Ancient Cliff Fort Sites of Weiyuan Dome

Ancient Cliff Fort Sites of Weiyuan Dome

The Ancient Cliff Fort Sites of Weiyuan Dome are designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

In the central-southern part of the Sichuan Basin, at the junction of Weiyuan, Rongxian, Renshou, Zizhong and Jianyang, lies a dome-shaped landform covering approximately 900 square kilometers — the Rongwei Dome. A geographical expert once described this terrain as “a masterpiece of nature: abrupt flat-topped hills with sheer cliffs on the edges, flat and fertile summits towering 300 to 500 meters above the valleys, seemingly forged by heaven and earth; structural sinkholes that are wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, dropping thousands of feet, like scars from meteorite impacts.” This kind of landform is quite rare in Neijiang, which features low rolling hills in inland areas. The dome mountain range is rich in mineral resources, especially iron, which has brought it fame across Bashu (ancient Sichuan region), earning it the ancient title "Iron Mountain."

Abundant mineral resources, a strategically perilous location, and well-connected transportation have naturally made this area a battleground. As such, throughout various dynasties, from government officials to common folk, all sought refuge here to escape the turmoil of war, taking advantage of its steep and unassailable terrain. Since the Tang Dynasty, numerous forts of varying sizes were built along the mountains to ensure safety. This left behind a wealth of historical and cultural traces on the dome, including various cliff carvings, statues, cave temples and other relics dating back to the Tang Dynasty, making it a focus of the city’s third national cultural relics survey.

After nearly half a year of on-site investigation, cultural relics survey teams found nearly 90 well-preserved fortresses across the over 900-square-kilometer dome mountain range. Based on construction time, they date from the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. Categorized by purpose and structure, there are two main types: the first includes ancient mountain forts represented by Laojun Mountain, Gaoding Fort, Xiangjia Fort and Leijia Fort. These forts were mostly built atop dome peaks over 100–200 meters high, carved into the mountainside, and are massive in scale with strong defensibility. They feature comprehensive functions, such as farmland, granaries, pools, temples and training grounds. Not only could they be used for defense, but also for military drills, functioning as veritable military castles. The smaller ones can house hundreds, while the larger ones could accommodate over 100,000 people for long-term residence.

Ancient Laojun Mountain Fort

Within Weiyuan, there are two peaks known as Laojun Mountain: Big Laojun Mountain and Small Laojun Mountain, both exceeding 820 meters in elevation, and are the two most famous peaks of the Rongwei Dome, with Big Laojun Mountain being the more renowned.

Big Laojun Mountain is located in Group 6, Longwangba Village, Zhenxi Town, Weiyuan County. In ancient times, it was also called Rongde Mountain. Legend has it that during the Western Zhou Dynasty, Rong Gong assisted King Wu in unifying the realm. Due to his great virtues, he remained in Zhou and was granted the territory of Rongwei as his fief, hence the name “Rongde Mountain.” In the first year of the Wude era (618) of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Rongzhou was established, named after Rongde Mountain. The Southern Song work “Yu Di Ji Sheng” recorded: “Rongde Mountain soars into the sky and can be seen from Zizhou, Changzhou and Fushun. Standing over 500 zhang amid valleys, it hosts the Xiyi Temple and Laojun Shrine, with cliff stelae erected by the Tang-era Prefect Xue Gaoqiu halfway up the mountain.”

Historical records indicate that the famed Taoist scholar of the Five Dynasties, known as “Master Xiyi,” Chen Tuan, once practiced asceticism here. The Qing Dynasty's “Weiyuan County Annals” from the Qianlong reign states: “Big Laojun Mountain, located forty li west of the county, rises majestically with near-vertical cliffs, towering 500-plus zhang into the clouds. It hosts the Laojun Shrine and fourteen rock-carved Daoist practice terraces. There is also a pool where ancient lotus flowers bloomed. In the first year of the Song Dynasty’s Xinglong era, it is said Master Chen Xiyi resided here, hence it was also called Xiyi Mountain.” The striking shape of Big Laojun Mountain resembles an alchemy stove, also known as “Laojun’s Alchemy Furnace,” and is one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Weiyuan.

On the cliffs of Big Laojun Mountain, there are four alcoves of Tang and Song dynasty cliff sculptures; among them, the combined Buddhist-Taoist reliefs are relatively rare in the whole province. Nearby, there are three stone inscriptions reading “Yanxia” (Mist and Rosy Clouds), “Yunti” (Cloud Ladder), and “Dan Yan” (Cinnabar Cliff), highlighting the deep roots of Taoist culture in the region. During the Tang and Song periods, Weiyuan was under the jurisdiction of Rongzhou, and later elevated to Shaofu Prefecture in the sixth year of Shao Ding (1233) during the Southern Song. In the first year of Duanping (1234), when the Yuan army invaded Sichuan, the area suffered heavy military disruption. To this day, the cliff face of Big Laojun Mountain still bears the stone inscription “Shaoxi Panfu Cao Gong Laojun Mountain Preservation Record,” which details this history, though unfortunately erosion has severely damaged the text.

Xiangjia Fort, Gaoding Fort, and Fenghuang Fort

Gaoding Fort, Xiangjia Fort, and Fenghuang Fort are the three most famous forts within the Weiyuan Dome, connected end-to-end, covering an area of roughly 30–50 square kilometers, situated atop the dome at elevations of over 680 meters. Among them, Gaoding Fort has the earliest history, traceable back to the Tang Dynasty, supported by cliff caves and steles from the Tang-Song period and renovation inscriptions from the Xianfeng era of the Qing. In terms of scale and integrity, Xiangjia Fort stands out, extending across 15 square kilometers.

Compared to other ancient forts, these three sites are massive and fully functional. They include fortress gates, walls, training grounds, inner baileys, temples, execution grounds, residential areas, water sources, farmland, stages and trading areas. A complete set of management systems was established, covering siting, construction, personnel selection, defense, enemy tactics, food supply, repair, governance and penalties. Historical records suggest that during upheavals such as Zhang Xianzhong’s campaign in Sichuan, the Li Yonghe–Lan Dachun rebellions and the Red Lantern Sect uprisings, these forts sheltered over 100,000 villagers.

Another category of forts, different from traditional “ancient forts,” are more akin to ancient human “cave dwellings” — though constructed artificially. Instead of using natural caves, residents of the Weiyuan Dome carved large spaces into the mountainside using the special topography to store grain and hide from troops. Stone staircases were built up the mountains, with fortress gates constructed at perilous points for defense. Due to the challenging construction, these forts are usually small, with larger ones holding several hundred people and smaller ones just dozens. Interestingly, the “Longyou Grottoes” located in the Longyou Mountains of Zhejiang share similar architectural forms and functions. Though known as “grottoes,” their practical use is much like “mountain forts,” differing only in design — thus calling them “forts” or “grotto-type forts” is entirely reasonable.

Among the Weiyuan Dome ancient forts, the most representative of such “grotto-type forts” are Hetao Fort, Zhaiziyan Fort, and Yanchangyan Fort.

Hetao Fort

Hetao Fort is located atop Hetaotou Peak in Qing’an Village, Group 9, Qingwei Town, Weiyuan County, at an elevation of about 800 meters. The name comes from the mountain’s gentle downward slope resembling a plowshare (hetao), with the ancient fort situated on its peak.

According to “The Cultural Annals of Weiyuan County”: “The ancient site Hetao Fort is located 2 kilometers west of Qing’an Village, Qingwei Township, Zhenxi District, on a 20-meter-high mid-mountain cliff. The gate is rectangular, 1.8 meters tall, 0.8 meters wide and 0.3 meters thick. The wall is 12 meters long, built with strip stones. The main fort is preserved intact, though the top wall has been removed. Facing south, the main fort is 16 meters wide and 4 meters deep, standing 5 meters tall, with a 10-meter-long corridor 0.8 meters wide and 2 meters high. Outside the fort is a pool; atop the summit are two artillery platforms. Its plowshare-like shape gives the fort its name.”

Hetao Fort sits in a precipitous location surrounded by cliffs. The entrance is narrow, making it easy to defend. The main part of the fort is carved inward into the cliffside, featuring five stone chambers (entrance hall, living room and three bedrooms), a stone cellar and an outdoor pool. On the summit is another rectangular pool tilted north-high and south-low, formed by quarrying and water storage — one of the fort’s relic features. Over twenty types of engravings remain on the upper parts of the three pool walls, including patterns such as tasseled ribbons, ruyi symbols, gourds, weapons like sabers, spears, clubs, arrows, as well as human figures wearing official attire, religious stupas, Taiji and Bagua symbols, and images of deer, sheep, birds, crabs, artistic stacked fish, vases and flowers, plus the inscription “Peace Under Heaven.”

Zhaiziyan Fort

Zhaiziyan Fort is located in Group 13, Yonghe Village, Zhenxi Town, Weiyuan County. According to inscriptions inside, it was built in the 5th year of the Jiaqing era (1800) of the Qing Dynasty and originally called “Yuyan Cave,” constructed by the Liu family to avoid warfare.

The fort consists of a front platform and the main structure. The main part is built 10 meters into the mountainside, resembling a natural cave from the outside, though it was manually excavated or adapted from a cave. It has three levels: the lowest for daily life (grinding room, living quarters, animal pens, ~200 m²); the second smallest, featuring a gate and corridor, which can be sealed off; and the third, a defensive and living space (manually excavated, ~800 m²), divided into main hall, corridor, living area and storeroom. Each space connects via stone gates (now damaged), with built-in firing and lookout holes. Facilities include altars, Buddha niches, kitchen stoves, water tanks, and granaries. Wooden lofts on the second and third floors enhance space utility.

In terms of scale, structure and internal zoning, Zhaiziyan Fort is a prime example of a grotto-type fort.

Additionally, within the 900-square-kilometer Rongwei Dome range, the rugged landscape and rich ecology remain largely unspoiled due to remote access. Though scattered forts have been introduced over two feature articles, they offer but a glimpse — deeper cultural meanings and unique sights await further exploration.

Protection boundary: 5 meters beyond the base of the fort site.

Construction control zone: 70 meters beyond the protection boundary.

(Author Xu Chao is a distinguished historian and first appointed researcher of Weiyuan County annals)

Further reading:

·The Eighth Batch of Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units