The Watchtowers of Watchtowers

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The watchtower inside the village, constructed at a point of strategic importance thatwas easy to defend and difficult to attack, served the garrisoned troops during wartime. Thebrick tower stands on a granite—slab base, with shooting ports, windows, and arch gates allbrick in structure.

The cube-shaped three-story watchtower measures 10 meters on all sides. The lowerpart is solid. The central level hosts a square brick chamber with four windows open oneach sides of the exterior corridor, for the purpose of observing the enemy’s movementsand shooting firearms. A brick stairway leads to the top of the tower, on which is a parapetwith indentations for defense.

There are also imposing watchtowers on both sides of the “One—Line Sky” mountainpass to the northwest of the village. Traveling along the mountain valley, one will comeupon another watchtower, well-preserved, on the mountainside. Strategically arrayed atvarying altitudes in the mountain, sentries in these watchtowers were able to guard well thevillage, and enemies were unable to trespass without being seen.

A historical lookout tower. Beautiful Xiangyangkou.