Stone gates
On the single road.
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The ruins of a stone fortress on top of Longyan Mountain, ringed by cliffs on every side, that was the stronghold of the Yang family who ruled the Bozhou chiefdom from its founding in 1257 under the late Song until the Ming took it in 1600. Scholars count it as China's only truly well-preserved feudal castle, and UNESCO listed it as World Heritage in 2015 together with two other sites of the local tusi chiefs. The fortress covers 1.59 square kilometres inside walls almost six kilometres long, and the only way up is a single mountain road through a series of stone gates guarded by archers' towers: the Feihu Pass with its steep stone stair, the Feilong Pass, the Bronze Pillar Pass and the Iron Pillar Pass. On the summit lie the remains of the new palace uncovered by excavation. Tickets cost CNY 65, the return sightseeing bus 35 and a combined ticket 95; it is open from 8.30 am to 5 pm with last entry at 4 pm, per visitor guides. The climb is tiring, so wear good shoes.
On the single road.
Steep stone steps.
On the summit.
Longyan Mountain, Gaoping town, about 30 km north of central Zunyi, Guizhou
Zunyi has beef-noodle restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign, while spicy Guizhou cooking uses a lot of pork and choices at the fortress are few, so bring food.