The land of China was once covered with ancient city walls, but in terms of building materials, there are only a few types, including bricks, stones or rammed earth, at most, the legendary egg whites and glutinous rice are added. However, in Runcheng Town, Yangcheng County, Shanxi Province, there is such an extremely rare ancient city called Diqicheng . Its walls are built with abandoned crucibles, like dense honeycombs, which look riddled with holes, but are actually extremely solid.
The specific date of the founding of Diyi City is unknown, but on the Wenchang Pavilion, the Wenchang Pavilion, which is a stele of the architectural planning of Diyi City called "A List of Mountain City". It is a brief record of Yang Zai in the 19th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1638). The figure details the geographical location of the city, the distribution of the main buildings, the area of each house, and the tunnels and facilities, so the construction of Diyi City should be before the late Ming Dynasty. This is also consistent with historical records. In the late Ming Dynasty, the wealthy town of Runcheng was attacked by bandits many times. In order to resist the bandits and protect themselves, villagers of Runcheng successively built three castles, Tuncheng, Liushancheng and Diqicheng. Hundreds of years have passed, and only the remains of Tuncheng and Liushancheng are preserved after disasters, and they are still as solid as today.
Diyi City is located in the northwest corner of Runcheng Town, 13 kilometers east of Yangcheng County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province. It is built on a small hill, connected to villages and towns in the south and to Qinhe River in the north. It is surrounded by water on three sides and is peninsula-shaped.
How to pronounce the two words "小"? The pronunciation of "小" is generally not wrong, while the pronunciation of "小" is "小" and why is it called Di小 City? The original meaning of "�" is whetstone, which is extended to be tempered, and also means the mainstay. The original meaning of "厎" is to add water to the pot, which also means to reach it. Because this castle stands in the water, it is like a rock-solid pillar standing upright in the middle, so it is called Diqi City.
The south gate of the entrance and exit of the Diqi City Scenic Area is also the only exit when the ancient city was first built. The gatehouse has three floors, with the letter "Diyicheng". There are two inner and outer city gates in the lowermost city gateway, and there is a gatehouse on the west side. There was originally an iron gate in front of the outer city gate. The middle layer is ammunition database , which memory cannons, gun lifts, shotguns, gunpowder , iron sand and other weapons and equipment. The top-floor city tower has windows on all sides, and an iron bell is hung inside for daily timing or call the police when encountering gangsters. The city is also equipped with water wells and mills, which can not only solve the residents' diet and water needs, but also prevent the enemy's fire attack. It can be said to be a comprehensive and thorough consideration.
From the outside, you can't see the uniqueness of Diji City, but when you walk in, you will find that it is unique. Most of the inner walls of this ancient castle are built with crucibles.
For many people, the crucible is actually a relatively unfamiliar word. What is this crucible used for? In ancient times, crucibles were containers that contained iron during iron smelting, and were generally made of refractory materials such as clay.
Then why can there be so many crucibles in this place? Because during the Ming and Qing dynasties when Diwei City was built, the local iron smelting and casting industry was very developed. The iron produced in Yangcheng and Zezhou alone accounted for 70% and 80% of the country at that time.
. Since the crucibles during iron smelting are basically disposable, a large number of crucibles will be generated. How to deal with these discarded crucibles has become a big problem. They are thrown around everywhere to pollute the environment, piled up together and occupy space. I don’t know who has a fantasy idea. They use them to build the city walls, which not only saves building materials, but also uses waste, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
is a crucible as the main body, plus river pebbles in the Qin River, and the middle is filled with iron slag and lime. These things are mixed together and calcified continuously. The longer the time, the stronger the stronger, so although the wall looks all holes, it is even stronger than ordinary blue brick walls.
Diyi City is not big, it only takes about an hour to walk around. There are also some attractions such as former residences, ancient streets and alleys in the city. In fact, not all the city walls are crucible walls, but part of them is made of blue bricks.
Why did this castle be built at that time? Because Runcheng Town, where Diwei City is located, was also one of the most developed places in Yangcheng's industry and commerce during the Ming and Qing dynasties. If you have money, you will attract bandits. In the chaotic times of the late Ming Dynasty, bandits were rampant in this area, so it was very necessary to build a city.
The primary function of the castle is defense. The roads in the city are like a net, and the layout is like a maze. The streets are narrow and long and deep, and the space is tortuous and changeable. Most of the alleys are in the shape of "Ding", and the mystery of "Gagua" is everywhere. Once the enemy breaks through the city wall, residents in the city can transfer or fight back through the aisles between courtyards and crossing buildings between neighborhoods. The narrow spider-web-like alleyway in the shape of "Ding" is not only unfavorable to attack, but also easily makes the invading enemy lose their direction.
There are also some famous people in Diyi City. In history, wealthy businessmen and tycoons have emerged here, with a strong literary style, and the number of imperial examination candidates in the county is the saying "one city, three Jinshi, ten Juren in the village". The most famous celebrity officials in the city are Zhang Ying, the governor of Shaanxi, and the highest academic achievements are Zhang Dunren, a mathematician in the Qing Dynasty.
In addition to folk houses, there are several small temples in the castle, including Heilong Temple, Sanguan Temple, Sanqing Temple, Land Temple, etc., which also represent the belief in the land and water.
The small temple in the city is not very interesting. If you like ancient buildings, it is recommended not to miss the Runcheng Dongyue Temple next to Dili City. This is a large temple with a magnificent scale. Like Dili City, it is the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.
During the War of Resistance and Liberation, Diyi City also left a lot of red past events. Zhu De also invited three local gentry to discuss the War of Resistance at the Three Holy Temple in Diyi City.
In 1941, the Japanese army also besieged Diqi City. It is said that in order to break through the city gate, the Japanese army used heavy weapons and continued to shell the city wall, but the city wall did not respond at all.
Don’t look at this hollow city wall, it should not be underestimated. The only bad thing is that people with intensive phobia are probably not suitable for traveling here.
There is a pair of newly built iron cows on the wall of Dili City. Looking at the water surface outside the city, I don’t know if it was there before, but it was destroyed and rebuilt or new.
In the small shop next to the iron beef, the uncle is baking local specialty date cakes. Shanxi has a wide variety of pasta and is cheap, which is a affordable and full food.
Looking out through the city wall. Outside is Runhu Park. The water system of the park is connected to Jincheng The largest river Qinshui . The city is like a golden beetle, which is the couplet on the city gate: "The golden beetle explores the beautiful scenery of the water, and the iron sand is built with a crucible for thousands of years."
Diyi City, now you know these two words, remember this unique ancient castle, right?
"Look at Shanxi in China, look at Yangcheng in Shanxi", the ancient castles in Qinshui River Basin have one after another, there were as many as 54 in history, and there are more than 10 well-preserved to this day. Each castle has its own characteristics and each castle has its own stories. The Diji City is undoubtedly the most unique one. Because traveling all over China, it is unlikely that there will be a second ancient castle built with a crucible wall, and it has stood for 500 years and is still as solid as a god.
