The Remains of the Willow Palisade at Bian Tiao Gou

The Remains of the Willow Palisade at Bian Tiao Gou

The Remains of the Willow Palisade at Bian Tiao Gou is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Remains of the Willow Palisade at Bian Tiao Gou

The Willow Palisade was a measure taken in the early Qing Dynasty after the unification of the vast northeastern region to safeguard what the Qing imperial court referred to as the “Dragon Rising Sacred Land,” as well as to protect the economic resources of the northeast. It also served to demarcate the boundaries between several administrative regions in the northeast. The overall distribution of the Willow Palisade took the form of a barrier primarily located in the Liao River basin and parts of Jilin, connecting four key transportation points—Shanhaiguan, Weiyuanbao, Fenghuangcheng, and Futeha—into a “人”-shaped (human-shaped) willow-fenced enclosure. Its primary function was to mark boundaries and prohibit activities such as crossing borders for fishing, hunting, logging, farming, or grazing. The first eastern gate of the Willow Palisade—the former site of Fenghuang Border Gate—is located 30 li (approximately 15 kilometers) south of Fengcheng City, on the western side of the train station in Bianmen Town, on the southeastern slope of Yishan Mountain. The Fenghuang Border Gate in the Qing Dynasty was truly the first eastern gate of the Willow Palisade and served as the “tribute route for Korea.” Today, only ruins remain, but surface relics can still be identified. The Fenghuang Border Gate was referred to as Fengbianmen or simply Bianmen during the early Republican period, and the place name “Bianmen” has continued to this day. Near the Fenghuang Border Gate, remnants of the original Willow Palisade can still be found. According to archaeological surveys and excavations, a section of the palisade ditch remains on the ridgeline of Bian Tiao Gou Mountain, south of Bianmen Town in Fengcheng City. The surviving ditch is over 1 meter deep, 4 meters wide, and about 50 meters long. To the north, below the ridge, there is an additional 300-meter-long earthen embankment that connects to the Fenghuang Border Gate.