Diaoyucheng
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2019) |
Điếu ngư thành | |
 The steep pathway up to the Huguo Gate of Diaoyucheng | |
  Location of Diaoyu Fortress  Diaoyucheng (Chongqing) | |
| Location |  China |
|---|---|
| Region | Hechuan District,Chongqing |
| Coordinates | 30°00′18″N106°18′54″E/ 30.005°N 106.315°E |
| History | |
| Founded | 1242 |
TheDiaoyucheng(simplified Chinese:Điếu ngư thành;traditional Chinese:Điếu ngư thành;pinyin:Diàoyúchéng), orDiaoyu Fortress,is a fortress located on the Diaoyu Mountain inHechuan District,Chongqing,across theJialing Riverfrom the city center of Hechuan. It is known for its resistance to theMongol armiesin the latter half of theSong dynasty.
History
[edit]The death of Mongol leaderMöngke Khanduring thesiege of Diaoyuchengresulted in the immediate withdrawal of Mongol troops from Syria and East Asia.
Although the Mongols and theSouthern Songwere united in their fight to bring down theJurchenJin dynasty,their pact broke immediately afterwards, and the Mongols launched an aggressive war against the tenacious Southern Song that lasted for more than a third of the 13th century. In the period from 1243 to 1279, Diaoyu experienced more than two hundred military confrontations in a miracle of "persistent resistance" that endured for thirty-six years.
Though numbering more than ten thousand and led by the Great KhanMöngkehimself, the Mongols were unable to take the tiny fortress. Yu Jian won many brilliant victories, culminating in the deaths of Möngke and his vanguard General Wang Tege. Sources differ on how Möngke actually died—Chinese sources largely claim that Möngke was mortally wounded by a crossbow arrow (this claim is corroborated by the writings of theSyriacmonkBar Hebraeus) or a stone projectile from acannonor trebuchet, while Persian sources suggest that Möngke died from infectious diseases likedysenteryorcholera(Chinese sources confirm the existence of an outbreak during the siege).[1]
Location
[edit]The ancient Diaoyu covers an area of 2.94 square kilometres. Situated on a hill surrounded by water on three sides, it is located about five kilometers east ofHechuan,Chongqing, near the confluence of the Qu, Fu andJialingrivers. The terrain is precipitous yet beautiful. About 700 years ago, Yu Jian built a fortress here to resist the Mongols during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279).[citation needed]
Sites
[edit]As it contains many historical sites—a naval wharf, drilling grounds, watch towers, and a fortification with built-in cannons—Diaoyu has been designated a major national cultural and historic site by China'sState Council[citation needed][when?],and on 28 August 2018 it was placed on the World Cultural Heritage Tentative List.[2]
See also
[edit]- Diaoyucheng,a 2012 Chinese opera based on the historic battle
- Siege of Diaoyucheng
- Sichuan anti-Mongol fortresses
References
[edit]- ^Pow, Stephen (2017)."Fortresses that Shatter Empires: A Look at Möngke Khan's Failed Campaign against the Song Dynasty, 1258–1259".Annual of Medieval Studies at CEU.27.Central European University:102–105.
- ^"A glimpse into the Diaoyu Fortress - People's Daily Online".
