Xīgù

Xigu stands on an alluvial fan on the northern bank of the Bailong River, beneath Cuifeng Mountain. Its position on the route from Longxi and Jiezhou toward the Tibetan country made the walled town a gateway through the mountains. Its name is said to be a transcription of a Tibetan expression meaning the gate of a gold mine. A Song county magistrate built the town wall in 1157. The Ming established a military garrison here, and in 1381 the garrison commander Yao Fu expanded the town. Its four gates included Wangyang to the east and Rongfu to the west; the commander's office stood in the north of the enclosure. The walls were enlarged again in 1575 and repaired under the Qing in 1786.