Tashan Mountain City

Tashan Mountain City

Tashan Mountain City is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Liaoning Province.

The site of Tashan Mountain City is located on Tashan Mountain, east of Chenxiangtun in Sujiatun District, Shenyang. Perched high atop the mountain peak and overlooking the Beisha River to the south, the location is highly strategic. The city walls, built along the mountain ridge using earth, encircle the site with a circumference of over 1,000 meters. The terrain is higher in the west and lower in the east, resembling a winnowing basket. A city gate was situated southeast of the site, now reduced to a gap, which also served as the outlet for runoff from the mountain streams within the city. After more than a thousand years, remnants of the earthen walls still survive relatively well. The best-preserved section is at the southeast corner, with surviving remnants standing 1 meter tall and foundation bases about 3 meters wide. The elevation difference from the base of the mountain city to its highest point is about 50 meters. Throughout the site, one can find reddish-brown and gray bricks and tiles featuring rope and cloth patterns, as well as lotus-patterned tile ends—typical artifacts of the Goguryeo Kingdom.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Anning Temple was built within the city but has long since disappeared. Today, only three stone steles remain, dating from the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, and the 18th year of the Republic of China. At the top of the hill behind the city site, there used to be a seven-story hexagonal brick pagoda, which collapsed long ago—hence the name “Tashan” (Pagoda Mountain).

The *New Book of Tang*, Volume 43, records: “From the Protectorate General to Pacify the East (then Liaoyang), traveling northeast through ancient Gaimu and Xincheng… one reaches the capital of the Bohai Kingdom.” Tashan Mountain City lies precisely between Liaoyang and the Xincheng on Gao’er Mountain in Fushun. In 645 AD (the 19th year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty), Emperor Taizong of Tang launched a campaign against Liaodong. In April, Li Shimin... “marched straight in and captured the strategic position of the Bohai,” (*The Old Book of Tang*, Biography 110, Part 2). In 668 AD, after the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Goguryeo Kingdom, in January 670 AD, they reorganized Liaodong into commanderies and counties, and reestablished Gaimu Commandery. According to historians and archaeologists, Tashan Mountain City is identified as the Gaimu City occupied by Goguryeo when it held sway over Liaodong. It was also the Gaimu stronghold utilized by Emperor Taizong of Tang and his general Li Shiji during their military campaigns, and one of the 12 commanderies established at that time.

Tashan Mountain City provides valuable material for research into local ethnic history. In February 1985, the Shenyang Municipal People's Government designated the site as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit. In December 1988, the Liaoning Provincial People's Government listed it as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Liaoning Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units