Duzhuang Ancient Fortress

Duzhuang Ancient Fortress

Duzhuang Ancient Fortress, located in Duzhuang Village, Shuangquan Township, was a military defense structure built by the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, serving as a fortress along the Qi Great Wall. The fortress covers a total area of 15,000 square meters, making it the only remaining well-preserved fortress with the most stringent defensive system along the thousand-li Qi Great Wall. In 2002, it was listed as part of the fifth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. The terrain of the fortress is strategically rugged, with steep walls and orderly battlements. The mountain top runs from east to west, and both sides of the ridge are sheer cliffs. The eastern slope of the mountain gently descends; to prevent enemies from breaking through via the eastern slope, the fortress features three layers of defensive walls here. Both the northern and southern ends are bounded by steep cliffs and deep valleys. A third wall was constructed along the central ridge, with an entrance on the southern end leading to four large stone rooms. The stone platform also has holes where flagpoles were once placed. The fourth and fifth walls on the western side of the fortress were also built amid steep cliffs and precipices to guard against surprise attacks from the west, with battle platforms and connected stone barracks situated on the eastern side of the walls. The entire fortress is ingeniously designed, with a meticulous and rigorous structure that is easy to defend but hard to attack.