Yanzhou Village, Ancient fortified settlement in Dengta, China

Yanzhou Village is a Goguryeo stone-walled mountain city on Shicheng Hill in Dengta, Liaoning. Its outer wall follows the hill in an irregular square 480 m long and 440 m wide, with a perimeter of 1,840 m; the wall is 2–3 m thick and 5–8 m high. The south side rests on a cliff above the Taizi River, while the north wall has five protruding bastions and inner stairs. A 5 m watchtower stands on the summit inside a 45 by 35 m stone enclosure.

Built in 403 AD when Goguryeo took Liaodong from Later Yan, the stone hillfort was first called Baiyan City. In 645, during Tang Taizong's campaign against Goguryeo, general Li Ji captured it and it was renamed Yanzhou. The Liao dynasty added to the walls and made it an administrative seat; under the Jin it was called Shicheng County, and Yuan and Ming forces repaired it for defense.

The stone walls here show how the Goguryeo people built their defenses, stacking rough-cut blocks without mortar in patterns you can still see today. This construction style tells you something about what mattered to them: strength and durability in a border settlement.

The site sits 20 kilometers east of Liaoyang and 50 kilometers south of Shenyang, reachable by paved roads from neighboring towns. Visits are most rewarding when weather is clear, allowing you to see the stone walls in detail and walk the ridge terrain comfortably.

The north wall, built on gentler ground, carries five protruding bastions (mamian) on its outer face and stairs inside, with square platforms on top for watch duty. The gate lay on the west side, doubling as the slope's drainage outlet.