Yanzhou Village

Yanzhou Village (Chinese: 燕州城) is a small settlement in Dengta Prefecture of Liaoyang Prefecture in Liaoning Province in China. The village is the site of the ancient Goguryeo city of Baegam (Hangul :백암성, Hanja :白巖城) in Korea or Baiyan City (Chinese: 白岩城) in Chinese. The ancient city was the scene a major battle between the Tang dynasty Chinese emperor Taizong and the Goguryeo in 645 AD.^[1]

The city dates to 403 AD and was built by the Goguryeo people who occupied much of the Liaodong Peninsula, modern Jilin province, Northern Korean Peninsula and part of the Primorsky Krai in modern Russia. Yanzhou was a major city at the frontier between the Goguryeo and Tang dynasty China. The city was built on a ridge on the northern side of the Taizi river. Cliffs form the southern side and a high defensive wall formed an arch round the west, north and east. The land slopes such that the eastern side of the city is significantly higher than the west. The site is about 480 metres long and 440 metres wide. The city walls, which are still visible today, cover some 1840 metres.^[2] They were 2 to 3 metres thick and between 5 and 8 metres high with towers at regular intervals along its length. At the top of the ridge is a square tower with a wall enclosed area to its east. The gate to the city was to the west, near the river. The construction is of rough-cut stone built dry without mortar.

In 642 AD, the Goguryeo had a war with the neighbouring land of Silla on the Korean Peninsula. The Silla appealed to the Tang Emperor for assistance and in 645, the Emperor Taizong attacked the Goguryeo.^[3] The Tang first captured nearby Liaodong City. Then in June, they attacked at Yanzhou lead by Tang Jun and after fierce fighting and some notable heroics by the Emperor and his generals, won.

The old city walls in Yanzhou are now a protected site of Lioaning province.

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