Wanquan Right Guard City

Wanquan Right Guard City

Wanquan Right Guard City is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Wanquan Right Guard City is located in Wantian Town, about 15 kilometers north of Wanquan County in Hebei Province.

In the 26th year of the Hongwu reign (1393), an earthen city was built, and in the first year of the Yongle reign (1403), construction of the Right Guard City began at Deshengkou, which was then named Deshengkou Fort. In the second year of the Yongle reign (1404), the Wanquan Right Guard was stationed here. In the fifth year of the Xuande reign (1430), the Ming Dynasty established its highest regional military command — the “Wanquan All-Guard Command” — in present-day Xuanhua to oversee all guards and garrisons to the west and north of the capital. The Right Guard was then renamed “Wanquan Right Guard.” In the third year of the Zhengtong reign (1438), the city walls were clad in bricks, and in the 37th year of the Wanli reign (1609), the city was renovated and the southern gate area was expanded. Up until the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Wanquan Left and Right Guards remained strategic strongholds along the western route of the Xuanfu Garrison. The city underwent two major restorations in 1983 and 1990.

As the site of the Western Route Command of the Xuanfu Garrison, Wanquan Right Guard City served as the headquarters for the regional military commander. It is situated at the foot of the Great Wall in Cuiping Mountain, northwest of Zhangjiakou, bordered by Yehuling Mountain to the north and the Yang River to the south, controlling the strategic passage between the highland and lowland regions, making it a longstanding military stronghold. The territory of Wanquan Right Guard was bounded by the Ming Great Wall to the west and north, the Yang River to the south, and extended eastward to mountainous areas more than ten li east of present-day Zhangjiakou. It administered Zhangjiakou Fort, Shanfang Fort, Xinkou Fort, Xinhekou Fort, and Ximalin Fort. In the 32nd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1693), the Xuanfu Garrison and its subordinate districts and guards were abolished and replaced with Xuanhua Prefecture. Wanquan Right Guard and its five affiliated forts were reorganized into Wanquan County, with the Right Guard City becoming the county seat and officially named Wanquan City.

The fortress is diamond-shaped, covering an area of 0.78 square kilometers, with a length of 880.72 meters from east to west and 880.4 meters from north to south. It has two gates — the southern gate, called Ying’en Gate, and the northern gate, called Desheng Gate. Today, the city gates and most of the city walls are well preserved. The walls, originally rammed earth and later clad in bricks, have a stone foundation, standing 8–10 meters high, with a base width of 3–4 meters and a top width of 1–1.5 meters. The city once housed structures such as the Jade Emperor Pavilion, the City God Temple, the Guan Yu Temple, and the West Grand Temple, all laid out in an orderly fashion.

In 2006, Wanquan Right Guard City was listed in the sixth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council as a Ming Dynasty ancient architectural site.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units