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Fishing Town

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Fishing Town or Fishing City (Simplified Chinese: 钓鱼城; Traditional Chinese: 釣鱼城; Pingyin: diaoyucheng), also called the “Oriental Mecca” and “the Place That Broke God's Whip”, is one of the three great ancient battlefields of China. It is famous for its resistance to the Mongol armies in the latter half of the Song Dynasty. One of the most notable events was the death of Mongol leader Mongke Khan by cannon shot, which forced the immediate withdrawal of Mongol troops from Europe and Asia and prevented the Mongolian Empire from expanding towards Africa.

The Mongols launched an aggressive war against the Song dynasty in the thirteenth century. In the period from 1243 to 1279, Fishing Town experienced more than two hundred military confrontations in a miracle of "persistent resistance" that lasted for thirty-six years.

The ancient Fishing Town covers an area of 2.94 square kilometers. Situated on a hill surrounded by water on three sides, it is located about five kilometers east of Hechuan, Chongqing, near the confluence of the Qu, Fu and Jialing rivers. The terrain is precipitous yet beautiful. About seven hundred years ago, Yu Jian built a fortress here to resist the Mongols during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

Though numbering more than ten thousand and led by the Great Khan Mongke himself, the Mongols were unable to take the tiny fortress. Yu Jian won many brilliant victories, culminating in the deaths of Mongke and his vanguard General Wang Tege. Known as 'the Whip of God' due to his distinguished record in battle, Mongke was wounded by a cannon blast at Fishing Town and eventually died on July 21, 1258 (although according to some accounts he died of accident or illness while campaigning). For this reason, Fishing Town is known to European and Asian historians as “The Place That Broke God's Whip”. Because it contains many historical sites—a naval wharf, drilling grounds, watch towers, and a fortification with built-in cannons—Fishing Town has been designated a major national cultural and historic site by the State Council.

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Last updated on Saturday March 08, 2008 at 00:13:21 PST (GMT -0800)
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