Duogongcheng

Duogongcheng

Duogongcheng is a Chongqing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Duogongcheng is located in Huachao Village, Yuanyang Town, Yubei County, dating back to the Southern Song and Yuan dynasties.

The ruins of Duogongcheng, also known as Cuiyun Fort, are situated atop Cuiyun Mountain in Yuanyang Subdistrict, Yubei District, Chongqing. Shaped like an ellipse, the site covers an area of approximately 10,000 square meters. It was initially built in the sixth year of the Xianchun era (1270) during the Southern Song Dynasty and is now a Chongqing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

In terms of historical research, Duogongcheng is one of the few well-preserved physical examples of the military resistance by Song dynasty soldiers and civilians against the Mongol invasion. It also serves as a valuable case study for researching the history, politics, military affairs, and ancient fortress architecture of the Bayu region.

The terrain of Duogongcheng is higher on the north and south sides, and lower in the middle, with two gates on the east and west. The city wall is about 500 meters long, 3.7 meters thick, and 6 meters high. Parts of the wall have collapsed, and the latter half of the Song Dynasty inscription on the west gate has become blurred.

Originally, there was the Cuiyun Temple within the city, built during the Kaixi era (1205–1207) of the Song Dynasty, which is now the site of Cuiyun Primary School.

Duogongcheng is surrounded by steep cliffs. To the west, it overlooks the Jialing River, and to the south, it connects strategically with Chongqing, making it a key military stronghold.

Duogongcheng was first built in the sixth year of the Xianchun era (1270) of the Song Dynasty by Zhu Sisun, who served as the Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan and the Prefect of Chongqing. It served as a strategic stronghold for Chongqing. In the late Southern Song Dynasty, to resist the Mongol invasion, several fortresses were constructed, including Hechuan Fishing City, Jiangbei Duogongcheng, Luzhou Shenbi Rock, Jintang Yunding Mountain, Cangxi Dayue City, Nanchong Qingju City, and Wanzhou Tiansheng City. Together, they formed an interlinked defensive system to guard the two rivers and repel the Mongol forces.

In the late Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1644), Zhang Xianzhong invaded Sichuan and captured Chongqing. He stationed troops at Duogongcheng. After Ming general Zeng Ying recaptured Chongqing, Liu Wenxiu, a top commander under Zhang Xianzhong, led 30,000 troops and used Duogongcheng as their base to engage in fierce battles against the Ming army along the Jialing River.

In the early years of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1797), local militia used Duogongcheng as a stronghold to resist the White Lotus Sect. Repairs were carried out in the third year of the Xianfeng era (1853) and the 24th year of the Guangxu era (1898).

In 2000, Duogongcheng was designated by the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government as one of the first batch of Chongqing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units.