Wating City

　　Wating City is situated 30 kilometers north of the county seat, at the northern entrance of Danteng Gorge on the eastern foothills of the Liupan Mountains. It was one of the important passes in northwestern China during history. Surrounded by peaks and crisscrossed by routes, it lies in a deep valley that is both treacherous and easy to defend but hard to attack. Once an ancient battlefield where “armored cavalry charged forth with clashing weapons,” it earned the name “Iron Wating” and was a strategic military stronghold. A postal relay station was first established here during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and it remained a key stop along the post road through the ages. In March of the third year of the Guangxu reign (1877), Wei Guangtao renovated Wating City. The rebuilt city featured “thicker foundations, greater width and length, with newly constructed walls stretching over 690 steps and repaired sections spanning more than 188 steps. Built along the mountain’s contour, the walls stand between 2.7–3.6 zhang (approximately 9–12 meters) high, with a top width of 1.3 zhang and a base twice as wide. Watchtowers were erected atop the walls, with 524 crenellations, eight fortresses of various sizes, and seven water channels, transforming it into a ‘formidable stronghold.’ Since Wating City was built against the northern mountain, it only has gates on the east, south, and west sides, each adorned with stone inscriptions. The west gate is named ‘Consolidation’ (signifying its proximity to Gongchang and Guyuan, and also implying ‘the consolidation of the western frontier’); the south gate is called ‘Prosperity’ (indicating its connection to Longde and Huaping Direct-Controlled Prefecture, and also carrying the meaning of ‘graceful benevolence and transformation’); the east gate is named ‘Pacification’ (referring to its boundary with Zhenyuan and Pingliang, and also meaning ‘pacifying the Western barbarians’). The current pass city is the one rebuilt in the late Qing Dynasty. Lush peaks, sturdy walls, weeping willows, and murmuring streams create a picturesque scene. On clear days after rain, visitors who climb to a high vantage point can gaze down upon a landscape of billowing clouds, misty hues, and ethereal smoke, forming a breathtaking view as the fog gathers and disperses.