Sandu Ancient Fortress

Sandu Ancient Fortress

Sandu Ancient Fortress is a cultural tourism attraction.

Xiangyu Sandu Ancient Fortress was the former residence of Sun Juxiang, Sun Kexiang, and Sun Dingxiang, a generation of renowned statesmen and military strategists during the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing era. It is located 55 kilometers southeast of Qinshui County. Sun Juxiang once served as an imperial censor in Nanjing, vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, vice minister of the Ministry of Works, vice minister of the Ministry of War, vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and grand coordinator and minister of the Ministry of Revenue, earning him the title of "the most upright official under heaven." He authored 36 volumes of *Imperial Memorials from the Retained Tribunal of the Ming Dynasty*, 20 volumes of *The Collected Evidence of the Pen*, and several volumes of *Manuscripts from the Hall of Grace Received*, among others. His second younger brother, Sun Kexiang, once served as the governor of seven provinces and as the head of the Censorate; his third younger brother, Sun Dingxiang, held positions including head of the Censorate, associate grand master, chief of the four ministries, governor of Guangxi, and commander-in-chief of military affairs. In the third year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, the Sun family began constructing the honeycomb-style fortress. The ancient city stretches 280 meters from east to west and 100–150 meters from north to south, with a total perimeter of about 760 meters. The walls are 4 meters wide, and the southern wall reaches a maximum height of 25 meters from the bottom of the troop hiding caves, though it typically stands at 4–5 meters. The total area of the ancient fortress is 32,500 square meters. Currently, well-preserved structures include the southern gate, eastern gate, sections of the southern and northern walls, and defensive fortress buildings, with parts of the arched wall foundation of the western gate also remaining. It is hailed as "the foremost village fortress in northern China." Major structures within the city include the Sandu Government Office, ten major residences, and various male-family compounds, all oriented to face south and laid out in an "odd on the east, even on the west" arrangement. These architectural complexes integrate wood carving, stone carving, and brick carving, representing a rare and remarkable ensemble of ancient architecture from the Ming Dynasty.

According to expert assessments, this ancient fortress remains remarkably intact, with architectural planning and artistic style surpassing even those of the Imperial City (Huangcheng) Residence Complex.