Qishan Suo

Qishan Suo

Qishan Suo is a Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit.

Qishan Suo is located in Zhifu District, Yantai City, Shandong Province, and is one of the cultural heritage conservation units of Shandong Province, People's Republic of China. On December 7, 2006, it was designated as a Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit. It is an ancient architectural structure dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The Qishan Suo walled city covers an area of 98,600 square meters, with an inner area of 79,600 square meters. The city has a west gate, while the east, west, south, and north gates are respectively called Baode Gate, Xuanhua Gate, Fulu Gate, and Chaochong Gate. Watchtowers are built atop the gates, serving the purposes of lookout and command. The bases of the gates and walls are constructed from bluestone, while the upper parts are built with large blue bricks. The city wall stands 7.33 meters high and is 6.67 meters thick. Between the gates, “pù” (watch platforms) are evenly distributed in an arc shape that extends beyond the wall, enabling defense on three sides and forming a defensive layout of four towers and sixteen pù.

A circular horse path is built along the inner side of the wall, allowing direct access to the top for combat. Inside the city, a cross-shaped main street leads directly to the four gates, serving as a dedicated military road. This is the earliest street within the old Yantai area and has since evolved into what is now Suzheng Street in Zhifu District. The northwest part of the suǒ city (now Shiyan Street) housed the Qianhu Office and residences for officials and their families; the northeast part (formerly Gaojia Hutong and Fujia Hutong) was used as a military training ground; the southwest part (now Cangyu Street) accommodated the barracks kitchen and grain storage facilities. Around the same time as the establishment of the guard post, a smoke signal tower was built at the north gate (now Yantai Mountain), leading to the local name "Yantai" among the people. In 1673 (the 12th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty), Luo Bo compiled the "Fushan County Annals," in which the first volume’s “Geographical Map” marked a total of 15 coastal signal towers and platforms. From west to east, 14 were labeled as “towers,” while the easternmost one was labeled as “Yantai” (i.e., present-day Yantai Mountain)—this being the earliest historical map textual record of Yantai. In 1762 (the 27th year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty), He Leshan edited the "Fushan County Annals," which stated: “There is a huge stone resembling the shape of a boat (referring to the 'Nature's Marvel' inscribed stone) on Yantai,” marking another appearance of the name Yantai. After the establishment of Qishan Suo City, there were no major incidents of pirate invasions, and the area remained mostly peaceful. In 1664 (the 3rd year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty), the Qing court ordered the abolishment of the Qishan Garrison Qianhu Office, converting the military zone into civilian land and renaming it Qishan She. Administratively, it came under the jurisdiction of Fushan County. Following the dissolution of the guard system, former Qianhu officers, vice Qianhu officers, and soldiers were demoted to commoner status. Most disbanded troops took up farming, business, or artisanal trades. Descendants of the two major surnames—Zhang and Liu—who were formerly Qianhu officers in the suǒ city undertook large-scale construction, building residential houses and gradually transforming the military structures into civilian dwellings. As a result, the place also came to be known as Qishan Suo, Suocheng Li, or simply Suocheng. With the surge in civilian housing and population, the Zhang and Liu families quickly grew to over 2,000 households, constructing many homes which they rented out, leading locals to refer to them as “Suocheng Zhang Family” and “Suocheng Liu Family.” The transition from military to civilian use marked a major historical shift for Qishan Suo City. The influx of new surnames from other regions led to rapid population growth, and the population of Qishan Suo gradually expanded outward, bringing economic prosperity. During this period, Qishan Suo and its surrounding areas formed 13 settled villages, then known as the Thirteen Villages of Qishan She. These included four villages at the east, west, south, and north gates of the suǒ city, mostly inhabited by the Zhang and She surnames; Shangkuang Village directly south of Qishan Suo, mainly home to the Chi, Li, Jing, and Kong surnames; Shihé Village to the west of Qishan Suo, predominantly Zhang; Nanguan Village (formerly known as Southwest Pass or Suonan Pass) to the southwest of Qishan Suo, mainly inhabited by the Zhang and Liu surnames; Suodongzhuang Village to the southeast of Qishan Suo, with residents from the Qu, Zhang, and Fu surnames; and the large, medium, and small Haiyang Villages to the northwest of Qishan Suo, mainly the Zhang, Liu, Yuan, and Wang surnames. Roads connected all these villages. The population of the Thirteen Villages of Qishan She came from various regions—nearby areas such as Dazou Village on Zhifu Island, Fushan County, Muping County, Haiyang County, and Wendeng County; and farther places like Qihe County, Cao County, Liaocheng, Gaotang, as well as Hebei, Henan, Hubei, and Liaoning. Due to the diverse origins of the villagers, customs related to birth, marriage, funerals, festivals, attire, and dialects varied from one village to another.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Units