Lai'an Fort

Lai'an Fort

Lai'an Fort is a cultural heritage protection unit of Henan Province.

Lai'an Fort is located in Guogou Village, Jiliao Town, Ruzhou City. It dates back to the Qing Dynasty. On January 22, 2016, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of cultural heritage protection units by the People's Government of Henan Province.

Lai'an Fort is situated on the mountaintop southwest of Guogou Village, Jiliao Town, Ruzhou City, Henan Province, covering an area of 40,860 square meters. The foundation of the fort was initially built in the late Ming Dynasty. Later, due to increasing banditry, local wealthy families constructed the current structure in the first year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1862 AD) on the original foundation to escape warfare.

The layout of Lai'an Fort is oval-shaped, built along the mountain terrain. The eastern and southern sides face cliffs, where the walls are less than 2 meters high. The western and northern sides are gentle slopes with walls ranging from 6 to 7.1 meters in height. The entire structure was built using locally sourced stones, laid flat and stacked. The base of the wall is 3.5 meters wide at the bottom and 2.1 meters wide at the top, with crenellations built on the upper outer section. Inside the perimeter wall, there is a approximately 3-meter-wide military passage used for troop movement. Lai'an Fort has two gates: the North Gate (Gongji Gate) and the South Gate (Yicui Gate). A 3-meter-wide path connects the two gates. Each gate is topped with a gatehouse, and watchtowers are built along the walls on both sides—specifically designed for observing and shooting at enemies attempting to attack the fort.

The architecture of Lai'an Fort is a typical representation of Central Plains building style. It is an extremely rare and large-scale stone construction complex in Ruzhou and even the broader Central Plains region, fully demonstrating the remarkable wisdom of the local people in overcoming challenges, meticulous design, and fine craftsmanship during that era. It serves as a microcosm of the continuation of ancient Chinese fortress architecture and stands as a masterpiece integrating defense, habitation, and military functions in the Central Plains. This makes it highly valuable for the study of ancient Chinese architectural history, mountainous military defense, and architectural structural science.

Guogou Village: Guogou Village...... Detailed information on Guogou Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Henan Province