A Gate from a Lost Fortress City

Yi County sits on the ancient pathway of western Liaoning, where the first county-level administration dates back over 2,200 years. Its longest-lived identity was Yizhou Wei, a garrison town name that endured for more than 850 years. In the first year of the Xuande reign (1426), the old earthen walls were replaced with brick, creating a square fortress with walls stretching over 5,000 meters in circumference, rising more than 9 meters high, with a base width of 5.9 meters tapering to 3.9 meters at the top.↗↗

Four gates pierced the walls, each crowned with a double-eaved watchtower and guarded by a semicircular barbican: Xichun (East), Yongqing (South), Qingfeng (West), and Antai (North). Today, only Antai Gate remains. The others vanished during the systematic demolition of the city walls in the late 1950s and 1970s, after damage from the 1948 Yixian battle in the Liaoshen Campaign had already weakened much of the structure.↗↗

Restoration and Reopening

Decades of wind and rain left the surviving gate arch badly deteriorated. In 2014, the county government launched a major preservation project; structural repairs were completed by October 2015. After a period of interior finishing and site development, Antai Gate opened to the public in May 2022, then closed again for further refinement in 2024, reopening on September 14 of that year. It was recognized as a county-level protected site in 1986 and elevated to Liaoning provincial-level protection in October 2014.↗

What You Will See

The original double-layered iron-plated gates and the enclosing moon-city walls no longer exist; what stands today is a carefully restored masonry gate arch that conveys the solidity and scale of Ming frontier fortification. The gate sits at the north end of Beijie Street, with the broad Daling River and its national wetland park directly beyond. On summer evenings, local residents stroll along the riverfront paths, and the restored gate silhouettes against the setting sun.↗↗

The site is compact—you can walk fully around it in a few minutes—but its value lies in what it represents: a 600-year-old threshold into a vanished world of garrison towns along the Liaoxi corridor. Interpretive signage and the broader restoration context add layers for history-minded visitors.↗

Nearby Highlights

Antai Gate sits in the heart of Yi County's historic district, only a few minutes' drive from the Guangsheng Temple Pagoda—one of the finest surviving Liao Dynasty brick towers, standing nearly 50 meters tall with intricate Buddhist relief carvings dating to 1107. The early-20th-century Yi County railway station, a Japanese-style heritage building now serving as a cultural exhibition hall, is another short stop. Together, these three sites provide a compressed tour spanning from the Liao Dynasty through Ming fortifications to modern industrial history.↗↗

Practical Information

Antai Gate is an open-air relic site on North Street in the town of Yizhou. During the peak summer season (late April to mid-October), opening hours extend until 21:00, while in cooler months the site closes around 16:00. A short break in late January coincides with Chinese New Year. Entrance is ticketed; check the Qunar listing for the most current schedule.↗

The site pairs well with a riverside walk at the Daling River Wetland Park opposite the gate. For visitors coming by car from Jinzhou city center (roughly 40 kilometers), combine Antai Gate with Fengguo Temple, the Guangsheng Temple Pagoda, and the old railway station for a rewarding half-day cultural route through Yi County.↗