UPDATED JUNE 10, 2024, minor update MAY 9, 2026
A recent discussion in the comment section of my previous blog post has
sparked my interest in learning more about Chinese fortification (that and
marathoning
Castles!
YouTube video series). To my surprise, despite having some of the most
well-known fortifications in the world such as the Great Wall of China,
Chinese fortification is very little studied and understood, and researching
for information proved more difficult than my anticipation due to various
reasons. Chief among the reasons is the large-scale movement to demolish old
city walls in the 1920 to 1950s as China tried to modernise (in fact there are
only three places with authentic and relatively intact major city walls:
Pingyao, Jingzhou, and some parts of Xi'an), meaning that many historical
sites, along with the knowledge about their designs, were wiped out. Modern
historians also tend to overlook military history, so many design features on
the surviving walls are either misunderstood, misnamed, or forgotten
altogether. It doesn't help that many available information are diluted for
tourist consumption, and tour guides certainly don't make good historians!
Due to the emphasis on protecting the settlement, fortified wall became the centrepiece of Chinese fortification. A wall was the last line of defence against the attackers, and very often the first line as well. Thus it is no surprise that Chinese people became the world's greatest wall builders. Virtually all cities and towns in China, as well as a significant numbers of villages, were walled. In contrast, Chinese fortification layout tend to be very simple. The vast majority of Chinese walled cities were nothing more than settlements surrounded by a wall and a moat, with the main city gate almost always placed facing the south.
Overview
For most of its long history, China was ruled by a centralised bureaucratic government and had a highly nationalised military establishment. As China's centralised government could mobilise more resources and form cohesive defence strategy on a grand scale, Chinese fortification strategy focused on building up an interconnected network of fortified settlements, military fortresses, outposts, chokepoints, postal/relay stations, watchtowers, and most importantly, the Great Wall. As such, Chinese people generally did not build fortified private residence in the manner of European medieval castle (barring a few notable exceptions, such as the late Ming-high Qing period House of the Huangcheng Chancellor), and the state would've actively discourage such practise.Due to the emphasis on protecting the settlement, fortified wall became the centrepiece of Chinese fortification. A wall was the last line of defence against the attackers, and very often the first line as well. Thus it is no surprise that Chinese people became the world's greatest wall builders. Virtually all cities and towns in China, as well as a significant numbers of villages, were walled. In contrast, Chinese fortification layout tend to be very simple. The vast majority of Chinese walled cities were nothing more than settlements surrounded by a wall and a moat, with the main city gate almost always placed facing the south.
Parts of a Chinese fortification
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| Basic layout of a Chinese city gate, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'. |
