Imperial City Ruins

Imperial City Ruins

The Imperial City Ruins are located deep within the dense forests on the western side of Lianqing Mountain, serving as a scenic highlight within Lianqing Mountain itself. Covering an area of 330,000 square meters, the site is surrounded by towering peaks on all sides, with steep and rugged mountain terrain forming a natural

barrier. Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Princess Wenjing, the daughter of King Jing of Zhou, fell in love with General Yelü Yuanda and pledged their lives to each other in secret. However, King Jing of Zhou and the general had a falling out, so he did not grant permission for their marriage. For the sake of their pure love, Princess Wenjing, uninterested in wealth and power and undaunted by her father’s authority, eloped with the general and his troops to Lianqing Mountain. They chose a location with perilous terrain—easy to defend and difficult to attack—where a single soldier could hold the pass against ten thousand, creating a naturally impregnable stronghold. There, they built structures laid out in the style of an imperial palace, including outer and inner city walls, three palace gates, an imperial bridge, a front hall, a main hall, a rear hall, and a military drilling platform. Additionally, five camps and four sentry posts were established around Lianqing Mountain, forming a unique scenic area of the ancient city.