Diaoyu Fortress, Military fortress in Hechuan District, China.

Diaoyu Fortress stands on Diaoyu Mountain, a 2.5 sq km peninsula formed where the Jialing and Qu rivers meet east of Hechuan. It has an inner and an outer city; the outer wall is built of stacked stone blocks along the cliff edges, and eight gates pierce the perimeter, among them Huguo Gate, reached by a long flight of stone steps. Inside lie fields and the Shiguan spring, which never dries.

The fortress played a significant role during the Southern Song Dynasty, resisting numerous attacks between 1243 and 1279 when Mongol forces attempted to capture it. A prolonged siege was one of the major confrontations that tested both defenders and attackers.

The name Diaoyu, "angling fish", comes from a local legend: a giant deity fished the Jialing River here to feed the starving people of Hezhou during a famine. Inside the walls residents kept fields and the Shiguan spring, whose water never dried, so they farmed in spring and stored grain and firewood in autumn while holding the fortress.

The site is accessible daily, and visitors should wear comfortable shoes for walking up the mountain, as there are steps and uneven terrain. Plan to spend enough time exploring the different areas of the compound, as the grounds are quite large.

The name Diaoyu, "angling fish", comes from a local legend: a giant deity fished the Jialing River here to feed the starving people of Hezhou during a famine. The mountain's southern summit holds a huge boulder overlooking the river, and the site sits on Danxia landform. The fortress was inscribed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level on 20 November 1996.