Daduntai Ruins

Daduntai Ruins

The Daduntai Ruins is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Daduntai Ruins are located on a rocky hill at the end of a northeast–southwest oriented ridge, one kilometer east of the Xing’an Township government. (The hill has been partially quarried, leaving only about one-third of its northern side intact), with the western side adjacent to the Jiusan Factory across an unnamed small river. The mound was built from earth and stones, currently standing about 4.1 meters high, and is believed to be a fortress or beacon tower.

In ancient times, watchtowers were established at strategic locations to transmit military signals by lighting fires at night and smoke during the day. During the Ming Dynasty, to defend against Japanese pirates, a network of beacon towers was set up with the city as the command center. The function of these towers was to monitor enemies; upon spotting approaching foes, soldiers would light wolf smoke as an alarm. Each tower was manned by five soldiers on rotation, but by the mid-Qing Dynasty, they gradually fell into disuse.

In Jilin Province, there are several beacon tower ruins, including the Daduntai Ruins, Xiaoduntai Ruins, and Ma’ershan Daduntai Ruins. These three sites form a mutually supportive triangular military communication system. Given the conditions of ancient military communication technology, the design of this early warning system and its use of terrain and features are still impressive even by today’s standards. The overall layout curves in an arc, safeguarding the vast, fertile river valley basin between Yanji City and the confluence of the Buerhatong River and the Hailan River, constituting a truly spectacular system of ancient military fortifications.