The most worthwhile ancient building ruins in Shanxi: Xiangyu Castle

It takes more than an hour to drive from Zhengzhou The "Three Capitals Ancient City" of Qinshui, Shanxi, is located in Xiangyu Village, Zhengcun Town, southeast of Qinshui County. It is at the junction of Qinshui, Yangcheng and Zezhou counties. It borders Zezhou County to the east, Yangcheng Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion to the south, and Zhao Shuli's former residence to the west. "Sandu Ancient City" is a famous private castle in Shanxi Province. It is the hometown of brothers Sun Juxiang, the Minister of Revenue during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and Sun Dingxiang, the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. The ancient city was built in the 42nd year of Wanli (1614 AD) and completed in the 7th year of Chongzhen (1634 AD) in the Ming Dynasty. It has a history of more than 400 years. The total length of the castle wall is 760 meters. There are two east-west streets and nine north-south lanes in the city. The overall layout of the streets and lanes is "three horizontal and nine vertical", and the floor plan presents a "chessboard" shape. There will be various buildings such as residential houses, temples, ancestral halls, meeting halls, official residences, academies, and military storage towers. The castle is built on stone walls and steep slopes. From a distance, it is tall and majestic. There is a moat in front of the castle, and a stone bridge is built on the river, which is the main entrance and exit of the castle. This castle is completely different from the traditional Qiao Family Courtyard, Wang Family Courtyard and Liu Wencai Courtyard. This is a real castle with military defense functions. Its solidity is not only difficult for bandits, but also for government troops to break through. Therefore, the castle deserves to be the world's first private castle.