Ancient Ruins of Guyuan City

Ancient Ruins of Guyuan City

The Ancient Ruins of Guyuan City is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The appearance of "cities" marks an important milestone in the historical development of Chinese civilization. The construction of Guyuan City (also known as Gaoping City) also reflects the progress and long history of regional civilization in Guyuan.

Guyuan City, located in the mountainous region of southern Ningxia, is a famous historical and cultural city. The origins of urban settlements in the Guyuan area date back over two thousand years, with the earliest likely being the Wushi City. The city that has been continuously developed and preserved to this day is the current Ancient Guyuan City, which boasts numerous historical relics such as the Bell and Drum Tower, the Iron Pagoda of Yuwang Temple, and the Wenlan Pavilion.

Inner City: 9.3 li in circumference, 35 chi in height, with 1,046 crenels and 28 gun emplacements.

Outer City: 13.7 li in circumference, 36 chi in height, with 1,573 crenels and 31 gun emplacements.

Three eastern city gates were built during the Wanli era, two of which were named: one as Anbian Gate and the other as Baoning Gate.

Four southern city gates were also built during the Wanli era, two of which were named: one as Zhenyi Gate.

Two western city gates were built during the Wanli era, one of which was named as Weiyuan Gate.

One northern city gate was built during the Wanli era, named as Jingshuo Gate.

This represents the final layout formed after 2,000 years of development and evolution of Guyuan City. The Qing Dynasty model of Guyuan City restored by the Guyuan Museum is a historical miniature of the city. This grand brick-walled city stood prominently in Yuanzhou and gained fame across the north, becoming a renowned city in northwestern China since the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Further Reading:

·Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units