As the birthplace of the Central Plains culture, the central area of Henan has formed numerous civilian fortresses with defensive functions based on a unique historical and war background. As one of them, the ancient town of Shenhou, due to its unique Jun porcelain trade culture, makes the defence function closely integrated with daily production and life, and its defence is more meaningful for research. The current drive towards urban modernisation has led to the decline and destruction of traditional rural fortified settlements. The article is a detailed analysis of the defensive features of the ancient town of Shenhou from an architectural and sociological point of view, through field research, combined with relevant historical documents, and concludes that its defensive system consists of a combination of physical and spiritual defences, providing a basis for the study of the conservation of traditional fortified settlements in central Henan.