Diaoyu Fortress

The Diaoyucheng, or Diaoyu Fortress, is located on the Diaoyu Mountain in Chongqing, China. The castle is known for its resistance to the Mongol armies in the latter half of the Song dynasty.

History of Diaoyu Fortress

The death of Mongol leader Möngke Khan during the siege of Diaoyucheng resulted in the immediate withdrawal of Mongol troops from Syria and East Asia. Although the Mongols and the Southern Song were united in their fight to bring down the Jurchen Jin 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.

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 kilometres east of Hechuan, Chongqing, near the confluence of the Qu, Fu, and Jialing rivers.

As it contains many historical sites such as a naval wharf, drilling grounds, watch towers, and a fortification with built-in cannons, Diaoyu was placed on the World Cultural Heritage Tentative List.

Diaoyu Fortress Today

The main sites worth looking at contain the gate, the palace, the military camp, and water army wharf. Other scenic sites in the area include the Diaoyutai Islands, Huguo Temple, and Xuanfo Temple. Furthermore, there are poems, reliefs, and inscriptions about with information about the site’s culture and history.

It is well worth hiring an English-speaking guide for the most immersive and thorough experience possible. Visit the nearby historic fishing town too: known as Diao Yu Cheng, it is a site with historic, cultural, and national significance in accompaniment with the other beautiful sites in the area.

Getting to Diaoyu Fortress

It takes just ninety minutes from the downtown city centre of Chongqing to reach the Diaoyu Fortress. Travelling on Yu Wu Expressway is a good option. It will take you through 5 very long tunnels that pass through the mountains, from where you can view Bei Bei Town, the Fishing Terrace, Three Saints Cliff, Bei Wen Quan, Sleeping Buddha, Thousand Buddha Cliff Zhong Yi Ci, and Jin Yu Shan.