Yongtai Fortress | |
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Native name 永泰古城 (Chinese) | |
Type | Fortress |
Location | Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu |
Coordinates | 37°08′08″N 103°50′48″E / 37.13564°N 103.84662°E |
Built | 1608 |
Yongtai Fortress is a village and historical fortress town in Sitan Township, Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu, China.[1][2][3] Built in 1608 by the Ming dynasty rulers to defend against attacks from northern minorities, it stationed 2000 infantrymen and 500 cavalry units.[4] The entire fort is enclosed by a rammed earth wall including defensive towers. Due to desertification, the village is now mostly abandoned, dropping from 1500 people in the 1950s, to around 100 today.[5][6][7]