Ancient Yandao City

Ancient Yandao City

Ancient Yandao City is a cultural tourism attraction.

Ancient Yandao City — Located in Datianba at the northern end of Chegang Mountain (also known as Changyan Mountain) south of the county. “Mountain cliffs serve as walls, and the dam forms the city,” covering an area of over 20,000 acres. After the Qin conquered Chu (222 BC), the clan of the Chu King of Yan was relocated here, and the Qin general Shu Sili was enfeoffed as Lord Yan to govern the clan of the Yan King. In the early Han Dynasty (206 BC), Yandao County was established, governing the Xingjing River and Chegang River (Bingling River) basins, extending north to the Qingyi River and south to the watershed of Daxiangling. (In 593 AD, the upper reaches of the Chegang River at Liwan were divided, and the Hongya Town taken from Danling was merged to establish Hongya County. In 605 AD, Yandao County was reinstated in Shiyang (Duoying). In 620 AD, the Xingjing River basin was carved out to establish Xingjing County. In 1729, Yandao County was renamed Ya'an County.)

The clan of the Chu King of Yan brought advanced metallurgical techniques from the Chu region. The entire Yandao County became one large smelting center, where sky-high mining carts traversed clouds and mines sprawled across the mountains. Copper smelting, lead smelting, and silver extraction became the main industries of the county. Deng Tong, Mao Cangwen (Mao Baiwan), Huaguniang, Xiang Chunshan, Wu Chunfang, and He Xi once became prominent figures on this land and were celebrated for generations. After the relocation of Yandao County to the banks of the Qingyi River, the upper reaches of the Chegang River area belonged to Hongya, and locals thus began referring to the region as Chégang County, which in turn became an alias for Hongya County.

This area is rich in mineral resources, dense with bamboo forests, and boasts crystal-clear streams and spectacular waterfalls. There are also remains of ancient city walls, including Banbian Street, Yin-Yang Pool (also called Mihun Pond), Sanpiaoshui (the site where Deng Tong cast coins), Wudao Gully, Daosuo Rock, Shuanglong Waterfall, Lingpai Mountain, Baichang Gully, Qianpeng Rock, Longhu Pond, Hengmugan, Wangxiangtai, Yaozhan, Heiqiang Rock, and Chegang Cave. Locals refer to the area as “Yincheng” (meaning “Hidden City” or “Shadow City”), and many strange tales are associated with entering this place.