Wanghaotuan Ancient Fortress

Wanghaotuan Ancient Fortress

Wanghaotuan Ancient Fortress

It is situated southeast of Huairen County, east of the Sanggan River, north of the Xiayu River, bordering Datong County. Constructed in the 42nd year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty (1385) by Zhang Gui, the Commandant of the Datong Vanguard and the Chief Officer of the Regular Thousand-Household Unit, the fortress boasts a history of more than 600 years. The existing structure features square walls, with gates on the east and west sides (including barbicans), measuring 200 meters in length from east to west and 200 meters in width from north to south, covering a total area of 40,000 square meters (60 acres). At the center of the village stands a well-preserved opera tower, with upturned eaves and graceful design. Behind the tower lies an ancient temple, whose architectural style is almost identical to that of the Huayan Temple in Datong. Inside the fortress, there are over 40 residential buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, totaling more than 130 rooms. The layout of the alleyways within the fortress remains largely as it was at the time of construction, though built with earthen bricks and tiles, it is exquisitely designed. Whether it’s the courtyards, screen walls, horse-dismounting stones, horse-tethering posts, or resting stones outside the gates, everything is neatly arranged and finely crafted. The fortress also preserves over 10 temples dedicated to Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, faintly echoing the grandeur of their former glory.