Ruins of Dingbian City

Ruins of Dingbian City

The ruins of Dingbian City are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Guizhou Province.

The ruins of Dingbian City are located on a plateau behind Datang Village, Longchang Town, west of Zhenfeng County, covering an area of 0.19 square kilometers. According to the "Xingyi Prefecture Records": "In the sixth year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1626), Zhu Jiamin, the deputy military supervisor of Pu'an, built a city at Dingtou and stationed troops to protect the people." Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian, bestowed upon it the name Dingbian City, but local residents commonly call it "Dingtou City."

On the first day of the second lunar month in the second year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1797), the rebels of the Nalan Uprising breached the city. The Dingbian City site is trapezoidal in shape, with the southwest wall measuring approximately 650 meters in length, the south wall about 350 meters, and the east and north walls each around 550 meters. The total perimeter of the city walls is about 2,100 meters, with a thickness of 1.5 meters. The walls were constructed entirely from hewn bluestone (limestone). The remaining sections of the walls reach a maximum height of 4 meters and a minimum of over 1 meter. Originally, the city had four gates—east, south, west, and north—but only the western gate arch remains today, standing 3.9 meters high, 3.28 meters wide, and 2.41 meters thick. Outside each gate, there were post roads connecting to other areas. Inside the city, remnants of stone-paved streets and some house foundations from the Ming Dynasty can still be found. In the 25th year of the Guangxu era (1899), the Guanyin Temple and the Guan Yu Temple were built, along with residential houses that were gradually added later. Today, over 70 farming households still reside within the city.

On July 23, 1980, the county government designated this site as a cultural heritage protection unit; in July 2006, the provincial government listed it as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection site.

Zhenfeng County — Ruins of Dingbian City. Accessible via Provincial Highway 309, approximately a 30-minute drive. Admission is free.

Longchang Town: Located in the western part of Zhenfeng County, it covers an area of 115 square kilometers with a population of 30,000, among which ethnic groups such as Buyi, Miao, and Hui make up 28.7%. It administers 1 neighborhood committee and 22 village committees. In 1949, it was known as Longchang Township. In 1953, it was divided to establish Longchang, Poliu, Sanhe, and Dingtang townships. In 1958, the townships were abolished and replaced by the Longchang Commune. In 1984, it was reorganized into Longchang Town and the three townships of Dingtang, Sanhe, and Poliu. In 1992, the three townships were merged into Longchang Town. The area produces tea. There are 30 primary and secondary schools. The town government is located in Longchang, 17 kilometers northwest of Mingu Town, in the northern part of Qiansuo Basin, with a population of nearly 2,000. ... More details about Longchang Town++