Site of Heidian City

Site of Heidian City

The site of Heidian City is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

The site of Heidian City is located in Heidian Village, Qingyishan Township, Kuandian County.

Heidian City was one of the Six Forts of Kuandian, also referred to as the Six Dian. In the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the Jianzhou Jurchens repeatedly invaded the border. To enhance control and defense over them, besides continuing the construction of the Liaodong Border Wall, the Ming court, following the advice of Li Chengliang, started constructing the Six Forts of Kuandian in the first year of the Wanli era. Xiong Tingbi, who was in charge of military affairs in Liaodong, called it the “New Frontier of Eight Hundred Li.” Each fort managed a section of the Liaodong Great Wall, situated close to the Jurchen strongholds and guarding their expansion routes. The Six Forts were located west of the Yalu River, adjacent to the Jianzhou Jurchens, serving as a frontline defense with significant strategic importance. After the completion of the Six Forts, Li Chengliang also established markets there to trade with ethnic minorities, easing tensions between the Ming Dynasty and those groups. Additionally, the considerable income generated from these markets greatly benefited the soldiers stationed in Liaodong.

The site of Heidian City is the best-preserved among the Six Forts of Kuandian. It is situated on a flat terrace in Heidiancheng Village, Qingyishan Town. The city faces south and has a square layout, with each side measuring over 300 meters and covering an area of more than 90,000 square meters. The city wall is built with a brick-and-stone structure: the base consists of large processed stone blocks, while the upper part is made of blue bricks laid horizontally to the top. The base is 7–10 meters wide, narrowing to 2 meters at the top, with surviving heights of 3–5 meters. Some sections of the wall top still show layers of blue bricks. Battlements are found on the eastern, northern, and western walls, and corner towers stand at each of the four corners. There is only one gate, located in the middle of the southern wall, which is guarded by a semicircular barbican. In the middle section of the western wall’s base, there is a drainage outlet measuring 40 cm in width and 80 cm in height. Near the center-south of the city, there is also an ancient well that still provides clear water and remains in use today. After visiting Heidian City, national, provincial, and municipal leaders as well as cultural relics experts unanimously agreed that it is the best-preserved original Ming Dynasty Liaodong Great Wall border fort in Liaoning Province.

Heidian City holds significant historical value. It played an important role in stabilizing governance in the Liaodong border region, easing tensions, and developing the local economy. It provides crucial primary physical materials for studying the military, political, economic, and ethnic relations of Kuandian, the Six Forts of Kuandian, and even the Liaodong region during the Ming Dynasty. It also offers an intuitive model for exploring the layout, scale, and architectural features of ancient cities in the Liaodong area during the Ming era. Furthermore, it is of great significance for developing and integrating local tourism resources and promoting economic growth.

In 1961, the site of Heidian City was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Committee of Andong City. On August 5, 1983, it was declared a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Dandong City. On December 20, 1988, it was listed as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Liaoning Province. On March 5, 2013, when the seventh batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites was announced, the site of Heidian City was incorporated into the existing “National Protected” Great Wall project.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Liaoning Province