Baishun Huangwu City

Baishun Huangwu City

Located in Baishun Town, 58 kilometers from Nanxiong City, there stands a Huangwu City south of the town street. Built in the 10th year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty (1377), it has a history of over 600 years. The Huangwu City is elliptical in shape, with walls constructed from granite strips and blue bricks. The walls are over 9 meters high, 0.6 to 0.7 meters thick, and the gate is about 1 meter wide. Above the southern gate, there is a stone engraving of four regular script characters reading “Yi Lu Li Men,” with elegant and vigorous calligraphy. The entire city covers an area of over 10,000 square meters. Houses were built along the city wall, and 86 of them remain today, all three-story buildings with a total construction area of about 4,500 square meters. In the past, three surnames—Huang, Zhu, and Yan—lived together within the city. Later, due to the collapse of the western wall, the Zhu and Yan families moved elsewhere, leaving 26 Huang households with over 130 residents currently living there. There are eight streets (sections) inside the city, paved with granite and pebbles. By the street on the southern side of the city, there is an ancient well over 12 meters deep. The water is sweet and refreshing, and it is still used for drinking today.

Huangwu City faces south with its back to the north, higher in the north and lower in the south. It is a large and sturdy defensive structure. The watchtowers are equipped with facilities for observation, command, and communication. In case of enemy threats, it is easy to defend but hard to attack, allowing for both self-defense and counterattacks, as well as retreat routes into the surrounding mountains. The construction of such fortresses required sophisticated techniques. Houses were connected with beams, relying entirely on the overall structural integrity, which also provided earthquake resistance, good ventilation, and lighting. The entire ancient city remains cool in summer and warm in winter. Huangwu City features grand architectural scale, exquisite craftsmanship, solid structure, and a unique style.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, large numbers of clans migrated southward. They first settled in areas around Zhuxi and Niutianfang. Later, many moved on to various parts of the Pearl River Delta, but some clans chose to settle in Nanxiong, then referred to as the Hakka people. When the Hakka first arrived and established themselves in Nanxiong, life was extremely difficult—especially for those who settled in the remote mountainous regions, where they often suffered from attacks by bandits and wild animals. To survive and thrive, the Hakka had to abandon the single-family dwelling model and instead live together in fortified, high-walled settlements. Examples include Wujing Shuicheng, Yancun Shuicheng, Zhongzhan City, and Huangwu City. The Hakka people living in these fortress-like communities were known for their simple and honest folkways, and their way of life differed slightly from that of urban residents.