Zuoguo City

Zuoguo City

Located in Nancun within Fangshan County, Shanxi Province today. It was the capital of the Han-Zhao regime established by the Xiongnu leader Liu Yuan during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, and now only ruins remain.

Historically, Zuoguo City was known as Gaolangyi during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, inhabited by the Bai Di and Gaoluo tribes, and during the Han Dynasty, it became Gaolang County. Starting from 140 AD when the Xihe Commandery moved inland to Lishi, this area was built as Zuoguo City. The command center of the Southern Xiongnu — the Southern Chanyu’s Court — was stationed here. It became a core base for northern ethnic minorities such as the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang, flourishing for over 400 years and giving rise to a powerful group of "Lishi Hu" people, marking a milestone in the history of ethnic integration.

After the Southern Chanyu’s Court was established here, creative development was undertaken. The city expanded upon and utilized the urban structures from the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin, and Han periods. Backed by the eastern mountains and facing the Beichuan River, the city was built along the mountain terrain, with walls constructed along the eastern, southern, and northern hillsides. The eastern wall followed the mountain ridge line, and the city had both inner and outer layers, forming a tight defensive system. The inner city was rectangular, while the outer city adapted irregularly to the terrain. The overall construction comprised three parts: the inner city, the western city, and the eastern city, creating a nested and layered military fortress with mutual support between inner and outer sections. The outermost perimeter measured 9,932 meters, covering a total area of 8.7 square kilometers.

As the headquarters of the Southern Chanyu’s Left Xiongnu Command, it oversaw and inspected the military affairs of the five Xiongnu divisions. At that time, Cao Cao distributed the five Xiongnu divisions across areas such as Shilou, Fenyang, Wenxi, Xinzhou, and Qixian, with their leadership core stationed at Zuoguo City in Lishi. The Southern Xiongnu ruling group lived, held meetings, entertained, discussed internal affairs, handled various issues, and coordinated relations among the Five Barbarians as well as between the Hu and Han peoples here. In the first year of the Jianwu era (304 AD) during the reign of Emperor Hui of the Western Jin, the Southern Xiongnu leader Liu Yuan delivered a report on the current situation and tasks based on the prevailing circumstances. He reflected that during the Han Dynasty: “Our ancestors formed brotherly bonds with the Han, sharing both joy and hardship.” But the current situation was: “The Wei and Jin dynasties rose in succession, leaving the Chanyu with only an empty title and no territory, while the various kings and nobles were reduced to the status of commoners.” The current situation and task: “The Sima clan is engaging in internecine strife, the realm is in turmoil, presenting us with a heaven-sent opportunity to revive our nation and reclaim our legacy!”

Thus, against the backdrop of fratricidal conflict within the Jin imperial family, oppression of the Hu peoples, natural disasters, and widespread suffering, a Han-Zhao regime led by Liu Yuan as emperor quickly took shape. Liu Yuan launched a Xiongnu uprising here, swiftly overthrowing the Western Jin Dynasty and coming to rule most of Shanxi as well as central plains strongholds such as Chang’an and Luoyang. It became the first national regime established by an inland-migrated ethnic minority in Chinese history. With such a base, hundreds of thousands of Hu people in northern Shaanxi, northwestern Shanxi, and southeastern Shanxi found spiritual grounding, laying the ideological and organizational foundations for the ensuing ethnic conflicts and the rise of the Sixteen Kingdoms. This command center, nestled deep in the mountainous regions of the Lüliang range, directed the movements of the “Five Barbarians’” armies as they fought for territory. It also served like a mysterious backstage theater, where various “Five Barbarians” tribes prepared themselves, received their roles, and then stepped onto the grand stage of China to perform the chaotic drama of the Sixteen Kingdoms.

The areas of Fenyang and Xiaoyi in the eastern Lüliang Mountains served as strict barriers against the “Lishi Hu.” Around Fenyang, there was Liubi City. According to the Commentary on the Water Classic, “The Southern Wei Dynasty established six fortifications here to guard against the Lishi Hu, making it a major stronghold.” The Fenzhou Prefecture Records state that fifteen li north of the prefecture lies Bamen City, “built by Liu Yuan’s general Qiao Song during his attack on Xihe, featuring eight gates,” commonly known as Luocheng. There was also Banqiao City, recorded in the Chronicles of Commanderies and States as the site “where Liu Yuan fought Liu Kun.” In Xiaoyi City, there is Piancheng Village. The Xiaoyi County Annals note that during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, the Marquis of Lishi from the Later Zhao Dynasty built a city here to guard against the northern Hu tribes. All these accounts, along with those of the Later Zhao and the Great Xia Kingdom, demonstrate the profound connections with Zuoguo City. At the time, Zuoguo City was regarded as a central holy land by the inland-migrated Hu peoples, and its exemplary influence even inspired later rulers of the Yuan and Qing dynasties.

Ruins Today, many remnants of battles fought by Hu troops during that era still exist in the Lüliang region. Parts of the Zuoguo City walls remain, largely intact. The Zuoguo City ruins are situated along the middle reaches of the Beichuan River, in Nancun, Fangshan County, in our province. According to the Guangxu-era Yongning Zhou Annals, on Liu Wanghui Mountain there was a “horse-watering pool,” once a horse pasture of Liu Yuan, where “Liu Yuan’s temple still remains.” In Sishang Village, Shangsi Town, there is a temporary palace of Liu Yuan. Lucheng (now Shanglouqiao Village in Lishi) was a fortress built by Liu Kun, the Governor of Bingzhou during the Jin Dynasty, to attack Liu Yao. Maotou Mountain has a temple dedicated to Liu Kun, and Yulin Mountain is the site of Shi Le’s tomb. Even over a thousand years later, more than thirty villages in the area still organize temple fairs to worship “Shi Le Ye.”

Yukou Town: Yukou Town in Fangshan County is located in western Shanxi Province, in the central part of the Lüliang Mountains. It borders Wudangshan Town to the east, neighbors Chuanshuitou in Lin County to the west, adjoins the county seat to the north, and connects with Dawu and Lishi to the south. It covers one-fourth of the county’s total area.

Fangshan County’s Yukou is situated on the mountainside of the Lüliang range, featuring rugged terrain. It leans against Guandishan Mountain to the east, slopes downward to the southwest, and consists of mountainous, hilly, and valley landforms. The main peaks in the eastern mountainous area include Guandishan, Zhiding Mountain, Wudang Mountain, and Shihu Mountain, all exceeding 2,000 meters in elevation. Among them, Guandishan, covered with lush pines and cypresses, has the highest peak in the county at 2,830 meters, which is also... More details about Yukou Town ++