Yong’an Ancient City

Yong’an Ancient City

Yong’an Ancient City is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yong’an Ancient City

Yong’an Ancient City is situated southwest of Menyuan County, approximately 50 kilometers from Haomen Town. Constructed in 1725, the third year of the Yongzheng era in the Qing Dynasty, it was built by the prominent Qing general Nian Gengyao. The city measures 438 meters from north to south and 353 meters from east to west, with walls 7.3 meters high and 6.7 meters thick. There are two watchtowers, eight artillery platforms, a moat 1.6 meters deep beneath the walls, and gate towers originally built atop both the eastern and western gates. The Yong’an River flows past the western side of the city, moving from north to south. From the southeast corner of the city, one can see the Nine Ridges, atop which lies an Islamic shrine (Qubba). To the west is Xifeng Mountain, whose peak hosts a beacon tower and houses five caves—commonly known as Immortals’ Caves—believed to have been spiritual retreats for Taoist monks in ancient times. To the north lies the majestic Qilian Mountains, stretching endlessly under a canopy of layered clouds.

For over 200 years, from 1725 to 1928, the city thrived as a bustling commercial hub, attracting merchants from all around. During the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Menyuan was part of Datong County. At that time, there was a county magistrate named Jia Xun, who had a particular fondness for five-character poetry. On one of his inspection trips to Menyuan, he composed a poem titled “From North Datong to Yong’an City,” in which he praised the scenery and local produce he observed along the journey from Haomen Town to Yong’an City:

Upon leaving Hongshan Fort,

Desolate wells dot the wild.

The hunting grounds are strewn with sandy grass,

And grazing lands dusted with clinging snow.

Voles dart across the land in swift traces,

While goats stand proud with pointed horns.

Where gleaming banner lights shine bright,

One imagines battlements standing stern and tight.

In the 18th year of the Republic of China (1928), Ma Zhongying—known as “Little Commander”—was defeated in his siege of Hezhou. While fleeing westward, he carried out a bloody massacre in Huangyuan County, prompting pursuit by the National Revolutionary Army. To evade capture, he escaped to Yong’an City in March of that year. There, he conducted another brutal massacre and looted the city extensively before fleeing further west. The once-prosperous city, which had flourished for centuries, was abandoned after being reduced to a ghost town by Ma Zhongying’s atrocities. Yong’an City is not only the best-preserved ancient city in Menyuan County but also the most intact ancient city discovered so far in Qinghai Province. In recent years, many TV drama production crews have chosen this city as a filming location, shooting numerous film and television works. Part of the exterior scenes for the TV series “Gesar King” were filmed here.

Legend has it that on a clear day after rain, some have witnessed mirages here—visions of armored warriors locked in fierce battle, locked in seemingly endless combat.