Yian Fort

Yian Fort

Yian Fort is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Yian Fort is located in Chengnei Village, Huxi She Ethnic Township, 34 kilometers from the county seat. Along with Zhaojia Fort and Xincheng (the former residence of Lan Tingzhen), it is collectively known as the "Three Forts within Five Li of Huxi." It is a nationally rare and exceptionally well-preserved example of a typical Minnan-style residential fortress from the Qing Dynasty. Constructed in the 26th year of the Kangxi reign (1688), it was donated and built by Huang Xingzhen, who had served as the Judicial Commissioner of Guangxi, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Hunan, and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The fortress was established to gather the clan together for collective defense against bandits and has stood for over 300 years. The fort is lock-shaped in layout, with walls built from strip stones. It has a perimeter of 1,200 meters, is 2.2 meters wide, and 6.7 meters high. The rampart walkway is 3.3 meters wide. There are 365 crenels along the walls, symbolizing the 365 days of the year. The outer side of the walls is reinforced with packed earth parapets. Stone steps for accessing the battlements are built every 50 meters along the inner wall, totaling 25 sets across the fortress. At the corners of the walls are watchtowers, each 3 meters deep and wide. The fortress has four gates, each gate opening being 4 meters wide and deep. The east, west, and south gates each have gate towers, while smaller watchtowers are located at the southeast and southwest corners of the fort. The main southern gate is inscribed with the character “诒安” (Yian), the eastern gate with “迎曦” (Yingxi, “Greeting the Dawn”), the western gate with “毓秀” (Yuxiu, “Nurturing Beauty”), and the northern gate with “春庆” (Chunqing, “Spring Celebration”). Between the southern and western gates, there was once a moat 10 meters wide and deep (now obsolete). Houses inside the fort are neatly arranged, with clearly defined lanes and an orderly, unified layout. There are currently 95 residential houses and one ancestral hall each for the main and branch lineages of the Huang family. Additionally, there is a three-story, five-bay residence built with packed earth for the family of Huang Xingzhen, which originally had three floors and five bays but was destroyed by fire, leaving only the walls. The main ancestral hall houses three stone steles, two of which were inscribed by the early Qing calligrapher Zha Sheng. A couplet in the hall reads: “Ten strategies for stabilizing the realm were sincere and commendable; thrice meeting the emperor in a day — such glory!” This highlights Huang Xingzhen’s meritorious contributions in advising on state affairs. Yian Fort is a treasured cultural relic in the Minnan region, designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, and is listed in the *China Travel Attractions Dictionary*.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units