Ancient City Wall of Yu County

Ancient City Wall of Yu County

The Ancient City Wall of Yu County is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancient City Wall of Yu County is located in Hebei Province. Originally built in the second year of the Daye era of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (580 AD), the existing wall was reconstructed in the tenth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1377 AD). It spans seven li and thirteen bu in circumference, stands thirty-five chi high, is forty chi wide at the base and twenty-five chi wide at the top, with crenellations six chi tall. There are three gate towers, four corner towers, and twenty-four watchtowers, each with five rooms across three stories, and over eleven hundred battlements. The east gate is called Anding Gate, with the tower named Jingyang Tower; the south gate is called Jingxian Gate, with the tower named Wanshan Tower; the west gate is called Qingyuan Gate, with the tower named Guangyun Tower. In 2013, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The Ancient City Wall of Yu County was very famous in ancient times. The Wanli Ye Huo Lu records: “The city wall of Yu County is said to have been built by Li Keyong. Regardless of its sturdiness, the sheen of its stones could reflect one’s face—far surpassing the grandeur of Huan Wen’s Tongwan City.” The wall seen today was built during the Ming Dynasty.

As a border area contested by northern ethnic minorities and the site of numerous battles, the city wall underwent repeated destruction and reconstruction over the years. By the Ming Dynasty, in order to defend against regimes of northern ethnic minorities, the county seat of Yu County was heavily renovated in the tenth year of the Hongwu era. The current wall is a remnant from the Ming Dynasty. The Yu County city wall is the only one among China’s surviving ancient city sites that is not built in a square or circular layout, but rather follows the terrain in an irregular form. Moreover, unlike traditional ancient cities that typically feature four or nine gates, this wall deliberately lacks a northern gate. This rare design was intended to buy more time for defense against invasions from the north, making it unique among ancient cities in other regions. It is the most completely preserved and uniquely structured ancient city in western Beijing.

In May 2013, the Ancient City Wall of Yu County was listed as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units