China China Landscape - Great Wall Tour

Great Wall Tour

The Great Wall in China is one of the most magnificent works of architecture in the history of human civilization. Construction of the Great Wall began over 2,000 years ago during the Warring States Period(475-221BC). Different sections were linked together after China was unified during the Qin Dynasty in the third centry BC. The Great Wall was renovated twice, during the Han and Ming dynasties. Climbing the ruins of the Great Wall, visitors can appreciate the magnificent view among the mountains, which will remind visitors of the heroic people who created this page of history.

Beijing
Great Wall at Badaling and Mutianyu
Tianjin
Huangyaguan pass in Jixian County
Hebei Province
QINHUANGDAO Laolongtou Starting Point of the Great Wall, Shanhaiguan Pass and Baoshan Mountain
CHENGDE Golden Hill
Shanxi Province
Yanmenguan Pass
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
Ruins of the ancient Great Wall
Gansu Puovince
Jiayuguan Pass

Great Wall at Badaling

Also known as the 10,000 Li Wall (5,000 kilometers), the Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan Pass on the east to Jiayuguan Pass on the west, crossing five provinces and two autonomous regions. Construction of the Wall began during the Warring States Period in the fifth century BC.

The Badaling section of the Great Wall, 70 kilometers northwest of Beijing, was built in the Ming Dynasty. It includes the Juyong Pass and the wall winding on the ridges of the mountain. The wall at Badaling is 8.5 meters high and 5.7 meters wide. There are ramparts, embrasures, peep-holes and apertures for archers on the top. Two-storied watch towers are built in at 100 meter intervals. The Wall rises and falls, twists and turns along the ridges of the Yanshan Mountain and the Yinshan chains, which straddle northern China from east to west.

Presently the Great Wall is preserved as a historical monument, and it is included in most tourist itineraries. In December,1987 The Great Wall was listed in the Chronology of Recognition of World Heritages in China.

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Mutianyu Great Wall

The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is 90 kilometers northeast of Beijing. This part of the Great Wall is built on the ridge of the mountains. In 1404 the Ming Dynasty general, Qi Jiguang, and his battalion stationed built up a pass and stationed here. Because of the precipitous terrain, Mutianyu Great Wall is a good place to view the Great Wall. Besides, there are usually fewer tourists here than in Badaling.

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Huangyaguan pass in Jixian County

"Huangya" means "yellow cliff". The pass takes this name from the yellowish hills and rocks nearby. Built in 557 AD and repaired in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the pass lies in the precipitous mountains, some 30 kilometers north of Jixian County. The section from Mount Banlagang to Mount Wangchangjing was rebuilt in 1984. Grand, unique and charming Huangya Pass possesses several characteristics: Both rock and bricks are used for construction; fortresses are shaped either round or square; the pass is connected with mountains and rivers and designed in a delicate way.

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Laolongtou Starting Point of the Great Wall

Laolongtou(Old Dragon's Head)
Laolongtou, the eastern starting point of the Great Wall, is 4 kilometers south of Shanhai Pass and extends into the sea. The Great Wall was often compared to a giant dragon in ancient times, and therefore this starting point was called the dragon's head. It was first built in 1381 during the Ming Dynasty but seriously damaged by the Eight-Power Allied Forces in 1900. In 1985, it was restored to the former grandeur.

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Shanhaiguan Pass

Shanhai Pass, also known as "The First Pass under Heaven", stands 15 kilometers northeast of Qinhuangdao City. It was fist built in 1381 in the Ming Dynasty. At the eastern end of the Great Wall, there are 4 arched gates, only the eastern one in good condition today. It is a strategic point and a corridor between the North China and the Northeast of China.

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Golden Hill

The Great Wall- Jinshanling Pass
It is situated in Luanping County, to the north of Miyun County of Beijing. First built in the Ming Dynasty, this section of the Great Wall is characterized by its solidness and complex structure.

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Yanmenguan Pass

The Yanmen Pass, situated on the Yanmen Mountain 20 kilometers to the northwest of Daicheng City, is one of the three famous passes in Shanxi Province. The other two passes are the Ninwu Pass and the Pianguan Pass. The Yanmen Pass is located in a position of military strategic importance. The mountain peaks around shoot up, with small paths that zigzag along the mountain valley. The pass was built in the seventh year of the Reign of Hong Wu Emperor, Ming Dynasty(1374 AD). Now on the pass there are still three existing towers that house a number of steles and the Tomb of Li Mu, a famous army general during the Period of Warring States (475 - 221 BC).

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Ruins of the ancient Great Wall

Relics of the Ancient Great Wall in Ningxia
The walls were built by the ducal state of Qin in the Warring States Period (475--- 221 B.C). It started from what is now Gansu Province and extended to the present-day Xiji County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, then ended at Zhenyuan County of Gansu Province after encircling Guyuan County. The whole project was built along the contour of the terrain and with locally available material, namely, rammed earth. The remnants of the wall are 1-3 meters high and there are protruding battlements at an interval of 200-300 meters.

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Jiayuguan Pass

The Jiayu Pass is situated in the southwest of Jiayuguan City, at the foot of the Jiayu Mountain. Built in 1372 during the Ming Dynasty, it stands as the western end of the Great Wall.

With a wall of 733 meters in circumference and 11.7 meters in height, the pass occupies more than 33,500 square meters. Its eastern and western gate towers both rise 17 meters, symmetrical in structure, and majestic in appearance. The watchtowers at its four corners add to its attraction.

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Information provided by China National Tourism Administration.