Ancient City of Shuozhou

Ancient City of Shuozhou

The Ancient City of Shuozhou is a cultural tourism attraction.

Introduction: The ancient city of Shuozhou from the Northern Qi Dynasty and the city from the late Yuan to early Ming Dynasty are located in Shuocheng District, present-day Shuozhou City. They are among the earliest and best-preserved ruins of ancient cities in Shanxi Province. Dominating the area between the inner and outer sections of the Great Wall beyond Yanmen Pass, the city connects northward to Inner Mongolia and guards the strategic passes of Yanmen, Pianguan, and Ningwu to the south. It also links to counties such as Xinzhou, Dai, and Yuanping, historically serving as a frontier fortress. It could both reinforce Datong and defend the entire Shanxi region, making it a key battleground throughout history. In the past, minority rulers such as the Xiongnu, Turks, Uyghurs, Xianbei, Khitans, Jurchens, and Mongols often first laid siege to Shuozhou before advancing through Yanmen Pass toward Jinyang when invading the Central Plains. Historical events that took place here include Han Xin’s defection to the Xiongnu in Mayi during the Western Han Dynasty and the massacre of Mayi by General Zhou Bo; the “Mayi Conspiracy” by the Han Dynasty to lure and destroy the Xiongnu; Liu Wuzhou’s uprising in Mayi at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the killing of the prefect; battles between Tang forces and the Turks over Mayi during the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty; the victories and defeats of Yang Ye of the Song Dynasty in battles against the Khitans in Huanzhou and Shuozhou, including his capture at Chenjiagou; frequent raids on Shuozhou by the Adayi tribe during the Ming Dynasty; and peasant uprisings such as the Xiongliu Rebellion in the Qing Dynasty—all of which occurred in this region.

According to the Shuozhou Annals, the exact construction date of the ancient city walls was the eighth year of the Tianbao era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (557), with a perimeter of nine li and thirteen zhang (approximately 5.2 km), built as an earthen rammed-earth wall. The walls were used continuously through the Sui, Tang, Liao, and Jin dynasties, boasting a history of 1,439 years to date. They were expanded from the site of the Qin and Han dynasty Mayi City. In the late Yuan to early Ming period, half of the northwest wall was removed, and the city of Shuozhou was rebuilt using the existing Northern Qi city walls in the southeast corner. In the third year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1370), the walls were bricked.

The Northern Qi-era ancient city had a rectangular layout, measuring 1,800 meters from north to south and 1,600 meters from east to west, with a perimeter of 6,800 meters and covering a total area of 2.88 million square meters. The remaining walls are about 8 meters high, with a base width of approximately 15 meters and a top width of around 10 meters. The upper structure of the walls is no longer clear.

The city built in the late Yuan to early Ming period was situated within the southwest corner of the Northern Qi city. At that time, the walls were 12 meters high, with crenellations adding another 2 meters, bringing the total height to 14 meters. The perimeter was 4,000 meters, featuring four barbicans, four corner towers, twelve watchtowers, four gate towers, and four beacon towers. The four gates were named Wende Gate (East), Wuding Gate (West), Cheng’en Gate (South), and Zhensa Gate (North). Today, the southern city wall, city gates, western city wall, city gates, and barbicans remain, while other structures have been lost. The internal streets and layout of the city have largely retained their original form.

Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province