Nanan Ancient City Wall

Nanan Ancient City Wall

The Nanan Ancient City Wall is a cultural tourism attraction.

As early as the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Dayu had a city known as General Yu’s Fortress, which served as a military camp where General Yu Sheng stationed troops to guard the Yuling Pass. It had earthen walls, and its site was located southwest of the present county town but has since been abandoned. In the second year of the Chunhua era (991 AD) during the Northern Song Dynasty, after the Nanan Military Prefecture was established by dividing Qianzhou, construction of Nanan City began. Initially “humble and flimsy in structure,” it underwent multiple expansions before taking shape, featuring four gates—east, south, west, and north—with the Zhang River flowing around the city. In the third year of the Yuan Dynasty's Yanyou era (1316 AD), a sudden flood from upstream burst through the western gate and exited via the eastern gate, splitting the city in two. During the Zhi Zheng period of the Yuan Dynasty, Xue Li, the Tongzhi (deputy administrator) of Nanan Lu, restored the damaged city walls. The project took three years to complete. The restored city faced the Zhang River to the south, had slightly higher terrain in the west, and featured an elongated, slightly pointed shape resembling a fish, hence earning the nickname “Fish City” (now the old city area). It measured approximately 1,000 meters from east to west and 800 meters from north to south, covering an area of 800,000 square meters, with city walls stretching 3,500 meters in circumference. It had four gates—east, south, west, and north—the walls stood one zhang and three chi (approximately 4.3 meters) high and one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) wide, along with parapets five chi (approximately 1.7 meters) tall, with the highest points reaching up to two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

The Shuicheng (Water City) derived its name from its location along the northern riverbank. It was constructed in the fortieth year of the Jiajing era (1561 AD) during the Ming Dynasty by Prefect Wu Bingshu and County Magistrate Wen Tiyi. It spanned about 4,000 meters from east to west and 1,100 meters from north to south, covering an area of 950,000 square meters. The walls were one zhang and five chi (approximately 5 meters) high and seven chi (approximately 2.3 meters) wide, with a perimeter of over 4,020 meters. It had four main gates: Dongshan Gate, Taishan Gate, Meishan Gate, and Jin’ao Gate, along with seven additional gates near the river, including Wenchang Gate and Wendu Gate, all equipped with stairway docks. Over the decades, the Nanan Ancient City Walls have collapsed and been repaired or reinforced numerous times, enduring both the force of rapid currents and the impact of artillery fire. The currently preserved sections of the wall were reinforced in the 1930s using bricks salvaged from the demolition of the Xiaoxi and Ertang ancient cities under orders of Yu Hanmou of the Guangdong Army. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the city walls and gates were gradually dismantled due to urban development. Only a section of the Shuicheng remains—from Liberation Bridge to the northwest corner of Dayu Middle School, approximately 600 meters long, with about 300 meters in relatively good condition. The surviving walls stand 4.5 meters high, with parapets at 1.6 meters. The core of the walls consists of rammed earth, faced on both sides with blue bricks and lime mortar. Existing sections of the walls bear inscribed bricks marked with renovation dates from the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi, Tongzhi, Xianfeng, and Guangxu eras, as well as bricks recovered during demolitions bearing inscriptions such as “Made by the Nananlu Governor’s Office,” “Supplied by Nankang County of Nananjun,” and “Constructed in the 13th Year of the Yuan Dynasty’s Zhi Zheng Era.”

Nanan Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Dayu County and the county seat. It is the renowned birthplace of Nanan-style cured duck. Established in the Sui Dynasty, the area connects to Lingnan and flourished in peace and prosperity, hence the name Nanan. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, it served as the seat of Nanan Military Prefecture and Circuit. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was the seat of Nanan Prefecture. In 1953, Nanan Town was officially established. Located in the central part of the county, it covers an area of 9.8 square kilometers with a population of 46,000. National Highway 323 passes through the town, and the Chongyu Highway starts here. The town administers six neighborhood committees—Yuxi, Yudong, Jiangui, Dongshan, Shiqiaoxia, and Beimenhe—as well as the Xinmin Village Committee. Local enterprises are engaged in commerce, transportation, construction, garment manufacturing, bamboo and wood processing, and food services. The main agricultural product is vegetables. The area features... More information about Nanan Town++