Suocheng

Suocheng

Ancient Fortress. A cultural heritage site under the protection of Raoping County. A key military coastal defense site during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Located 14 kilometers southeast of Huanggang Town, Raoping County (within Suocheng Town), it borders the South China Sea to the east, leans against Dajian Mountain to the north, connects to Huanggang Ancient City to the west, and served as the vanguard of Chaozhou Prefecture. Constructed in the 27th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1394) by Hu Shih, an officer of the rank of Bahu, it is square-shaped with city walls 2.7 zhang high, a perimeter of 643 zhang, and a thickness of 1.6 zhang. The walls were built using granite blocks laid in a dovetail pattern on both the inner and outer faces, with earth filled in between. It had four gates—east, west, south, and north—each topped with a two-story watchtower, and enemy platforms were stationed at the four corners of the walls. The total area of the fortress was about 2,600 urban mu. Inside the city, there were three streets and six alleys arranged in a cross shape at the center, with streets 1.5 zhang wide. The surrounding moat was approximately 2 zhang wide and 696 zhang long. In the 3rd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1664), the fortress was partially demolished, but it was restored in the 7th year and rebuilt in the 8th year. Suocheng was also known as Dacheng Suo, and was staffed with 2 full-chi officers, 3 vice-chi officers, 10 bahu officers, 1 zhengfu officer, and 1,225 flag soldiers, along with 5,457 various types of military equipment. The four city gates still remain, especially the east and west walls, which are particularly intact. It is the best-preserved ancient fortress in the Chaoshan region.

Source: Raoping County People's Government Website