. There is also a giant drum, rare in China, made from a single piece of cowhide, with a diameter of 2.25 meters.

At the southeast corner of the city wall stands the Kuixing Tower. The two-story, octagonal tower is exquisitely built and houses a statue of Kuixing. The deity has a head resembling a ghost, a green face with red hair, one foot hooked upward, one hand holding a dipper, and the other grasping a writing brush, as if marking the names of successful examination candidates — the “Kuixing Points to the Top Scholar” described in ancient texts.

Within the ancient city, four main streets — south, north, east, and west — intersect at right angles. In the middle section of South Street stands the Zu Family Stone Archway, and South Street is the street that preserves the most historical relics.