The Great Walls in Inner Mongolia spread across Hohhot, Ulan Qab, Erdos, Wuhai, and Alxa, covering a distance of about 15,000 km. The earliest was constructed by the Zhao States during the Warring States Period (476BC - 221BC). There are also Great Walls of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 207BC), Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), Sui Dynasty (581 - 618), Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234), and the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644).
Inner Mongolian Great Wall Attractions:
Zhao Great Wall: The Zhao Great Wall was constructed by the Zhao State in 300 BC during the Warring States Period to defend against the northern tribes. The Zhao Great Wall stretches from Wei County of Hebei Province in the east to Bayannur of Inner Mongolia in the west. After 2,000 years of erosion, only certain parts of the wall still stand today. The section north of Hohhot City is better-preserved as the wall was built of rambled earth, as well as bricks at some parts with less earth. Another section is in Baotou. The remaining section is 98-meter (107 yards) long, 5.8-meter (6.3 yards) wide and 3.4-meter (11.2 feet) high, but is badly damaged. The trace of long-arm excavator can be seen clearly.
Qin-dynasty Great Wall: After Qin Shihuang unified the six states, he ordered construction of the Great Wall in the north. A section of the Qin-dynasty Great Wall was discovered in Bayannur City and ruins of beacon towers were found every 0.5 km (0.3 miles) to 1.5 km (0.9 miles) near the wall. There are also relics of houses, believed to be the military fortress of the wall, at the highland not far from the wall.
Han-dynasty Great Wall: On the Worrad Grassland north of Inner Mongolia, two Han-dynasty Great Walls traverse the grassland to the northwest into Mongolia. According to archaeologists, the walls were constructed in 102 BC during the Western Han Dynasty (206BC - 24AD). The one in the north is called the Han-dynasty Outer Great Wall, while the one in the south Han-dynasty Inner Great Wall. Some Han-dynasty constructions and cultural relics were also discovered near the Great Walls.
Ming-dynasty Great Wall: The Ming-dynasty Great Wall is located in the southeast of Qingshuihe County, Hohhot. It lies in the border between Inner Mongolia and Shanxi Province. The Great Wall measures 150 km in Qingshuihe County. About 7,000 towers were discovered, including 5,000 beacon towers, 6 fortresses, 5 passes, and many water gates. Most of the towers are well-preserved, and has a width of 15 - 19 meters (16 - 21 yards) and a height of 20 - 22 meters (65.6 - 72.2 feet).
There are also many historical attractions along the Great Wall, such as the Ancient Stage Temple, Ancient Tower, Qinglong Cave, and Monument to the People's Heroes.
Current Status: Many sections of the Great Walls in Inner Mongolia are badly damaged due to natural erosion and artificial destruction. As Inner Mongolia lies in northern China and has a continental dry climate, the Great Walls are thus damaged mainly by wind and sand storm. Apart from the natural erosion, destruction by human has a much bigger impact on the Great Walls. A great part was destroyed in mining and city construction activities. Some locals even use it as part of the wall for their compound. Research shows that 90% of the locals do not even know the existence of the Great Walls in Inner Mongolia!
