Dongsheng Wai

Dongsheng Wai

Dongsheng Wai is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

Dongsheng Wai – The largest Hakka square fortress in southern Jiangxi and a key cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province, located in Laowei Village, Zhengang Township, Anyuan County, Jiangxi Province. This fortress was built in the 22nd year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1842) by Chen Langting, a local “Second-Rank Martial General,” and has a history of 158 years. The fortress faces east and west, measures 94 meters in length and 93 meters in width, covering an area of 10,391 square meters. It consists of 229 rooms in total, with nine courtyards and eighteen halls, making it the largest Hakka square fortress in the southern Jiangxi region.

This fortress was built in the 22nd year of the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang reign, taking eight years to complete under the commission of a wealthy Chen family member at the time. The fortress contains 199 rooms and could accommodate nearly a thousand residents at its peak. Dongsheng Wai is not only massive in scale but also unique in Hakka architectural artistry. For instance, the gate tower features a storybook-style structure between its four pillars, inscribed with the phrase “Everlasting Splendor,” which conveys both grandeur and the Hakka people’s aspirations. In the main hall of the fortress, there is also an imperial plaque inscribed with the words “Golden Mother Eternal Life,” bestowed by the emperor upon a woman within Dongsheng Wai whose four sons all served in the imperial court.