Layisu Beacon Tower

Layisu Beacon Tower

The ruins of the Layisu Beacon Tower are located about 20 kilometers west of Luntai County. Here stand the beacon towers from the Han and Tang dynasties as well as the remains of a small garrison fort, all designated as cultural relics protection sites at the autonomous region level. (1) Han Dynasty Beacon Tower

The remaining beacon tower was built with rammed earth, and its current plan is roughly square, with a remaining height of about 8 meters and sides approximately 6–7 meters long. Near the southern side of the beacon tower, remnants of housing structures can be found. A relatively large number of clipped-edge Wu Zhu coins have been unearthed here. The surrounding area of the beacon tower features the remains of farmland from ancient military colonies. (2) Tang Dynasty Beacon Tower

The beacon tower has a trapezoidal plan, with a remaining height of about 14 meters and a base width of around 7 meters. It was constructed with adobe bricks, each measuring 35 cm in length, 25 cm in width, and 11 cm in thickness. Its eastern wall is well-preserved and features a distinctive architectural style — wooden stakes were placed between layers of adobe bricks to enhance tensile strength. The wooden stakes are spaced 1.4 meters apart vertically, with a total of 11 layers at the top. At the very top and center of the platform, remnants of wooden stakes can be found. Carbon-14 dating has determined the absolute age of these wooden stakes to be 1155±75 years, indicating that this structure dates back to the Tang Dynasty.