[Video provided to gojilin.gov.cn]

Wandu Mountain City, perched atop the rugged northern mountains of Ji'an county, Northeast China's Jilin province, was once the strategic royal capital of the ancient Gaogouli kingdom. Built with the land, not against it, this remarkable mountain fortress embodies the ingenuity of Gaogouli engineering.

Using the steep cliffs as natural defense and raising stone fortifications only where needed, the builders masterfully fused nature with architecture. With 4 to 5-meter walls crafted from wedge and shuttle-shaped stones locked tightly without mortar, the city was nearly impenetrable.

Inside the mountain city, the remains of the palace, watchtower, garrison camp, and reservoirs still whisper stories of a once-thriving capital. The palace, though long burned, leaves behind its stone foundations and scattered tiles. The watchtower, stationed on the southern ridge, stood as the city's vigilant eye.

Even after its fall, nobility returned to this scenic mountain to be laid to rest. Within and below its walls lie hundreds of tombs, each marking the legacy of a people who made the mountains their home.