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Xifengkou Great Wall

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Best Visiting Time: April to October
Location: Xifengkou Great Wall is located in Panjiakou Reservoir Area, in the northwest of Qianxi County, Hebei Province.

Xifengkou Great Wall is one of the 32 important passes along the Yanshan Mountain built by General Xu Da of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Occupying a strategic position, it is situated in the Luanhe Valley, with high mountains on both sides. Considering military demands, the wall is divided into two parts - citadel and pass city. The citadel is located in a basin surrounded by mountains on four sides, built with over 20 feet high city walls. The pass city is situated to the north of the citadel, with mountains on three sides and a river on one side and made up of three city gates joined up by firm stone walls. The six connecting points of the pass city were all built with hollow watch towers. All of these constructions make Xifengkou a fortification that is invulnerable to attack. Thus, they have been points of battle for many wars in Chinese history.

To prevent the flooding of the Luanhe River, Panjiakou Reservoir was built in 1976. Thereafter, half of the pass city of Xifengkou has been covered in water. Only with the coming of the dry season, can the whole of the pass city be seen. However, it also makes Xifengkou unique. Overlooking Xifengkou, it appears like a dragon zigzagging along the curving mountains until it gets to the bank, bending down into the water, crawling for some distance, then bubbling up from the opposite bank, and finally climbing up to the mountain ridges.

 Transportation: Take a long-distance bus from Tangshan to Qianxi County, and then transfer to another bus to the scenic area. 

 Dining: Visitors can book a meal in a farm house in the village near the attraction. Fish in the Panjiakou Reservoir is flavorful but cheap. Visitors can also rent a set of cooker from the local people and have a picnic in the natural beauty of the lake and mountains.
 
 Accommodation: Some guest houses are sparsely distributed near the attraction, but most are rather simply equipped. Fulong Hotel, located in Tiemenguan about 1 km (1,093.6 yards) away from Xifengkou, is probably the best-equipped hotel nearby but with limited reception capacity. Thus, it's better to backtrack to Qianxi County or Tangshan City. 

Travel Tips:
a. Xifengkou is kept in its original condition, so most parts have been ruined and are dangerous to climb.
b. To reach the scenic spot, visitors can also take a boat or yacht from the dam of Panjiakou Reservoir.

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