Great Walls in Liaoning

 Liaoning Great Walls:      Hushan       Jiumenkou 

 Introduction: The Liaoning Great Walls run for more than 1,000 km (621 miles) from the Yalu River in the east to Zhuizi Mountain, on the border between Liaoning and Hebei Provinces, in the west. Famous sections are the Hushan, Jiumenkou, Xigou, and Zhuizishan walls. Although long continuous walls are rare, fortresses, beacon towers, and passes can still be found in towns and villages of the province. 

 History: For a long while, Shanhaiguan was mistaken as the eastern end of the Ming-dynasty's wall. After years of research, archaeologists confirmed that the Hushan Great Wall, located near the Yalu River, is the eastern end of the Ming-dynasty's wall. In order to better manage and protect the wall and surrounding areas, the central government of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) divided the wall into nine military towns: Liaodong, Ji, Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, Yansui, Ningxia, Guyuan and Gansu. The walls in Liaoning belong to the town of Liaodong, which was first constructed around 1469. They were built to defend against the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) when the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) was founded. As time went by, the walls were used to defend against northern invaders, and were repaired many times. When the founders of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) seized most of Liaodong Town, the Liaoning walls had finished their mission.

 Attractions: 
 Hushan Great Wall: It is the most famous section in the province, and is the eastern end of the Ming Dynasty's wall. It is located on the bank of the Yalu River, facing North Korea across the river. Standing on the highest point, you can view the beautiful scenery of two countries. According to some archaeologists, the wall is located at the eastern end of the Qin-dynasty's wall.

 Jiumenkou: The wall is situated in Suizhong County, Huludao City, about 15 km from Shanhaiguan Pass. It joins Shanhaiguan in the south and extends to the north. When it meets with the Jiujiang River, a huge wall of a bridge crosses the river, and continues to the mountains in the north. According to historical records, the Jiumenkou was initially built in the Northern Qi Dynasty (479 - 502) of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (386 - 589), but the existing wall was built in 1381 and renovated many times in the Ming Dynasty. Jiumenkou is believed to be the site where Mengjiangnü’s Bitter Weeping took place.

 Xigou Great Wall: Located in Xigou Village of Suizhong County, it is famous for the original look of the Ming Dynasty and the beautiful scenery around. It connects Jiumenkou and Shanhaiguan Pass in the south, and borders the Hebei Province in the north.

 Zhuizishan: Lying in Suizhong County, Zhuizishan Mountain gathers the walls from the east, south and west. In the south and west are the walls of Ji Town while in the east is the wall of Liaodong Town. Like three huge dragons, the three walls traverse the mountain and forests, and form the shape of a Chinese character "丁". Along with the guard towers, beacon tower and fortresses, Zhuizishan Great Walls became the strongest part of the Liaodong walls.