Zhuma Fort is located in the northwest of Xingrong District, Datong City, Shanxi Province. It was a military garrison fort along the Shanxi section of the Ming Great Wall, collectively known as one of the "Four Forts Beyond the Frontier" along with Zhenqiang Fort, Juqiang Fort, and Jumen Fort. The *Illustrated Gazetteer of the Three Towns of Xuanda and Shanxi* contains the following record about Zhuma Fort: “This fort was established in the 24th year of the Jiajing reign (1545 AD), and in the first year of the Wanli reign (1573 AD)...”
Ming Great Wall in Xinrong District. The Ming Great Wall here is the remnant of the ancient Great Wall in the Datong section. During the Ming Dynasty, Datong was one of the Nine Strategic Garrisons and held significant military importance. The Ming Great Wall in Datong was primarily built during the Jiajing era, initiated by the Xuan-Da Regional Commander Weng Wanda. The Datong-section of the Great Wall starts from Zhenkoutai in the northeast of Tianzhen County to Yajiao Mountain (now Dongshan Village, Qingshuihezi, Inner Mongolia)…
Desheng Fort Desheng Fort is an important pass of the Datong Town on the Ming Dynasty’s Great Wall. It is located about 45 kilometers north of Datong City, Shanxi Province. Since ancient times, it has been a major route connecting northern Shanxi with Inner Mongolia, holding significant geographical importance. Today, the national trunk highway that connects Datong in Shanxi to Hohhot in Inner Mongolia passes through this pass. The Desheng Pass was initially built in the early Ming Dynasty, and at the same time...
Jinhua Palace Mine Park, located about 13 kilometers west of Datong City and separated by a river from the UNESCO World Heritage Site Yungang Grottoes, developed China’s first and Asia’s only “Underground Exploration Tour” project in 2000, becoming one of the first national industrial tourism demonstration sites. The park integrates the preservation of industrial heritage, environmental renewal, ecological…
Zhenchuan Fort was an important fortress along the Datong section of the Ming Dynasty’s Great Wall. It is located within the territory of Datong City, Shanxi Province, about 2.5 kilometers south of the Zhenchuan Pass section of the Great Wall. According to *San Yun Chou Zu Kao* (a historical text), it was first built in the 18th year of the Jiajing reign (1539) and later bricked over in the 10th year of the Wanli reign (1582). The fort had a perimeter of “two li and five fen” (approximately 1.25 kilometers) and walls four zhang and one chi (approximately 13.7 meters) high. During the Ming Dynasty, a garrison commander was stationed here,…
Longmu Temple in Beisong Village (Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Era: Qing Dynasty Address: Beisong Village, Gudian Town, Nanshan District, Datong City The exact founding date of Longmu Temple in Beisong Village is unknown. The temple faces south and has a single-courtyard layout. Currently, only the Main Hall and Xuantian Hall are preserved structures from the Qing Dynasty. The temple houses Qing-era murals covering an area of 118.5 square meters. The remaining buildings were newly constructed by villagers. The main...
Longwang Temple in Zhaoyanzhuang (Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Era: Qing Dynasty Address: Southern part of Zhaoyanzhuang Village, Huayuantun Township, Xinrong District, Datong City Longwang Temple in Zhaoyanzhuang faces south and currently only the stage and the main hall remain, both of which are Qing Dynasty structures. The temple complex is 16.4 meters wide from east to west and 34.2 meters long from north to south, covering an area of approximately 560 square meters. The main hall is three bays wide…
Wanquan Village Site (Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Era: Neolithic Age, Han Dynasty Location: About 300 meters southwest of Wanquan Village, Huayuantun Township, Xinrong District, Datong City, on the cliff along the western bank of Wanquan River The site is situated on the eastern foothills of Xisiliang Mountain, covering an area approximately 440 meters east-west and 660 meters north-south, with a total distribution area of about 290,000 square meters. Wanquan Village...
Ciyun Temple (Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Era: Ming Dynasty Address: West Street, Tianzhen County Originally named Fahua Temple, it was first built during the Tang Dynasty and renovated between 1428 and 1430 in the third year of the Xuande era of the Ming Dynasty. The temple faces south and covers an area of approximately 5,600 square meters. Its main structures include the Mountain Gate, Vajra Hall, Mahavira Hall, Pilu Hall, Bell and Drum Towers...
Gǔqiánbǎo Town is located 2 kilometers north of Tiānzhèn County. It borders Xīnghé County in Inner Mongolia to the north, Yánggāo County to the west, and Lǜjiāwān Town of the same county to the east. Covering a total area of 129.9 square kilometers, the region consists of equal parts mountainous hills and flat plains. The total cultivated land area is 44,830 mu, with 20,000 mu being irrigated farmland. The town administers 13 administrative villages...
Shuangcheng Bridge Shuangcheng Bridge is the collective name for two bridges built during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty — one to the east and one to the west of Dajiao Village. They are located along the official road between Xuanhua Prefecture and Datong Prefecture. During the Ming Dynasty, this official route served as a major corridor for transporting supplies and relaying messages between Datong Prefecture and Xuanhua Prefecture, two of the Nine Border Garrisons established to defend against southern incursions by Mongol tribes. It was also one of the primary channels for the Ming Dynasty to conduct border trade such as tea, horses, and textiles with northern nomadic tribes...
Han Tombs of Tianzhen CountyThe Han Tombs of Tianzhen County refer to the Shaliangpo Han Tomb Cluster, which consists of 41 burial mounds. Originally one of Tianzhen County’s protected cultural heritage sites, it was designated as a National Cultural Heritage site in May 2006. The tomb cluster is located on Shaliangpo Hill, about 8 li (approximately 4 kilometers) south of the county town, and is commonly known as "Huangliangdui" (literally "Piles of False Grain"). In 1973, a flood exposed one of the tombs, which was identified as from the Eastern Han Dynasty...
Memorial to the Victims of the Massacre Committed by Japanese Invaders On September 12, 1937, the Japanese Dongtiao Brigade and the puppet Mongolian troops invaded Tianzhen City through a gap in the northeast corner of the city wall. They split into three groups to massacre residents. One group of Japanese soldiers moving westward along the northern city wall intercepted over 300 residents attempting to flee the city at the North Gate, herding them into the Moon City...
The Jade Emperor Pavilion in Xinping Fort is located at the northernmost point of both Shanxi Province and Tianzhen County, bordering Hebei to the east and Inner Mongolia to the west and north — an area known as where “a rooster’s crow can be heard in three provinces.” The Ming Great Wall runs along the west and north sides of the fort, making it a strategic pass between the Xuanfu and Datong garrisons during the Ming Dynasty, as well as a frequent site of southern incursions and battles by Mongolian nomadic troops...
Heilong Temple Mountain Forest derives its name from the Heilong Temple. The entire mountain forest is located over 20 kilometers from the county town and is managed by the Heilong Temple Forest Farm. The farm’s administrative area spans the first to sixth gullies of Heilongbei Mountain, covering a mountainous area of 36,310 mu. “Heilongbei” is the colloquial name; in reality, it is the northern foothills of the main peak of Liubingtai, the second highest peak in Tianzhen. In the Qing Dynasty…
Former Residence of General Ma General Ma, named Fang and styled Dexin, was a native of Yu Prefecture. According to Volume 99 of the Biographies section in the Ming History (Ming Shi · Lie Zhuan Di Jiu Shi Jiu · Ma Fang), he was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Jizhen (Ji Town) in the 36th year of the Jiajing reign (1557) and soon afterward appointed as Commander of the Xuanhua Town. He passed away in the 9th year of the Wanli reign (1581) during the Ming Dynasty. When Ma Fang was ten years old, he was captured by the nomadic Aner tribe of the Mongols…
Baoping Fort
Pan Mountain Grottoes (Fourth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Era: Ming Dynasty Location: Hutuodian Village, Yuquan Town, Tianzhen County Carved in the fifth year of the Hongzhi reign during the Ming Dynasty (1492) under the supervision of guerrilla general Dong Gong. The grottoes are located on the eastern cliff of Pan Mountain, facing west, and consist of two caves to the north and south. Commonly known as the Big Stone Cave and the Small Stone Cave.
Shaliangpo Han Tombs ClusterShaliangpo Han Tombs Cluster (Sixth Batch National Heritage)Era: Han DynastyAddress: Southeast of Jifengyao Village, Nanhépu Township, Tianzhen CountyThe Shaliangpo Han Tombs Cluster in Tianzhen County, Datong City, is located on the Shaliangpo hill southeast of Jiajiayao Village, about 5 kilometers south of Tianzhen County town. There are currently 43 Han-era tombs of soldiers and officers with preserved earthen mounds. Tests have determined that they date back nearly 200…
Pan Mountain in Tianshan County Located about 4 kilometers southeast of Tianshan County, Pan Mountain is home to the Xianhua Temple, which was originally built in the second year of the Ming Dynasty's Xuande era (1427) as a syncretic temple of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The temple faces south and covers an area of 20,000 square meters. It includes structures such as the Weituo Hall, Sakyamuni Hall, and Manjusri Tower, while outside the courtyard stand the Jade Emperor Pavilion and the Ashoka Pagoda. To the south…