Gouwangzhai

Gouwangzhai

Located 20 kilometers south of Hongya County and bordering Jiajiang County, atop Mount Bamian at an altitude of 1,463 meters stands a little-known ancient stone fortress. The fortress is built around the peak of the mountain, stretching 0.5 kilometers from east to west and 0.8 kilometers from north to south. Currently, the eastern gate and 88 meters of the city wall remain. The walls are all about 3.5 meters high, reaching up to 4 meters at their highest point. There are no inscriptions left in the fortress, and it is not recorded in the Hongya County Annals of the Ming or Qing dynasties, so it is unknown when it was built or for what purpose.

Not far from the stone fortress, on the mountainside of Bamian Mountain, lies the site of “Gouwangzhai,” a natural stone corridor. Overhanging rocks extend about 4.5 meters, sheltering a valley that is about 5–15 meters high and approximately 7.8 meters deep, forming a natural rock cave. The site is backed by cliffs and faces a steep ravine, making for a strategic and perilous location. It extends about 2,000 meters in total, with 94 cliff carvings spread across an 800-meter section. There are 16 inscribed texts in the caves, the earliest dating back to the third year of the Jianyan era (1129) and the Jiari period (1237–1240) of the Southern Song Dynasty. These inscriptions also record the names of military leaders and the years they were made. The Hongya County Annals of the Qing Dynasty state: “The Jiari era was five reigns after Jianyan,” and “from this we know that after the Southern Crossing, the county was often in unrest, and Gouwang must have been a prominent local family, who gathered militia to hold the high ground and resist bandits.” This shows that during the Southern Song Dynasty, the locals gathered at Gouwangzhai twice—once during the Jianyan era to resist the Jin army, and again during the Jiari era to resist the Mongol army.

During the more than 100 years of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Liao, Jin, and Mongol armies repeatedly invaded, capturing cities and territory, shocking the entire nation. At the time, the emperor fled, powerful enemies invaded, and both officials and civilians were in panic. Thus, the people of Hongya gathered at Gouwangzhai to resist the Jin army.

In the later period of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Mongols established the Mongol Empire (1206) and from then on continually sent troops to invade the Southern Song. By the second year of the Duanping era under Emperor Lizong (1235), the Mongol Empire launched a major invasion of the Southern Song, pushing deep into Shu (Sichuan). In the third year of the Jiari era (1239), they attacked Chongqing, shaking the entire region of Shu. Once again, the people of Hongya gathered at Gouwangzhai to resist the Mongol army. In the second year of the Chunyou era (1242), the Mongol army captured Suining, Luzhou, and other places in Shu, and in this time of crisis, Emperor Lizong appointed Yu Jie as Vice Minister of War and Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan. In the third year of the Chunyou era, Yu Jie arrived in Chongqing and led the resistance against the Mongols in Sichuan. According to the 2003 Issue 2 of Sichuan Cultural Relics titled "The Chunyou-Era Fortress Site: A Southern Song Anti-Yuan Defense Structure," after arriving in Chongqing, Yu Jie adopted the suggestions of local gentry such as the Ran Jin brothers, adopting the strategic principle of “defending key points rather than lines, and linking points to form a defensive line.” He mobilized the populace to build fortresses against the mountains as strongholds. Along the peaks of the Yangtze River, Jialing River, Qu River, Fu River, Tuo River, and Min River, over twenty mountain fortresses were either reinforced or newly built. Using the mountain fortress strategy, they resisted the Mongol cavalry. Among the well-known ones are Fishing City in Hechuan and Lingyun Mountain Fortress in Leshan. The stone fortress on Mount Bamian by the Qingyi River was undoubtedly built around this time following Yu Jie’s strategic deployment to resist the Mongol army.

The Sichuan Cultural Relics and Archaeology Decade (1979–1989) records: “According to preliminary investigations, there are more than 50 Southern Song mountain fortresses in Sichuan.” “These fortresses are located in strategically important and often treacherous locations, mostly along transportation routes. They are solidly built and generally well-preserved. These fortresses reflect important historical facts of the Song-Mongol wars during the last decades of the Southern Song Dynasty. There are also many new innovations in their construction, such as the building of arched gates.” The stone fortress on Mount Bamian indeed features arched gates, all constructed with 40×40 flagstones laid in a precise pattern, making them very sturdy and well-preserved to this day. The area is covered with dense forests and boasts a beautiful natural ecological environment. The cliff carvings at Gouwangzhai have been designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit. The Bamian Mountain fortress and Gouwangzhai hold significant value for studying local ancient history and culture, understanding the region’s background, and developing eco-tourism.