The Datong Garrison (Chinese: 大同鎮; pinyin: Dàtóngzhèn) was one of the Nine Garrisons established by the Ming dynasty to defend the northern border and the Great Wall.
The area of responsibility was to defend the outer stretch of the Great Wall, starting from Piantou Pass on the Yellow River and extending northeast to Shahukou. It then continued further east, going north of Datong and reaching as far as Huai'an, which is located 40 km west of Zhangjiakou in Hebei. This section of the wall is connected to the Xuanfu Garrison. The wall, which was under the jurisdiction of the Datong Garrison, was constructed during the mid-16th century in response to repeated attacks by the Mongols, led by Altan Khan. In total, the Datong Garrison was responsible for protecting 330 km of the Great Wall.[1]
The garrison was under the command of Xuanda[2] and its headquarters were located in present-day Datong, Shanxi.[1]
To the east, the Datong Garrison shared a border with the Xuanfu Garrison, and to the west, it bordered the Yansui Garrison.[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Jing, Ai (2015). A History of the Great Wall of China. sCPG Publishing Corporation. pp. 90–93. ISBN 9781938368172.
- ^ Fang, Jun (2014). China's Second Capital - Nanjing under the Ming, 1368-1644. Routledge. p. 87. ISBN 978-0415855259.