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About Hailongtun
A sequence of passes controlled the approach, including Feihu and Feilong, while the summit preserves the remains of the Bozhou chiefdom’s stronghold. The site is best understood as an ascent through defensive layers. Allow for steps and uneven ground, and distinguish surviving ruins from the buildings that once stood here.
The Yang clan traced its rule over Bozhou (播州) to 876, when the chieftain Yang Duan (杨端) established control there, and twenty-seven generations of Yang chieftains followed until 1600. Amid the Mongol advance into Sichuan in the 1250s, the Song commissioner Yang Wen (杨文) built a fortified city on Longyan Mountain (龙岩山) in 1257 using government funds, though it saw no fighting at the time. In 1596 the twenty-ninth chieftain, Yang Yinglong (杨应龙), rebuilt the fort as his headquarters after disputes with the Ming court turned to rebellion.
The site lies about 40 kilometers north of Zunyi, on a spur of the Dalou Mountains where the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau descends toward the Sichuan Basin. The Baisha River (白沙水) wraps around the foot of the mountain, which rises from about 970 meters to roughly 1,350 meters at the summit, with cliffs enclosing the site on every side except a ridge at the southwest end. About 5.6 kilometers of wall remain over a total area of 1.59 square kilometers.
Rediscovered by heritage workers after lying buried for centuries, the fortress was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in 2001, and its World Heritage inscription later made it Guizhou's second World Heritage Site.
What to look for
- Feihu and Feilong passes show the layered defence of the mountain approach.
- The fortress ruins and surrounding cliffs reveal how the stronghold used its terrain.
Background & history
Hailongtun (simplified Chinese: 海龙屯; traditional Chinese: 海龍屯; pinyin: Hǎilóngtún; lit. 'Sea Dragon Castle') is a ruined fortress on the Longyan Mountain, in Hailongtun Village, Gaoping Town, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China. It was the stronghold of the Chiefdom of Bozhou until its destruction by the Ming dynasty after the Bozhou rebellion. Considered the only well-preserved site of a true feudal castle in China, Hailongtun is one of the three Tusi sites designated by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site on July 3, 2015. Hailongtun was established in 1257 during the Southern Song dynasty. It served as the stronghold of the Chiefdom of Bozhou, ruled by the Yang family, from the Southern Song to the Ming dynasty. In the 28th year of the Wanli reign (1600), the Ming defeated the Bozhou rebellion, with the last tusi Yang Yinglong committing suicide and the castle was burned down.
Excerpt from Wikipedia: Hailongtun · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.
Location & getting there
Getting to Hailongtun
Travel to Hailongtun Village in Gaoping town, Zunyi, and use the fortress scenic-area entrance at Longyan Mountain. Arrange the final road transfer to the visitor area before beginning the signed uphill route.
Combine your visit
Suggested order for the visit:
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Mountain approach and lower defences
Read how access was controlled.
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Feihu and Feilong passes
Compare the successive gateways.
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Upper fortress ruins
Continue only as far as the open route and your ability allow.
This is an editorial sequence of named spaces or places. It does not imply a verified walking connection or promise opening, ticket availability or a journey time.
Find Hailongtun
海龙屯 · 遵义
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
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View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Hailongtun” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1364834269.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "海龙屯", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 92544891.