The Han and Manchu Cities

The Han and Manchu Cities

The Han and Manchu Cities

The ancient city of Barkol consists of two contiguous city walls. The western one is called the Han City, named after its Han Chinese residents.

Han City was built in the 9th year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1731 AD) as a "Green Standard Army" garrison town constructed by the troops of General Yue Zhongqi, the Ningyuan Grand General. The city wall spans over 4 kilometers in circumference, taking a rectangular shape — 1,553.5 meters from east to west and 788.7 meters from north to south. Outside the west gate lies a barbican with a radius of 35.4 meters, which remains largely intact, while the other three barbicans have been destroyed. Han City had four city gates, all of whose gate towers on the walls have been lost, along with 3,600 crenellations, seven artillery platforms, eight horse paths, and corner towers at each of the four corners. Outside the city, a moat was dug with four drawbridges. The city wall stands 6.8 meters high, 6 meters wide at the base, and 4 meters wide at the top, topped with a 0.5-meter-high and 0.6-meter-wide parapet. Historical records indicate that Han City was supervised and constructed under the command of Yue Zhongqi, the 21st-generation descendant of Yue Fei, who was also the Viceroy of Shaanxi and Gansu and the Ningyuan Grand General. It is said that during the city’s construction, Yue Zhongqi's troops were stationed on a hill to the south of the city, which has since been named "Yue’s Platform." From within the city, the appearance of Yue’s Platform varies with the weather — sometimes it looks grand and close enough to touch, while at other times it appears distant and misty, thus becoming one of the Eight Scenic Spots known as "Yue’s Platform Retains Its Glory." There is also a charming legend about the construction of Han City: the northern wall, located in a swampy area, was very difficult to build and would frequently collapse once erected. Troubled by this, Yue Zhongqi dreamed that his ancestor Yue Fei provided guidance. Upon waking, he stepped out of his tent and indeed saw a white horse dragging a long tether. He then followed the rope’s trace to successfully complete the wall. For over 200 years, Barkol’s Han City played an important military role until after the establishment of New China, when peace prevailed and the wall lost its military function.

The Manchu City was built in the 37th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1772 AD) and earned its name from the stationing of Manchu Bannermen troops. By the end of the last century, with the withdrawal of the Bannermen, the city became deserted, houses were demolished, and the walls collapsed. The city wall spanned 3 kilometers in circumference, stood 6.6 meters high, and originally had four city gates, four corner towers, twelve artillery platforms, 1,161 crenellations, and four small barbicans at each gate.

The Han and Manchu Cities of Barkol are connected end to end. When viewed from above, the vast grassland stretches blue like the ocean, and the two cities resemble two swimming Yangtze alligators in the sea. This scene stirred the poetic sentiments of literati, earning the area the beautiful name "Alligator City of the Vast Desert," and it was listed as one of the Eight Scenic Spots.