Xingcheng 兴城

About Xingcheng

Four gates, corner defences and the central Drum Tower make its military organisation legible within a living town. South Street adds the stone memorial arches of the Zu brothers, linking the streetscape with the families associated with frontier service. The seaside and hot-spring areas belong to a wider Xingcheng trip; the walled town is a coherent visit in its own right.

The name Xingcheng originated in 990, during the Liao dynasty, when Xingcheng county (兴城县) was established with its seat on Taohua Island (桃花岛). In 1428, during the Ming dynasty, Ningyuan garrison (宁远卫) was established here as a border defense town, and the resulting walled city is now the most completely preserved Ming-dynasty city in China; its outer wall no longer survives, but the inner wall has been maintained through repeated repairs. Fighting here in 1626 is traditionally linked to the wounding of the Later Jin khan Nurhaci by cannon fire, though most Qing historians hold that he died of illness eight months later.

The square inner wall measures about 825.5 meters north-south and 803.7 meters east-west, with a total height of 10.1 meters, built of stone and brick around a rammed-earth core. Each side has a central gate with a semicircular barbican, named Chunhe (春和) in the east, Yanhui (延辉) in the south, Yongning (永宁) in the west and Weiyuan (威远) in the north, and the four corners carry raised platforms once used for cannon. At the crossing of the main streets stands a three-story Drum Tower (鼓楼), 17.2 meters high, whose interior now houses excavated artifacts.

What to look for

• The walls, four gates and central Drum Tower of the former Ningyuan garrison town.
• The Zu brothers' stone memorial arches on South Street.

Location & getting there

Getting to Xingcheng

For the old-town route, use Yanhui Gate, the south gate of the walled centre, and continue along South Street. Xingcheng's coastal resort area is a separate destination.