Jabiyan

Jabiyan, also written Jiefan or Jaifiyan, was a fortified Jurchen site on Tiebei Mountain near the meeting of the Hun and Suzi rivers. Before Nurhaci united the surrounding communities, a stockade here belonged to the Jecen group. The later stronghold followed the mountain ridges, with an inner enclosure and eastern and western defensive sections. Steep slopes and nearby rivers protected its approaches.

In 1619 the Later Jin mobilised labour to build the fortress. Construction coincided with the battle of Sarhu, when Ming troops approaching the works encountered Jurchen defenders and the forces coming to reinforce them. After the victory, Nurhaci moved his residence and household to Jiefan, bringing his political centre closer to the Ming frontier. Its role as a capital was brief: in 1620 he moved again, to nearby Sarhu. The surviving site includes substantial building foundations associated with the ruler's residence, together with finds of armour plates, iron projectiles and porcelain fragments.