Shitaizi Mountain City

Shitaizi Mountain City

Shitaizi Mountain City is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Shitaizi Mountain City is located on the northern shore of Qipanshan Reservoir within the Huishan Scenic Area, approximately 35 kilometers northeast of downtown Shenyang, Liaoning Province. It borders Tieling to the north and faces Fushun to the southeast.

The mountain city was artificially constructed leveraging the natural terrain, forming an enclosed stone-built fortress with an irregular triangular layout. Its perimeter spans 1384.1 meters, and the surrounding wall features 10 battlements and 4 gates. The terrain slopes from west to east and is wider in the south than in the north, with relatively higher elevations at the four corners. Enemy towers were built at strategically crucial and gently sloped locations. The gates and drainage culverts are situated at the valleys or low points in the southeast and northwest. Residential structures were built on the relatively flat northern and southern terraces within the city, while a large reservoir was constructed in the valley between two peaks. A "watchtower" for surveillance and command was erected on the southwestern peak inside the city.

The cross-section of the city wall is trapezoidal, with both the inner and outer faces constructed from neatly shaped wedge-shaped stones, and the interior filled with prism-shaped stones. The inner wall is reinforced with earthen embankments sloping gently inward across its entire circumference, with some sections also featuring protective stone layers. The wall gradually tapers inward from bottom to top, with a base width ranging from 6 to 7 meters, a surviving top width of 5.6 meters, and a maximum surviving height of 3.9 meters. The 10 battlements are spaced about 60 meters apart and are square or nearly rectangular in shape. The 4 gates are located on the east, south, west, and north sides, each equipped with a drainage system leading from inside the city outward. A large culvert was also discovered on the west side of the south gate, with its entrance flanked by large slab stones, measuring 1.02 meters in height and 0.80 meters in width.

Within the site, there are house foundations and ash pits. The house foundations are all built of stone, while the ash pits vary in shape, mostly round, with some oval and irregular rectangular ones. Excavated artifacts include pottery, ironware, bronzeware, bone implements, and coins.

The burial area is located northwest of the mountain city. Over 50 tombs have been excavated, all of which are late-period Goguryeo earthen mound stone chamber tombs. Based on the planar shapes of the tombs, they are categorized as shovel-shaped, knife-handle shaped, trapezoidal, and rectangular.

Although not large in scale, Shitaizi Mountain City is well-preserved, with a rigorous structure, finely processed stonework, neat masonry, and comprehensive defensive facilities. It stands as an outstanding representative among the many excavated mid-to-late period Goguryeo mountain cities in China.

In May 2006, Shitaizi Mountain City was designated as part of the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Protected area: within the city and within 150 meters outside the outer base of the city wall.

Construction control zone: the area within 150 meters outside the protected area is classified as a first-tier construction control zone, and the area within 200 meters outside the first-tier control zone is classified as a third-tier construction control zone.

Further reading:

· Sixth Batch of Liaoning Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units