Fuquan Ancient City

Fuquan Ancient City

Fuquan Ancient City is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural heritage site.

The Ming Dynasty was a crucial period in the development of Guizhou, during which thousands of garrison towns and prefectural, state, and county-level cities emerged, along with tens of thousands of Tuntian fortresses. These castles stood tall amid the mountains, majestic and imposing. Due to military defense needs, these fortifications were mostly built in strategically perilous and easily defensible locations—some nestled against mountains and facing water, others flanked by rivers—with careful attention paid to terrain advantages. Guizhou’s karst landform is highly developed, making stone resources extremely abundant. Most of the city walls were constructed from stone, differing markedly from the earthen and brick fortifications common in plains and hilly regions, showcasing distinct regional characteristics. A city wall was a massive architectural complex, consisting of tall ramparts, gates, watchtowers, connecting corridors, battlements, guard booths, as well as barbicans, moats, and water gates. Building numerous stone cities among the mountains required extensive rock quarrying and carving, making it far more challenging than in other areas. If one were to connect all the small and large stone cities and fortresses across Guizhou, the sheer scale of the project might rival that of the Great Wall. Over time, in the wave of modernization, most ancient cities and fortresses have disappeared, and those city walls that have fortunately survived are now few and far between. In Fuquan, known as the “Phosphate Capital,” a uniquely distinctive section of ancient city wall remains—a truly remarkable feat.

Jiyang, formerly known as Pingyue, was originally an area inhabited by ethnic minorities under the jurisdiction of the Bozhou Pacification Commission. In the 15th year of the Hongwu reign (1382), Pingyue Wei (a military garrison) was established here, extending military control into the native chieftain territories. In the 39th year of the Wanli reign (1611), the native chieftain rule of the Yang family in Bozhou was abolished, and the region was divided into the Zunyi and Pingyue military-civilian prefectures. The Pingyue Prefecture shared its seat with Pingyue Wei. Pingyue held strategic importance, controlling the major post road connecting Hunan and Guangdong to Guizhou and Yunnan, linking the eight prefectures of eastern Guizhou with the provincial capital and the Bozhou Pacification Commission, while also facilitating communication between Sichuan and Guizhou. Thus, a city wall was built soon after the establishment of the Wei. The Pingyue Wei city was situated among encircling mountains, with “Ma’zong Ridge guarding its throat and Yangchang River setting up its defenses”—a truly vital location. Initially built as an earthen city, it was reconstructed with stone in the 34th year of the Hongwu reign (1401). The city wall was 1,400 zhang (approximately 4,666 meters) in circumference, 1.2 zhang (about 3.84 meters) high, and 1.5 zhang (about 4.8 meters) wide, forming a square shape with four gates on the east, south, west, and north. There were four gate towers, 1,540 connecting corridor rooms, and 840 battlements. However, due to the lack of water within the city, soldiers and horses often died of thirst during sieges. During the Chenghua era, Zhang Neng, commander of Pingyue Wei, deemed the absence of water a liability for defense and thus added a Small West Gate to the west of the city, extending the wall to the riverbank and building a weir to divert water into the city. In the 31st year of the Wanli reign (1603), General An Dachao, Commander Xi Guozhu, and Prefect Yang Youtao discussed further expanding the wall to enclose a section of the river, creating an inner city, a water city, and an outer city layout. With this, Pingyue City became “majestic and splendid, impregnable as gold and iron, the finest in eastern Guizhou.”

However, most of the structures had deteriorated by the 1960s, leaving only a few arched gateways and remnants of broken walls to tell the story of history’s vicissitudes. Only outside the Small West Gate do the inner city, water city, and outer city still survive to this day. Viewed from atop a high mountain, the inner city stands on the mountain plain, the water city is built at the foot of the mountain by the river, and the outer city spans the river and fields, forming a triple-layered barbican. The walls follow the contours of the mountains, winding through the ridges with majestic grandeur, and visitors can climb to the top via hundred-step stone staircases. The most distinctive feature of this wall is the incorporation of a section of the river into the city, allowing residents to draw water from the water city. To prevent water sources from being cut off during wartime, an outer wall 55 zhang long was built beyond the water city. This outer wall crosses the river at two points, built atop two three-arch stone bridges, hence earning the name “bridge-top city.” To allow water flow while maintaining defensibility, iron-barred floodgates were installed beneath the bridges—essentially two water gates. Exiting the Small West Gate, roads lead to the water city and outer city. Since these roads cross the river, five drainage culverts were built beneath them, alongside creaking water mills, evoking the charm of a “small bridge over flowing waters by a cottage.” This wall structure is a masterpiece of ancient military defense systems, embodying China’s ancient technological and architectural ingenuity unseen elsewhere in the country, and its unique design has left ancient architecture experts in awe. In 2001, with approval from the State Council, Fuquan Ancient City Wall was designated a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The Fuquan ancient city wall is a Guizhou innovation, demonstrating the wisdom and creativity of the people of Guizhou. Visiting here allows one to sense the great transformations of the city—from Pingyue Ancient City evolving from a military stronghold to a local administrative center, and now to an industrial city dominated by phosphate chemical production. Within Fuquan City stands an ancient structure known as “Da Fu Di” (Grand Master’s Mansion), a traditional quadrangle courtyard covering 400 square meters, now converted into the Guizhou Ancient City Wall Museum. It displays over 200 photos that encapsulate the city walls, fortresses, camps, watchtowers, trenches, passes, and beacon towers of Guizhou since the Ming Dynasty. Many ancient city walls remain in Guizhou today, such as the East Gate Wall and Wusheng Gate in Guiyang, the Zhen’an Zhou city wall, Chishui Ancient City Wall, and Zhenning Zhou city wall from the Ming Dynasty, the Prefecture Wall and Wei Wall in Zhenyuan, as well as the walls of QianTai Wei in Bijie, Puan Wei in Panxian, and Annan Wei in Qinglong. The most iconic native chieftain castles include the Hailongtun in Zunyi and the “Nine-Tiered Yamen” ruins in Dafang, along with Yanmen Si City in Huangping and Shuitexiang Si City in Dejiang. The camps are most abundantly preserved in Songtao, where 48 camps and outposts were established in the Qing Dynasty, constructing over a thousand camps, fortresses, artillery towers, and blockhouses, forming intermittent “border walls” totaling 480 kilometers in length. Notable larger fortresses include Zhengda Camp and Panshi Camp. There are also many passes, such as the famous Lou Shan Pass in northern Guizhou, Tu Yun Pass and Ya Pass in central Guizhou, and Hai Ma Pass in Qinglong. These offer a glimpse into the ancient cityscapes of Guizhou during the Ming and Qing periods, reflecting six centuries of the province’s history.

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Much of it had deteriorated by the 1960s, leaving only a few arched gateways and remnants of broken walls to tell the story of history’s vicissitudes. Only outside the Small West Gate do the inner city, water city, and outer city still survive to this day. Viewed from atop a high mountain, the inner city stands on the mountain plain, the water city is built at the foot of the mountain by the river, and the outer city spans the river and fields, forming a triple-layered barbican. The walls follow the contours of the mountains, winding through the ridges with majestic grandeur, and visitors can climb to the top via hundred-step stone staircases. The most distinctive feature of this wall is the incorporation of a section of the river into the city, allowing residents to draw water from the water city. To prevent water sources from being cut off during wartime, an outer wall 55 zhang long was built beyond the water city. This outer wall crosses the river at two points, built atop two three-arch stone bridges, hence earning the name “bridge-top city.” To allow water flow while maintaining defensibility, iron-barred floodgates were installed beneath the bridges—essentially two water gates. Exiting the Small West Gate, roads lead to the water city and outer city. Since these roads cross the river, five drainage culverts were built beneath them, alongside creaking water mills, evoking the charm of a “small bridge over flowing waters by a cottage.” This wall structure is a masterpiece of ancient military defense systems, embodying China’s ancient technological and architectural ingenuity unseen elsewhere in the country, and its unique design has left ancient architecture experts in awe. In 2001, with approval from the State Council, Fuquan Ancient City Wall was designated a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The Fuquan ancient city wall is a Guizhou innovation, demonstrating the wisdom and creativity of the people of Guizhou. Visiting here allows one to sense the great transformations of the city—from Pingyue Ancient City evolving from a military stronghold to a local administrative center, and now to an industrial city dominated by phosphate chemical production. In Fuquan City stands an ancient structure known as “Da Fu Di” (Grand Master’s Mansion), a traditional quadrangle courtyard covering 400 square meters, now converted into the Guizhou Ancient City Wall Museum. It displays over 200 photos that encapsulate the city walls, fortresses, camps, watchtowers, trenches, passes, and beacon towers of Guizhou since the Ming Dynasty. Many ancient city walls remain in Guizhou today, such as the East Gate Wall and Wusheng Gate in Guiyang, the Zhen’an Zhou city wall, Chishui Ancient City Wall, and Zhenning Zhou city wall from the Ming Dynasty, the Prefecture Wall and Wei Wall in Zhenyuan, as well as the walls of QianTai Wei in Bijie, Puan Wei in Panxian, and Annan Wei in Qinglong. The most iconic native chieftain castles include the Hailongtun in Zunyi and the “Nine-Tiered Yamen” ruins in Dafang, along with Yanmen Si City in Huangping and Shuitexiang Si City in Dejiang. The camps are most abundantly preserved in Songtao, where 48 camps and outposts were established in the Qing Dynasty, constructing over a thousand camps, fortresses, artillery towers, and blockhouses, forming intermittent “border walls” totaling 480 kilometers in length. Notable larger fortresses include Zhengda Camp and Panshi Camp. There are also many passes, such as the famous Lou Shan Pass in northern Guizhou, Tu Yun Pass and Ya Pass in central Guizhou, and Hai Ma Pass in Qinglong. These offer a glimpse into the ancient cityscapes of Guizhou during the Ming and Qing periods, reflecting six centuries of the province’s history.

Location

Near the intersection of Jinshan North Road and Gejing Road, eastern Fuquan City, Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province