dūntái 墩臺

Note

Duntai, meaning “mound” or “platform” (Kroll 2015, 96, 440), constitutes a high platform used to look out for the enemy and convey military signals. The front-most post in the beacon transmission system, duntai were mostly used along inland borders such as the Great Wall, as well as in seaside and riverside border defense. They were also constructed in military training grounds for military practice. Duntai were usually built on high ground and in open places and were spaced about two li apart. The duntai was also the place where “mound troops” (dunjun 墩軍) lived. 3

The term duntai likely first appeared in the Ming dynasty and began to be used by the mid-15th century at the latest (Luo Guanzhong 1522 15.77a；IHP, Academia Sinica 1963 7.6b). In the Ming, duntai were also often called yandun 煙墩 (“(beacon-) smoke mound”), fengsui 烽燧 (beacon-fire (tower)), fenghou 烽堠 (beacon-fire post), and fenghuotai 烽火臺 (beacon-fire platform). Duntai can be traced back to the tingsui 亭燧 (fort or station-house beacon) and fengsui 烽燧 of the Han dynasty. 4

Judging from textual records and extant examples, duntai are usually solid, square, high platforms with a small top and a large bottom. There are also a small number of circular duntai. Various construction materials were used in duntai, such as tamped earth, and stone and brick masonry. The platform is equipped with small rooms for storing beacons and simple war supplies, and provides spaces for soldiers to live. Duntai are often surrounded by a circle of “goat-and-horse” walls (yangma cheng 羊馬城), trenches, and suspension bridges, and some have barracks inside the "horse-and-goat walls (Yu Zijun 1522-1566，1a; Wang 1787，25.71a; Qian 1644, 1.44b; Qi 1787, 6.4b). 5

In the early sixteenth century, the outer walls of hollow masonry duntai included arrow windows and cannon eyes, so that soldiers could hide inside the piers and shoot outward (Yang Yiqing 1576,8.24a). The function of defending against an enemy was thus further strengthened. 6

By the late Ming dynasty, the shape of the hollow duntai in the military books had basically been determined, and a large number of duntai were constructed. By the Qing dynasty, the Great Wall was no longer the focus of border defense, and the number of duntai set up along the Great Wall was reduced.

墩臺是烽傳系統的前哨，是用於瞭敵和傳遞敵情消息的高臺，多在邊境使用，如長城、海防、江防沿線。有些教場之中也設置有用於指揮練兵的墩臺。根據功能需求，墩臺通常建在高地、開闊處，其間距多為二里裡左右，並伴有防守和墩軍生活等功能。

根據目前查閱的古籍文獻，“墩臺”一詞最早出現於明代的文獻（罗贯中 1522 15.77a；中央硏究院歷史語言硏究所 1963 7.6b），至遲在15世紀中期開始使用。在明代，墩台也常被称为煙墩、烽燧、烽堠，烽火臺，墩臺這一設施可追溯到漢代的“亭燧”和“烽燧”。4

從文獻記載和現存實例來看，墩臺多是上小下大的實心方形高臺，也有少量的圓形墩臺，有用土夯築、石塊壘築、包砌磚石等多種建造方式。臺上多設有用於存放烽具、簡單戰備物資以及供士兵居住的小房。墩台下常圍繞有一圈羊馬牆、壕塹和吊橋，有些墩台羊馬牆內還設置駐兵營房。（餘子俊 1522-1566，1a; 王 1787，25.71a; 錢 1644, 1.44b; 戚 1847, 6.4b）十六世紀早期出現磚石砌築的空心墩臺（楊一清 1576,8.24a），中空的墩臺外壁上設有箭窗銃眼，士兵可藏于墩臺內部對外射擊，禦敵功能進一步加強。明代後期，空心墩臺的形制基本確定，也有大量實例建造。清代，長城沿線不再是邊防重點，沿長城設置的墩台有所裁撤，數量相對於明代有所減少。5,, 6

Related concepts

臺 tái

Broad Match: foundations