Sunlü City Cultural Site

North of Shanxu Natural Village on Fenghuang Mountain, four kilometres east of Anyi County seat, stands the ancient city of Sunlü. It was built in the 7th year of the Huangwu reign (228 AD) of the Three Kingdoms period by Sun Lü, Marquis of Jianchang and the third son of Sun Quan, King of Eastern Wu. The city has a history of 1,778 years.

Records can be found in Records of the Three Kingdoms and Taiping Huanyu Ji (Records of the World in the Taiping Era). In 228 AD, Sun Quan conferred upon his third son the title of Marquis of Jianchang. In the 2nd year of the Huanglong reign (230 AD), important court officials including Gu Yong, Prime Minister of Wu, and the Palace Secretariat submitted a memorial, recommending that Sun Lü be appointed General Who Guards the Nation. Sun Quan approved the proposal.

Sun Lü then set up his official residence to govern Banzhou, covering most areas west of present-day Jiujiang. The regions around Jiujiang, Pengze and Hukou served as the major naval base of Eastern Wu. Taking lessons from the Battle of Shiting (present-day Qianshan in Anhui Province) led by Wu general Lu Xun, Sun Quan had to build military strongholds in the mountainous areas surrounding this key naval zone. Hence, Sunlü City was constructed for military defence purposes.

The city covered an area of 50 mu. The earthen city wall stood two zhang high and more than one zhang thick, with four city gates facing east, west, south and north respectively. The East Gate had a large stone pavilion; the West Gate housed the White Horse Hall; the South Gate featured a stone well; and a pond lay outside the North Gate.

Outside the North Gate was an earthen mound known as the Wooden Fish Mound, which was said to be a sentry post for defending soldiers. The stone well by the South Gate never dried up in winter or summer. Later it was renovated and refaced with red stones into an octagonal shape, hence the name Octagonal Red Stone Well.

In 1937, when a highway was being constructed, local villagers unearthed numerous ancient weapons from the Wooden Fish Mound and the Octagonal Well. The relics included great broadswords weighing six to seven kilograms, iron maces weighing four kilograms, spears, bows and swords.

The ruins of Sunlü City remain intact today and are listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the Jiangxi Provincial Leve