Shicheng

Shicheng

Shicheng is a cultural relic protection unit of Fenghua District.

Shicheng, located in Yingjiapeng Village, Qiucun Town, Fenghua City, was designated as one of the third batch of municipal-level cultural relics protection units by the Fenghua Municipal People's Government in February 1987.

Shicheng is about one kilometer from Xiangshan Harbor, facing Qingshan on the harbor’s edge and Fenghuang Mountain in the middle of the harbor, situated at the strategic landing point of Lukeng in Xiangshan Harbor. During the Ming Dynasty, Yingjiapeng had anti-Wokou fortifications. In the Jiajing era, Wokou landed from the harbor and attacked Yingjiapeng. The righteous warrior Wang Jiao led archers in a bloody battle against the invaders, forcing them to retreat—though he lost his life in the fight. The prefectural and county governments honored him with a grand burial and posthumously recognized him as a “righteous warrior.” In the early Qing Dynasty, during the reigns of Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng, the military defenses at Yingjiapeng were strengthened. A military outpost was established, manned by 300 Green Standard Army soldiers, along with stationed officials such as a Qianzong and Bazong. Boats were prepared, the stone fortification (Shicheng) was built, and three watchtowers were set up for enemy reconnaissance, along with four beacon mounds for issuing and communicating enemy alerts—all to safeguard the inland areas. At the same time, the Fenghua County government also constructed stone fortifications in Hutoudi, Qiucun, and Wujiabu along the coast of Xiangshan Harbor to defend the maritime frontier. Troops were stationed here for defense until the Tongzhi era. Today, those three stone fortifications have long vanished, but the Shicheng at Yingjiapeng remains intact, making it a rare ancient coastal defense relic.

Shicheng is built with massive strip stones and blocks. Some of the stones are several meters long and weigh around three to four hundred kilograms, laid neatly in rows. The fortification is roughly rectangular, six-seven meters wide from east to west and seventy-six meters long from north to south, covering an area of over five thousand square meters. Originally about one zhang (approx. 3.3 meters) thick, the wall is now about one meter thick and roughly three meters high, making it impassable for people. The interior originally housed barracks, which have been destroyed. Currently, there is one late Qing–dynasty building and one flat-roofed house located at the southern end of the fort—these are the only remaining anti-Wokou stone fortifications in the city.