Ruins of the Ancient Fengzhou City

Ruins of the Ancient Fengzhou City

The ruins of the ancient Fengzhou City are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ancient city of Fengzhou is located south of the Daqing Mountain and on the alluvial fan of the Dahei River, about 18 kilometers from downtown Hohhot, in the eastern suburb’s Baita Village.

Built during the Liao Dynasty, the ancient city of Fengzhou was a significant military stronghold at the time and later, during the Yuan Dynasty, became a vital hub connecting Central China to the northern steppes. In the 35th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, the emperor traveled through this area during his inspection of Guihua City. The entire city was laid out according to the standards of a medium-sized city from the Tang Dynasty, with government offices, markets, temples, and residential areas all in place. Nowadays, most of the city walls lie buried underground, with only 1-3 meters of some sections still exposed.

In the northwest of the ancient Fengzhou city site stands the Wanbu Huayanjing Pagoda—commonly known as the “White Pagoda” by locals—a seven-story, octagonal brick-and-wood pagoda that is 55.6 meters tall. During the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, Buddhism flourished significantly. At that time, the Fengzhou city housed many renowned Buddhist temples.

In 2019, the ruins of the ancient Fengzhou City were included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units