The Caojialu Garrison City Ruins

The Caojialu Garrison City Ruins

The Caojialu Garrison City Ruins are a cultural tourism attraction.

The Caojialu Garrison City Ruins are located in Caojialu Village, Miyun County. It was once an important pass along the Great Wall, one of the four routes of the Western Command of the Jizhou Defense Sector, and a key transportation route from Miyun County to Xinglong and Chengde in Hebei. The castle was initially built here during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty and was later reconstructed into a garrison city during the Wanli era. The city was built along the mountainside, with a perimeter of over 6,000 meters, and had three gates on the east, south, and west. The Caojialu garrison oversaw 22 passes and fortresses, controlled more than 80 kilometers of border defenses to the north and south, and managed the stationed troops and fortifications at 58 watchtowers. Approximately 8 kilometers east of Caojialu lies the Heiyu Pass, situated at the junction of Miyun, Xinglong, and Chengde counties, serving as a strategic throat within the inner Great Wall region. Southwest of the Heiyu Pass fortress is a unique water gate known as the "Five Tigers Water Gate." This water gate features two arched passages connecting the east and west, each about 3 meters wide and over 6 meters high. On both the inner and outer sides of the arches are stone-carved tiger heads. Inside the western arch, there is a stone-carved tiger lying directly opposite the water passage. The walls inside the tunnel have 10-centimeter-wide slots for gate panels. This gate used a lifting mechanism to control water flow. The Andamu River, originating from Wuling Mountain, enters through this gate, flows past Caojialu, then turns westward to join the Chao River. The mountain-hugging city wall and the "Five Tigers Water Gate" southwest of Heiyu Pass remain largely intact.