Hebei Great Walls: Shanhaiguan Pass First Pass under Heaven Laolongtou Great Wall
Temple of Meng Jiangnü Xifengkou Great Wall Zijingguan Pass
Introduction: There are two great walls that appear to writhe snake-like over the mountains in the northwest territory of Hebei Province. From Laolongtou south to Shanhaiguan Pass to Mashikou in the west, the Great Wall in the north stretches about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles). The inner Great Wall in the south is 800 kilometers (497 miles) long from the Mutianyu Great Wall through Zhangjiakou, Baoding, Shijiazhuang, and Xingtai to Handan. With more than 300 passes and countless towers, the most famous sections of the Great Wall are located in Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, Zhangjiakou, and Baoding within Hebei province, as well as on the borders between Hebei and Liaoning, Tianjin, Beijing and Shanxi.
The Great Wall in Hebei Province is without doubt the longest and the best preserved section of China’s Great Wall. It has taken on an important role in the tourism industry of Hebei province over the last few decades, and is expected to attract more and more tourists from all over the world in future. As an old Chinese saying goes: “He who doesn't reach the Great Wall is not a real man,” for anyone who wants to comprehend the magnificence of the Great Wall, those sections in Hebei cannot be missed.
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History: Sections of Great Wall dating from the Warring States Period (476BC - 221BC) to the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) were found in Hebei province. In the Warring States Period, the Zhao State, Yan State, and Zhongshan State built Great Walls along their own borders. Great Walls of these three states are mainly located in Baoding, Zhangjiakou and Chengde cities. After Qin Shihuang unified the county, he ordered the connection of the Great Walls of the Yan State, Zhao State, and Qin State as a defense against the Huns. Later in the Northern Wei, the Northern Qi, and the Jin Dynasties, Great Walls were constructed on a large scale in order to defend against the northern ethnic tribes and to consolidate the ruling powers. However, the Great Wall described above suffered demolition on a large scale.
The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty includes a large portion of the Great Walls in Hebei Province. Generally, the wall is 5-8 meters high and 5 meters wide. Being an essential defense system which surrounded the center of the Ming Administration-Beijing, the Great Wall in Hebei province has the highest architectural quality. Mostly built with huge bricks and stones, it is majestic and strategically solid.
Hebei Great Wall Attractions: Dozens of essential sections here are world famous, such as the Laolongtou Great Wall, Shanhaiguan Pass, First Pass under Heaven, Jiaoshan Great Wall, and Temple of Meng Jiangnü in Qinghuangdao; Xifengkou Gateway, Panjiakou Gateway, and Qingshanguan Gateway in Tangshan; and Zijingguan Pass in Baoding.
Being the east end of the Great Wall, Laolongtou meets the sea like its name literally implies ‘the Head of the Old Dragon’; the dragon here refers to the Ten-thousand-kilometer Great Wall. Shanhaiguan Pass is located 4 kilometers (2.48 miles) west of Laolongtou, which enjoys fame as the "First Pass under Heaven". It is also the key path from the central plains to the northeast China. The Jiaoshan Great Wall is the first section of the Great Wall in Hebei province that traverses mountains. There are three passes in a canyon 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) north-east of Shanhaiguan Pass, named ‘Sandaoguan Pass’, which as a reversal of the wall is the uniqueness of the China Great Wall. Xifengkou Gateway was an important stronghold west of Shanhaiguan Pass and also impressive. It is now submerged by water due to the construction of Panjiakou reservoir from a ridge on its east bank. The Temple of Meng Jiangnü 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) east of Shanhaiguan Pass is a cultural relics which carries a touching love story about the Great Wall.
Hebei Great Wall Photos: Hebei Shanhaiguan Great Wall
