Diaoyu Fortress stands on a rocky hill at Hechuan, about seventy kilometres northwest of Chongqing, where the Jialing, Qujiang and Fujiang rivers meet. The site is a fortified hill town built by the Southern Song in 1243, and its importance is simple: it resisted Mongol siege for thirty-six years, from 1243 to 1279, and it was the place where the Mongol khan Mongke died in 1259.
Why it mattered
The Mongols were at that point the most successful military power in the world, and the death of the khan at Diaoyu forced the withdrawal of the main army from the campaigns in the west to settle the succession. The fortress held because of its design: a steep-sided hill with cliffs, protected on three sides by rivers, supplied with wells and fields inside the walls so that it could feed itself during a blockade, and connected to the outside by a system of river forts and boats. The Song defenders held it until after the dynasty had already fallen elsewhere.
What is there now
The walls, gates, ramparts and several of the defensive structures have been restored or rebuilt, and you can walk the circuit of the hilltop with views over the river junction on both sides. There are steles, temples, a museum with weapons and documents from the period, and the Hu Guo Temple inside the walls. The cliff below the walls carries carved inscriptions and Buddhist figures added in later centuries. The town inside the fortifications still has houses and streets, and it is not a sterile ruin.
Practical information
Hechuan is reached from Chongqing by train or bus in about an hour and a half, followed by a taxi to the site. Admission is charged, the site is open during normal daytime hours, and the walk around the walls involves a considerable amount of climbing and stairs. Allow half a day including transport.
Who should go
Anyone interested in Chinese military history or in the Mongol conquests will find Diaoyu one of the most interesting sites in the country, and it is almost empty compared with Chongqing's urban attractions. Read about the siege beforehand; there is limited English interpretation on site.
