Ruishan Fort Ruins

Ruishan Fort Ruins

The Ruishan Fort Ruins are located at Erjitou, under Wufeng Mountain, seventeen li east of Dagang in the Zhenjiang New District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province.

The Ruishan Fort is built against the mountain and faces the river, occupying a strategically important position. Constructed in 1840, the fort consists of two sections: one is situated at the foot of the mountain, jutting out into the river, built in a concealed bunker style, with an arc length of about 20 meters, fan-shaped, featuring four gun ports; the other is located on the slope near the river in the middle section, where three main bunkers remain today, also in a concealed bunker style, extending more than 12 meters in depth, along with seven auxiliary bunkers, stretching approximately 60 meters in total. Additionally, there is an ammunition depot within the “valley,” rectangular in shape. All structures are made of yellow sand and lime.

The Ruishan Pass Fort Ruins are located on Wufeng Mountain at the northern foot of Ruishan, forming a one-kilometer pass with Shunjiangzhou (now Gaoqiao Town) on the opposite bank—this is known as the "Ruishan Pass." The Ruishan Pass Forts consist of the Ruishan Fort, the Dasha Fort on Shunjiangzhou, and the Sanjiangying Fort in Jiangdu. The Ruishan Fort is set on the prominent large and small jitous (rocky outcrops) at the foot of Wufeng Mountain, jutting into the river. There are three fort sites in total, with the one before you being relatively well-preserved. It stands proudly on the second jitu, featuring a concealed bunker structure, with a total length of over 30 meters, and gun ports facing the river. It is divided into three gun chambers, shaped like a waist drum inside. The central widest part of the gun chamber is 6 meters, the ridge top is 3.6 meters high, the depth is 8 meters, the gun port opening is 2.5 meters wide, and the door is 5 meters wide. There are four small adjacent ammunition depots beside the door. The walls of the bunker are 3–5 meters thick. Judging from the collapsed top, the fort was constructed by layering and compacting yellow mud, lime, and fine sand. Historical records indicate that the Ruishan Fort originally had 20 cannons and 80 defenders. The Dasha Fort ruins are located on a raised beach, with two faintly visible ammunition depots to the south and west of the fort. During the Opium War, the Qing court assigned the valiant General Yi Jing and the Viceroy of Liangjiang, Niu Jian, to defend southern Jiangnan against the British. On July 13, 1842, a British fleet of 25 warships and 47 supply vessels, carrying over 2,000 troops, arrived at the waters of Sanjiangying. On July 14, the reconnaissance ships Bellerophon and HMS Euryalus approached Ruishan. The Ruishan and Dasha forts opened fire, engaging in fierce battle for over an hour, hitting the stern of an enemy ship, which then retreated to the anchorage at Sanjiangying. On July 15, the British assembled nine warships in retaliation. The two sides faced off for a long time. With their ammunition exhausted and the forts destroyed, the defending soldiers withdrew. Friedrich Engels mentioned this event in his work *The New Expedition of the English to China*... During the Anti-Japanese War, fierce battles also took place here... The fort was eventually occupied by Japanese forces advancing from Danyang.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units