🇨🇳 Country

Castles in China

115 landmarks in the Castlemap atlas — every one mapped with a photo and its story, 72 with sourced founding dates, ranked by Wikipedia coverage and real readership.

The most famous castle in China is Forbidden City, ranked #3 of 7,738 in the world — followed by Potala Palace and Summer Palace.

The Castlemap atlas charts 13 castles, 71 fortresses, 15 palaces & châteaux and 16 ruins in China. They span more than 26 centuries — from Great Wall of China (founded 700 BC) to Jianguomen (Xi'an) (1939). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of China.

Map of castles in China

On the map they cluster thickest around Beijing — 23 within a 100 km day trip, then Zhongshan (22) and Hong Kong (21). The northernmost is Jiaohe Ruins, the southernmost Xiuying Fort.

Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Beijing · Castles near Langfang · Castles near Shenzhen · Castles near Hong Kong · Castles near Nanjing · Castles near Zhuhai — and 1 more in the city index.

See them on the map →

When they were built

Of the 115 landmarks mapped in China, 72 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 19th century — 16 of them. 30 predate 1500 and 26 were built after 1700.

All 115 castles in China

Forbidden City
Palace & château · 15th century · #3 worldwide · #1 in China
The Forbidden City is the imperial palace complex in the center of the Imperial City in Beijing, China.
Potala Palace
Palace & château · 7th century · #31 worldwide · #2 in China
Potala Palace is a museum complex in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
Summer Palace
Palace & château · #60 worldwide · #3 in China
The Summer Palace or Yihe Garden was built by the Chinese Empress Cixi as a pavilion for quiet retreat.
Old Summer Palace
Ruin · 19th century · #142 worldwide · #4 in China
The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan or Yuanmingyuan Park, originally called the Imperial Gardens, and sometimes called the Winter…
Great Wall of China
Fortress · 7th century BC · #173 worldwide · #5 in China
The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and…
Shanhai Pass
Castle · 14th century · #219 worldwide · #6 in China
The Shanhai Pass is a major fortified gateway at the eastern end of the Great Wall of China and one of its most crucial fortifications, as the pass…
Fujian Tulou
Castle · 12th century · #245 worldwide · #7 in China
The Fujian tulou are Chinese rural dwellings unique to the Hakka in the mountainous areas in southeastern Fujian, China.
Norbulingka
Palace & château · 18th century · #311 worldwide · #8 in China
Norbulingka is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet built from 1755.
Yonghe Temple
Palace & château · 17th century · #335 worldwide · #9 in China
The Yonghe Temple is a temple and monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism located on 12 Yonghegong Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing,…
Mukden Palace
Palace & château · 17th century · #370 worldwide · #10 in China
Mukden Palace, or Shenyang Imperial Palace, is the former palace of the Later Jin dynasty and the early Qing dynasty.
Badaling
Fortress · 16th century · #11 in China
Badaling is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 80 kilometers northwest of Beijing's city center, in…
Gaochang
Ruin · 1st century BC · #12 in China
Gaochang, also called Khocho, Karakhoja, Qara-hoja, Kara-Khoja or Karahoja, was an ancient oasis city on the northern rim of the inhospitable…
Chengde Mountain Resort
Palace & château · 18th century · #13 in China
Chengde Mountain Resort is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens situated in the Shuangqiao District of Chengde in northeastern Hebei…
Yumen Pass
Ruin · #14 in China
Yumen Pass, or Jade Gate or Pass of the Jade Gate, is the name of a pass of the Great Wall located west of Dunhuang in today's Gansu Province of…
Jiayuguan
Fortress · 14th century · #15 in China
Jiayu Pass or is the first frontier fortress at the west end of the Ming dynasty Great Wall, near the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu province.
Daming Palace
Palace & château · 7th century · #16 in China
The Daming Palace was the imperial palace complex of the Tang dynasty, located in its capital Chang'an.
Fortifications of Xi'an
Fortress · 14th century · #17 in China
The fortifications of Xi'an in Shaanxi, also known as the Xi'an City Wall, represent one of the oldest, largest, and best preserved Chinese city…
Presidential Palace of Nanjing
Palace & château · #18 in China
The Presidential Palace in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, housed the Office of the President of the Republic of China from 1927 until the capital was…
Zhengyangmen
Fortress · 15th century · #19 in China
Qianmen is the colloquial name for Zhengyangmen, a gate in Beijing's historic city wall.
Juyongguan
Fortress · 14th century · #20 in China
Juyong Pass is a mountain pass located in the Changping District of Beijing Municipality, over 50 kilometers from central Beijing.
Prince Gong's Mansion
Palace & château · 18th century · #21 in China
Prince Gong's Mansion, also known as the Prince Kung Mansion, is a museum and tourist attraction located in Xicheng District, Beijing, just north of…
Yanmen Pass
Fortress · #22 in China
Yanmen Pass, also known by its Chinese name Yanmenguan and as Xixingguan, is a mountain pass which includes three fortified gatehouses along the…
Mutianyu
Fortress · 15th century · #23 in China
Mutianyu is a section of the Great Wall of China located in Huairou District within the city limits of Beijing 70 kilometers northeast of the center…
Taku Forts
Fortress · 16th century · #24 in China
The Taku Forts or Dagukou Forts, also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in…
Jiaohe Ruins
Ruin · 2nd century BC · #25 in China
The Jiaohe ruins, known by the local Uyghur populace as Yarghul, is a ruined city in the Yarnaz Valley, 10 km west of the city of Turpan in Xinjiang,…
Beijing city fortifications
Ruin · 15th century · #26 in China
The Beijing city fortifications were a system of walls with towers and gates constructed in the city of Beijing, China in the early 1400s and mostly…
City Wall of Nanjing
Fortress · 14th century · #27 in China
The City Wall of Nanjing was designed by the Hongwu Emperor after he founded the Ming Dynasty and established Nanjing as the capital in 1368.
Palace of Heavenly Purity
Palace & château · #28 in China
The Palace of Heavenly Purity, or Qianqing Palace is a palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.
Jinshanling
Fortress · 16th century · #29 in China
Jinshanling is a section of the Great Wall of China located in the mountainous area in Luanping County, Chengde, Hebei Province, 125 km northeast of…
Diaoyu Fortress
Fortress · #30 in China
The Diaoyucheng, or Diaoyu Fortress, is a fortress located on the Diaoyu Mountain in Hechuan District, Chongqing, across the Jialing River from the…
Yangguan
Fortress · 2nd century BC · #31 in China
Yangguan, or Yangguan Pass, is a mountain pass that was fortified by Emperor Wu of the Western Han dynasty around 120 BC and used as an outpost in…
Kaiping Diaolou
Castle · 20th century · #32 in China
Kaiping Diaolou and villages are famous throughout the world for their watchtowers and associated villages; located in the countryside of Kaiping…
Ming Palace
Palace & château · 14th century · #33 in China
The Ming Palace, also known as the "Forbidden City of Nanjing", was the 14th-century imperial palace of the early Ming dynasty, when Nanjing was the…
Hushan Great Wall
Fortress · 15th century · #34 in China
The Hushan or Tiger Mountain Great Wall, is a section of the Ming Great Wall in Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County, Liaoning, China.
Tong Pass
Ruin · 2nd century · #35 in China
Tongguan, or Tong Pass, was a former mountain pass and fortress located south of the confluence of the Wei and Yellow Rivers, in today's Tongguan…
Fortaleza do Monte
Fortress · 17th century · #36 in China
The Fortaleza do Monte is a fort in Santo António in Macau. It is the historical military centre of Macau.
Great Wall of Qi
Fortress · 5th century BC · #37 in China
The Great Wall of Qi is the oldest existing Great Wall in China. Textual records on bamboo state that construction of the wall started in 441 BC by…
Simatai
Fortress · 6th century · #38 in China
Simatai, a section of the Great Wall of China located in the north of Miyun District, 120 km northeast of the city center of Beijing, holds the…
Deshengmen
Fortress · 15th century · #39 in China
Deshengmen is a city gate that was once part of Beijing's northern city wall.
Yongdingmen
Fortress · 16th century · #40 in China
Yongdingmen was the former front gate of the outer city of Beijing's old city wall.
Wanping Fortress
Fortress · 17th century · #41 in China
Wanping Fortress, also known as Wanping Castle, is a Ming Dynasty fortress or "walled city" in Fengtai District, Beijing.
Tongwan
Ruin · 5th century · #42 in China
Tongwancheng was the capital of the Xiongnu-led Hu Xia dynasty in northern China during the Sixteen Kingdoms period in the early 5th century.
Yungbulakang Palace
Palace & château · 7th century · #43 in China
Yumbulagang or Yumbu Lakhar is the original palace of the Yarlung kings of Tibet.
Guia Fortress
Fortress · 19th century · #44 in China
The Guia Fortress is a 17th-century colonial military fort, chapel, and lighthouse complex in São Lázaro, Macau.
Portas do Cerco
Fortress · 19th century · #45 in China
The Portas do Cerco is an area in Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Macau, China. Located on the northern tip of the Macau Peninsula, it is known by the…
Andingmen
Ruin · #46 in China
Andingmen was a gate in Beijing's Ming-era city wall, which were built to protect the emperor and people against northern invaders.
Zhonghua Gate
Fortress · 14th century · #47 in China
The Zhonghua Gate is a gate and defensive complex on the city wall of Nanjing, China. This is the southern gate of Nanjing city.
Mandarin's House
Palace & château · 19th century · #48 in China
The Mandarin's House is a historic residential complex in São Lourenço, Macau.
Jiankou
Fortress · 14th century · #49 in China
Jiankou is a section of the Great Wall of China. In English, 'Jiankou' is translated to 'Arrow Nock' as the shape of the mountain resembles an arrow…
Zhenhai Tower
Fortress · 14th century · #50 in China
The Zhenhai Tower, also known as the Five-Story Pagoda, is a tower in Guangzhou, Guangdong. It is located in Yuexiu Park, in central Guangzhou.
Xizhimen
Ruin · #51 in China
Xizhimen was a gate in the Beijing city wall and is now a transportation node in Beijing.
Xiuying Fort
Fortress · 19th century · #52 in China
Xiuying Fort is located in Haikou City, Hainan Province, China. It was constructed in 1890 by the Qing government to counter the threat of the…
Suoyang City
Ruin · 2nd century BC · #53 in China
Suoyang City, also called Kuyu, is a ruined Silk Road city in Guazhou County of Gansu Province in northwestern China.
Dajingmen
Fortress · 17th century · #54 in China
Dajingmen, also known as Dajing Gate, is an important junction of the Great Wall of China in the prefecture-level city of Zhangjiakou within the…
Gyantse Dzong
Fortress · 14th century · #55 in China
Gyantse Dzong or Gyantse Fortress is one of the best preserved dzongs in Tibet, perched high above the town of Gyantse on a huge spur of grey brown…
Kat Hing Wai
Castle · #56 in China
Kat Hing Wai is a Punti walled village in the Yuen Long District of Hong Kong.
Fan Lau Fort
Fortress · 18th century · #57 in China
Fan Lau Fort is a former military fortification located on Lantau Island in Hong Kong.
Miaojiang Great Wall
Fortress · 16th century · #58 in China
The Miaojiang Great Wall is a series of fortifications in Southern China. It is located in the present-day Xiangxi Autonomous Region of Tujia and…
Tung Chung Fort
Fortress · 12th century · #59 in China
Tung Chung Fort is a fort located near Tung Chung, on Lantau Island, in Hong Kong.
Weiyuan Fort
Ruin · 19th century · #60 in China
Weiyuan Fort is a coastal-defense fort, now in ruins, in Humen, Dongguan city, Guangdong province, China.
Pinewood Battery
Ruin · 20th century · #61 in China
Yongtai Fortress
Fortress · 17th century · #62 in China
Stanley Fort
Fortress · 19th century · #63 in China
Section of the Old City Walls of Macau
Ruin · 16th century · #64 in China
Tung Chung Battery
Fortress · 19th century · #65 in China
Tuan Cheng Fortress
Fortress · 18th century · #66 in China
Yuejiang Lou
Fortress · #67 in China
Zijingguan
Fortress · #68 in China
Fortaleza de Mong Há
Fortress · 19th century · #69 in China
Tung Lung Fort
Fortress · 17th century · #70 in China
Fort São Tiago da Barra
Fortress · 17th century · #71 in China
Changmen
Fortress · #72 in China
Pingyao City Wall
Fortress · #73 in China
Murray Battery
Ruin · 19th century · #74 in China
Chongwu City
Fortress · #75 in China
City Walls of Zhaoqing
Fortress · #76 in China
Taktsé Castle
Palace & château · #77 in China
Fort São Francisco
Fortress · 19th century · #78 in China
Shing Mun Redoubt
Fortress · #79 in China
Taipa Fortress
Fortress · 19th century · #80 in China
Fort Dona Maria II
Fortress · 19th century · #81 in China
Yangzuomie City Ruins
Ruin · #82 in China
Dongbianmen
Fortress · #83 in China
Jianguomen (Xi'an)
Fortress · 20th century · #84 in China
Shou County City Wall
Fortress · #85 in China
Quzhou city walls
Fortress · #86 in China
Jinxianmen Gate Tower
Fortress · 17th century · #87 in China
Zhongjiabao Fortress
Fortress · #88 in China
Huaiyuan Lou
Castle · #89 in China
Xuanwu Gate
Fortress · #90 in China
Gonghuacheng
Castle · #91 in China
Chiwan Left Fort
Fortress · #92 in China
Zhenchenglou
Castle · 20th century · #93 in China
City walls in Shangqiu
Fortress · #94 in China
Dongquan Gate
Fortress · #95 in China
Yuxiangmen
Fortress · #96 in China
Zhenbeitai
Fortress · #97 in China
Anyuan Fort
Fortress · 19th century · #98 in China
Tai'an Lou
Castle · 18th century · #99 in China
Yanyi Wei
Castle · 17th century · #100 in China
Weiyuan Fortress
Fortress · #101 in China
Wenchangmen
Fortress · #102 in China
Great Wall of China at Huanghuacheng
Fortress · #103 in China
Yi'an Fortress
Fortress · #104 in China
Qiantangmen
Fortress · #105 in China
Qingbomen
Fortress · #106 in China
Yanxiang Lou
Castle · #107 in China
Taishun Tulou
Castle · #108 in China
Southeast Corner Tower of Beijing Outer City
Fortress · #109 in China
Dongsheng Wei
Castle · 19th century · #110 in China
Ping Men
Fortress · #111 in China
City Wall of Xiangcheng
Fortress · #112 in China
Qingtaimen
Fortress · #113 in China
Hongyuan Fort
Ruin · 19th century · #114 in China
Yuzaitan Wei
Castle · #115 in China

Frequently asked questions

How many castles are in China?

The Castlemap atlas maps 115 landmarks (13 castles · 71 fortresses · 15 palaces & châteaux · 16 ruins) in China — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks from Wikidata, not a count of every fortification ever built.

What is the most famous castle in China?

Forbidden City, ranked #3 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking, founded in the 15th century.

What is the oldest castle in China?

The oldest dated landmark in the atlas in China is Great Wall of China, founded 700 BC. Earlier structures may have existed — this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

Where are most of the castles in China?

They cluster thickest around Beijing — 23 of the atlas's landmarks within 100 km, then Zhongshan (22) and Hong Kong (21).

Which castles in China are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

Per Wikidata, 18 of the mapped landmarks hold a UNESCO World Heritage designation — inscribed in their own right or as part of an inscribed ensemble: Forbidden City, Potala Palace, Summer Palace, Shanhai Pass, Fujian Tulou, Norbulingka, Mukden Palace, Badaling, Chengde Mountain Resort, Yumen Pass and 8 more.

How many castles are there in China?