Dahei Mountain Fortress

Dahei Mountain Fortress

Dahei Mountain Fortress is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Also known as Bisha City, Dahei Mountain Fortress is located on the central and southern peaks of Dahei Mountain and the adjacent ridges in Jinzhou District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, stretching over 5,000 meters. It dates back from the Wei-Jin period to the Tang Dynasty. The fortress walls follow the mountain ridges, encircle the hills and valleys, and were built along the natural contours of the mountain. The walls are constructed from stones of varying sizes, with an average width of about 3.3 meters and remaining heights ranging from 3 to 5 meters. It was built by the Goguryeo people who rose to prominence in Liaodong after 404 AD during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and constructed this fortress on Dahei Mountain. It served as the political and military center of the Goguryeo rule over Dalian at that time. From the 1950s to the mid-1980s, the fortress suffered severe damage but fortunately still remains. There are multiple relics related to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, including the General's Platform.

Dahei Mountain Fortress is one of the famous ancient military fortresses on the Liaodong Peninsula. At the southwestern corner of the fortress wall, at Fenghuangkou, there once stood a castle known as Guanmenzhai, which means “Closed Gate Stronghold,” as it guarded the valley. Though now collapsed, its ruins remain. In ancient times, Bisha City was a strategic battleground. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, two major battles took place here, recorded in both the "Book of Sui: Biography of Lai Hu'er" and the "Zizhi Tongjian."

The stone walls, built along the mountain terrain, stretch approximately five kilometers, presenting a majestic and spectacular sight. Inside the fortress, valleys wind through, while outside, steep cliffs surround the area. Establishing a camp within the fortress meant being able to advance for attack or retreat for defense. Although parts of the existing fortress have partially collapsed, the once heavily fortified appearance can still be faintly discerned. Historical records indicate that before the Western Jin Dynasty, there was no Goguryeo intrusion into the Liaodong Peninsula. In the seventh year of the Xiankang era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (341 AD), Murong Huang of the Former Yan launched a two-pronged eastern campaign against Goguryeo, “burning their palaces and destroying Wandu City.” Even during this time, Goguryeo still had the opportunity to build fortifications on Dahei Mountain. By the early 5th century, frequent warfare in Central China and the gradual decline of the Murong clan allowed the Goguryeo regime to take advantage and expand southwestward. After the sixth year of the Yixi era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (410 AD), Goguryeo gained dominance over the Liaodong Peninsula. By then, the construction of the fortress on Dahei Mountain had been completed. The "Book of Sui: Biography of Lai Hu'er" states: “In the tenth year of the Daye era (614 AD), (Lai Hu’er) again led his troops across the sea to Bishacheng. The entire Goguryeo army came to fight, but Hu’er decisively defeated them, beheading a thousand enemies.” The “Bishacheng” referred to in the text is Dahei Mountain Fortress. Volume 182 of the "Zizhi Tongjian" also records this battle from the tenth year of the Daye era under Emperor Yang of Sui.

In the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (645 AD), Emperor Taizong appointed Zhang Liang, Minister of Justice and Duke of Yun, as the Grand Commander of the Pyongyang Route Army. He led a naval force from Donglai on the Shandong Peninsula across the sea to land at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and launched an attack on Bisha City. After capturing the city, they took thousands of Goguryeo prisoners... “On the fifth month, day of Ji Si, the city was taken, and eight thousand men and women were captured.” This shows that at the time, Bisha City housed a massive military presence. In 645 AD, the Tang army reclaimed Liaodong, and in 668 AD, Goguryeo was destroyed.

Dahei Mountain Fortress is an important historical relic for studying the ancient history of the Goguryeo people in northeastern China.

In 1988 and 1990, the National Cultural Heritage Administration allocated nearly 200,000 yuan for the restoration of damaged areas of “Bisha City.” On September 30, 1963, it was designated as one of the first Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units by the People’s Committee of Liaoning Province. In 2013, it was approved by the State Council as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units