Shan hai guan(山海关) - Great Wall into the sea

Shan hai guan(山海关) - Great Wall into the sea

I finally made my way over the Hebei province to visit the famous Shanhaiguan Great Wall(长城,山海关段). Its pretty straight forward to get there; there are a number of trains and buses from BJ lasting anywhere from 2.5 hours to 6 hours. I took the D5 which left around 9am from BJ train station arriving in Shanhaiguan at 11.30am. Though I was looking for a place to stay within the walled city, it was impossible to get a homestay (due to Olympic hosting restrictions for foreigner). So, after about an hour looking for an affordable place I came across the newly opened Guan Yun hotel, about 5 minutes walk from the south gate. The staff was EXTREMELY friendly; I thought for a moment I am in another country. Mind you that the hotel seems to worship the goddess Guanyin and this devotion seems to spell over to the guests.

Shan hai guan(山海关) - Great Wall of Chinatravel in China- Shan hai guan(山海关) - Great Wall

The hotel opened about 2 months ago and has sparkling clean rooms, some prettier that others. The beautiful double rooms were available for 150 Yuan; I paid 100 yuan for my room.

I had 3 days to wander around Shanhaiguan, taking in the walled city, hiking up to Jiaoshan Mountain and spending about 5 hours at Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head). While there, I chatted with the wonderful girls of the Tourist Information Center. Miffy showed me around and told me much about the history. She and her collegue are English majors at the university in Beidahe.

At Shanhaiguan, the Great Wall juts out into the sea. This part of the wall is known as the "Old Dragon's Head". Bus 25 will take you to the entrance for ¥1. If you turn left before the entrance, that road will take you under the wall and to the beach. From there you can see where the wall reaches the ocean without paying entrance fees. At low tide it is possible, albeit illegal and dishonest of course, to walk around the end of the wall and enter the paid-area without a ticket.




Further inland, The pass of Shanhaiguan is to be found. The pass of Shanhaiguan is a square, with a perimeter of around 4 kilometers long. The walls reach the heigh of 14 meters, and are 7 meters thick. The pass's east, south and north side is surrounded by a moat of 8 feet deep and 17 feet wide. There are drawbridges to get over the moat, and in the middle of the pass stands a tall bell tower.
All four sides of Shanhaiguan had a gate: Zhendong (East), Yinun (West), Mangyang (South), and Weiyuan (North). Due to disrepair over the centuries, only Zhendong gate still remains today. Zhendong Gate is the most important gate in Shanhaiguan due to its position, which faces outside the pass. On the gate hangs the board, written on it "First Pass Under the Heaven."

About 4 km from the walled city is a forest park, with Jiaoshan Mountain, near another section of the wall. Here, the wall can be seen snaking it's way over the hills. It is possible to take a chairlift/cablecar to get a better view, or if you're feeling fit, you can walk up a steep section of the wall. On a clear day (which I didnt have) the mountain offers views to the lake and supposedly to the Bohai see.
There's also a museum dedicated to the Great wall in the centre of Shanhaiguan (which was clsed due to renovation).


Much of Shanhaiguan has been extensively restored in the 80s. Currently much of the "old" town is being completely reconstructed. Quite a few entire city blocks are being remade into a faux-old Chinese city that, in fact, promises to be quite fake looking when construction is complete. As of the time of writing, September 2008, the walled city or "old town" was still under construction with only a few restaurants open. Come back in a year and you should see some activity in the "old town".
via http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grizzly/rtw_2004/1221547200.html

Great wall of Liaoning

The construction of defensive walls has a long history in China. Early in the Spring and Autumn Period, every state was active in buildingprotective walls against their enemies. Yan State was no exception.As it was one of the seven powerful warring states at the time.The western region of today's Liaoning Province is proved to be under the jurisdiction of Yan State, so here one can find manyrelics of the wall. The wall of Yan State in Jianping County is said to be the earliest wall in Liaoning, which was originallycalled "earth dragon" or the "stone dragon" bythe local inhabitants.

The wall construction didn't end with the following dynasties.Qin, Han, Northern Qi, Liao and Ming Dynasties all put substantiallabor and money into the wall construction, which made Liaoningan area full of wall resource. The known walls in this regionmeasure 2,350 kilometers (1,460 miles), Liaoning is proud to havethe easternmost part of Great Wall, the Hushan Great Wall. Thisis a recent discovery in Chinese archaeological history, to widespreadsurprise, as it repudiates the earlier theory that consideredShanhaiguan Pass as the easternmost section of the Great Wall.

Most of today's walls in Liaoning are but historical ruins, scatteredacross the mountains and towns. In order to salvage these precioushistorical remains, Chinese government spares no effort to restoreand protect them, with the hope of retaining their ancient andimportant magnificence.

great wall of China map- map of great wall of china

Great Wall of China location map

Map of the Great Wall of China (red). (Yellow marks the China/Mongolia border)

Tourist Map of the great wall in Beijing

The Great Wall of Beijing China

Great Wall of China

There is little that can be said about the Great wall of China that has not been declared over and over afresh throughout the wall's 2000 year history. Construction of the Great wall started in 221 BC to avert the Middle Kingdom from Mongol soldiers. But abounding of the sections were already in place, congenital by a alternation of absolute kingdoms continued beyond the land, from Shanhaiguan on the east wall to Jiayuguan in the Gobi Desert – Emperor Qin Shihuang alone oversaw the abutting of these walls.

The aboriginal affiliate in the history of the Great wall of China concluded in 207 BC, if the endure of the over 6 billion cubic anxiety of compacted apple was set into place. The Great wall was alone moderately able in accustomed out its purpose, even afterwards it was faced with artery and stones. It's absolute amount came in the way it eased busline throughout the acreage – acting as a affectionate of animated thruway, equipment, appurtenances and cartage could added calmly bisect the backbreaking aerial wilderness that belted the Great Wall.

As aberrant as it seems now, afore a Great wall of China bout was a prerequisite on any cruise to the country, abounding of the sections fell into busted as time anesthetized and the acceptation of the aerial anatomy lessened as burglary nomads broadcast into the account of time. The history of the Great wall of China, and its acknowledgment to acceptation was in fact the plan of the day-tripper industry – now there are affluence of accepted sites area the day tripper can catch one of the a lot of acclaimed landmarks in the world.

Badaling, Mutianyu, and Simatai are the a lot of accepted spots to getting a Great wall of China tour. The abutting to Beijing, area a lot of travelers are abutting from is Badaling, about 40 afar northwest of the capital. Actuality is absolutely the a lot of accepted atom for bout guides and those giving the Great wall a brief glance. Actuality you will acquisition a excess of gift shops, abominable restaurants and any amount of added day-tripper traps, but for those who wish to accumulate their busline simple and convenient, this is the best abode to apprentice the history of the Great wall of China – the Great wall Museum is aswell here.

Mutianyu is not abundant better. Over 50 afar from Beijing, you will acquisition a agnate tourist-driven atmosphere at Mutianyu, admitting the wall is far added circuitous than in Badaling, as you will acquisition a amount of alluring bouncer building and some of the best angle forth any area of the wall.

Experienced travelers apperceive that abreast the baby boondocks of Gubeikou, the charcoal at Simatai are one of the best places to get an able and added accurate attending at the Great wall of China. Watchtowers band the walls, about winging their way beyond the landscape. The alone botheration with Simatai is that it is a abundant added accurate backpack to appearance the wall – the area ranges from aciculate inclines to abrupt dropoffs about after warning, so it is absolutely not for the alpha hiker. But those that accomplish the cruise to Simatai are abiding to be adored with the best angle in all of China..

Of course, there are affluence of altered places to alpha your own Great wall of China tour. Added cogent places are Juyong Pass and Jinshanling and Huanghua, the endure one continued advised to be the best preserved area of the wall in the around of Beijing.

A List of Great Wall Famous Scenes

Liaoning:
Hushan
Jiumenkou

Hebei:
Sandaoguan
Shanhaiguan Pass
First Pass under Heaven
Laolongtou
Temple of Mengjiangnu
Xifengkou Gateway
Zijingguan Pass

Tianjin
Huangyaguan
Taipingzhai

Beijing
Simatai
Jinshanling
Gubeikou
Mutianyu
Jiankou (Arrow Nock)
Juyongguan Pass
Badaling
Shui Guan
Huanghuacheng

Shanxi:
Niangziguan Pass
Ningwuguan Pass
Yanmenguan Pass
Pianguan Pass
Pingxingguan Pass

Inner Mongolia

Shaanxi:
Great Wall in Yulin
Zhen Bei Tai
Wei Wall

Ningxia

Gansu:
Dunhuang Great Wall of the Han Dynasty
Yumenguan Pass
Yangguan Pass
Jiayuguan Pass
Overhanging Great Wall