Yanmensi City Wall

Yanmensi City Wall

Yanmensi City Wall is a Guizhou Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Yanmensi City Wall

Yanmensi City Wall is located in Shankai, southeast of Huangping County, about 29 kilometers in a straight line from the county seat. It borders Huang, Shi, and Tai counties and lies at a crucial point on the Qingshui River waterway. Built against the mountain and facing the river, the site features a precipitous landscape. A stone city was constructed here during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, with one battalion commander and 71 soldiers stationed. In emergencies, troops from surrounding forts could be quickly mobilized. It functioned as a key defensive post for the Qing government in southeastern Guizhou and is now a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.

The city has a triangular layout, with walls meticulously built from bluestone. The perimeter is 1,633 meters, the wall is 3.33 meters high, the crenellated parapet is 1.33 meters high and 2.67 meters thick. The top of the wall is paved with dressed stone, with battlements installed along the upper and lower sections. There are three city gates—east, south, and west. The northern side is backed by a mountain, where the wall extends upward along the slope, and three artillery platforms were constructed at high and strategic points. The gates have watchtowers, the platforms have guardhouses, and two water gates were built along the river.

In March 1855, during the fifth year of the Xianfeng reign, the Miao people of Taijiang (then known as Taigong), led by Zhang Xiumei, launched an anti-Qing uprising. Jiang Weiyuan, the governor of Guizhou, urgently ordered Peng Ruiwei, the Tongzhi of Gzhou; Chen Yushu, the magistrate of Longli; and Sheng Xiuzhi, the Dusi of Kaili Camp, to lead troops to defend Yanmensi in succession.

In mid-May, Zhang Xiumei led over 20,000 Miao rebel soldiers in a siege of Yanmensi. Despite multiple assaults, they failed to breach the defenses due to the sturdy fortifications and fierce artillery fire from the defenders. Seeing that a quick victory was unlikely, Zhang changed tactics to deplete the government troops’ ammunition through a prolonged siege without direct attacks. The besieged soldiers suffered from ammunition and food shortages, and sent out appeals for reinforcements more than ten times, but all messages were intercepted by the rebel forces. In early June, noticing that the defenders were throwing tiles and stones in lieu of effective resistance, Zhang realized their supplies had run out. At the same time, he learned that He Qiyin, the Zhenyuan defender, was leading reinforcements from Zhenyuan and would soon arrive. On the night of the 2nd, Zhang dispatched rebel troops to ambush in the forests near the city. The next day, a portion of the rebels feigned an attack and then pretended to retreat in haste. They hastily crossed the river and withdrew. Mistaking this for the arrival of reinforcements, the defending soldiers rushed out of the city in full force to pursue them. The rebels then launched a surprise attack from all sides, attacking both front and rear, and took advantage of the chaos to storm the city. They wiped out over 600 defenders, killing Peng Ruiwei, magistrate of Gzhou; Chen Yushu, magistrate of Longli; Sheng Xiuzhi, Dusi of Kaili Camp; Xing Lianke, Qianzong of Huangshi Wei; Tang Dingkui, Bazong; and He Qinglong, a local chieftain. Subsequently, Zhang Xiumei left some rebel troops behind to hold the city while leading the main army to intercept He Qiyin’s reinforcing forces, annihilating them entirely within the territory of Shibing.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Guizhou Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units