Exploring the living fossil of ancient Chinese cities - Yi'an Fort, lost in the mountains of southern Fujian

Yi'an Fort 💌 Address: Village Chengnei, Huxi Township, Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province Compared with the 'miniature Bianjing' Zhaojiabao 3 kilometers away, this free-to-visit gathering place of She and Han people in southern Fujian is not very famous, but it is a national key cultural relic that is included in the 'Dictionary of Chinese Tourist Attractions'. When you arrive at the ancient fort, you will regret your previous neglect. It turns out that not only the north has such grand and meticulous military castles. Yi'an Fort is located in Chengnei Village, Huxi She Ethnic Township, 34 kilometers away from the county town. It is known as 'Huxi Wuli Three Forts (City)' together with Zhaojiabao (City) and Xincheng (Lantingzhen Mansion). It is a rare and well-preserved typical southern Fujian residential ancient castle from the Qing Dynasty. Built in the 26th year of Kangxi (1687) by Huang Xingzhen, who once served as the inspector of Guangxi, the governor of Hunan, and the Qing of Taichang Temple, the clan lived together to resist the enemy, and it has been 330 years so far. The long-neglected city wall is still towering and magnificent, with extraordinary momentum. It is more than 1,200 meters long, 6.7 meters high, and 2.2 meters wide. It is all built with huge strip stones. The outer part of the top of the wall is built with a three-in-one soil parapet more than 2 meters high, with 365 embrasures (for the number of days in a year, implying that it will continue forever) and several cannon holes. Fragrance invades the ancient road Qing Cui connects the deserted city The horse road on the city wall is winding, very 'fragrant invades the ancient road, Qing Cui connects the deserted city'. The concrete tamped embrasure is full of cracks, some leaning in, some covered with vines, but standing upright. Yi'an Fort is a miniature and living fossil of ancient Chinese cities. There are still hundreds of descendants of the Huang family living in the fort. The 95 rows of houses built that year, with 10 rooms in each row, are basically well preserved. There is an 8-meter-wide stone-paved street between each row of houses for vertical and horizontal communication, and the city's architecture is therefore orderly. Looking down at Yi'an Fort from the city wall, it looks like an ancient camp. There are 4 city gates in the whole city, each with a width and depth of 4 meters. The east, west, and south gates are built with city gates. The south gate is the main gate, engraved with 'Yi'an'; the east gate is engraved with 'Yingxi'; the west gate is engraved with 'Yuxiu'; the north gate is engraved with 'Chunqing'. It is said that the local custom does not open the north gate, so the north gate has been closed. There was once a moat that was 10 meters wide and deep between the south gate and the west gate, but it has been abandoned for a long time, leaving only a few small ponds. The area of Yi'an Fort is not much different from that of Zhaojiabao, but the plan of Yi'an Fort is lock-shaped, and the plan of Zhaojiabao is square. From the architectural style, Yi'an Fort was built in imitation of Zhaojiabao, so the two forts are also known as sister forts. Mottled walls, deep alleys The castle symbolizing merit and fame The houses in the city are well-organized, the alleys are clear, the layout is orderly, and they are integrated. As time goes by, today's Yi'an Fort is not a popular attraction, but it is still so quiet. People live according to the original rhythm. In leisure, I can't help but have a selfish thought, I hope it won't be disturbed too much by the outside world, and don't let commercialization change its taste. Enter the city gate and climb up the city wall along the stone steps to overlook the panoramic view of the ancient castle, In your spare time, let's walk into this simple and quiet military castle and feel the breath of history!