Yushan City Wall

Yushan City Wall

The ancient city of Changshu has a history of over 1,700 years. The Yushan City Wall is the section of the Changshu city wall that runs along Yushan Mountain. It is the only city wall in southern Jiangsu built along a mountain ridge, hence earning the nickname “Little Great Wall of the South.” Covering an area of 27,000 square meters, climbing the wall offers sweeping views of green mountains, clear waters, and the ancient streets and alleys, where mountain, water, and city blend seamlessly, showcasing the unique landscape known as “ten miles of green hills half within the city.”

The earliest construction of the Yushan City Wall dates back over 1,380 years to the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty. Originally built as an earthen wall, it was reconstructed with bricks between 1341 and 1368. The wall was rebuilt again in 1553. In 1993, the Changshu municipal government restored the Yushan Gate tower and 112 meters of the wall, turning it into a tourist attraction. In 2004, the Changshu Municipal Party Committee and Government invested 100 million yuan to extend the wall northward and southward all the way to the foot of the mountain, creating a total length of 1,400 meters. This extension connected the Fucheng Gate (including the water gate), the “West City Tower Complex,” the Zhenhai Terrace Square, and the surrounding areas of the remaining wall ruins. During the restoration, approximately 200 meters of the ancient wall ruins were preserved. As part of the Fucheng Gate project, the Xi Men Wan (West Gate Bay) and the mountain-front river were renovated, docks and wharves were installed, and a waterway tour route was opened, making it a junction for mountain and water sightseeing.

The “West City Tower Complex” is located inside the ancient city’s west gate, adjacent to the city wall and the Fucheng Gate. It includes the planned restoration of the Dizang Hall and the Wuyue Tower, as well as the revival of the Dashishan House, together with the mountain path forming a scenic series. As early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was already one of the renowned “Eighteen Scenic Spots of Yushan.” The Xin Feng Pavilion and the Yushan Gate tower form another of the new “Eighteen Scenic Spots of Yushan,” known as “Xin Feng and City Gate.” The Zhenhai Terrace Square displays parts of the wall ruins, remains, and sculpture landscapes to showcase the cultural heritage of the city wall.