Ruins of the Yongle Ancient Fortress from the Ming Dynasty

　　The Yongle Ancient Fortress is situated in Yongle Township, on the eastern outskirts of Guiyang. Constructed during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1403–1424), it was built as a military garrison. The fortress has an overall layout in the shape of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), consisting of an inner and outer city, with four gates facing east, south, west, and north. It covers a total area of 16,800 square meters, with a built-up area of 8,500 square meters. Today, only the western gate and several sections of the city walls (low ramparts), totaling 1,650 meters in length, 3 meters in height, and 2 meters in thickness, remain. The overall layout of the fortress is divided into an inner and an outer section. Both parts feature grand buildings and surrounding walls (fortifications). The inner wall was constructed around the mountaintop of Yongle Mountain, enclosing the inner fortress, which originally housed major structures such as the Jade Emperor Hall, the Horse King Temple, and the Five Manifestations Tower—all of which were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (“0”). The inner wall follows the mountain ridges on the east, west, south, and north sides, with four gates (east, south, west, and north) connecting the fortress to the outside. The area between the outer and inner walls was reserved for the nobility and elite, while the outer fortress mainly housed commoners. This layout conforms to traditional Chinese fortress design principles, reflecting considerations for defense and security.