Wanping Fortress, also known as Wanping Castle is a Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

 fortress, or "walled city" in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

. It was erected in 1638-1640, with the purpose of defending Beijing against Li Zicheng and the peasant uprising. It lies adjacent to the Lugou Bridge

Lugou Bridge

The Lugou Bridge , also known as the Marco Polo Bridge in English, is a famous stone bridge located 15 km southwest of the Beijing city center across the Yongding River—a main tributary of Hai River The Lugou Bridge (Simplified: 卢沟桥; Traditional: 盧溝橋; Pinyin: Lúgōu Qiáo), also known as...

.

The Wanping Fortress has two gates, the east gate named Ever Prosperous Gate (永昌门), then renamed as Majestic Gate (威严门), and the west gate named as Favorably Govern Gate (顺治门).

In Chinese, the fortress is sometimes called Wanping City, and from the beginning, it functioned as a military fortress. From west to east, it measures 640 meters, and from south to the north 320 meters, make it a half-square shaped.

To the west of the fortress, there is the Yongding River, and the Lugou Bridge

Lugou Bridge

The Lugou Bridge , also known as the Marco Polo Bridge in English, is a famous stone bridge located 15 km southwest of the Beijing city center across the Yongding River—a main tributary of Hai River The Lugou Bridge (Simplified: 卢沟桥; Traditional: 盧溝橋; Pinyin: Lúgōu Qiáo), also known as...

(Marco Polo Bridge, 卢沟桥).