Great Wall in Shaanxi

 Shaanxi Great Wall:      
Zhenbeitai Tower        Yulin Great Wall 

The Great Wall in Shaanxi Province mainly comprises the Walls of the Warring States Period (476BC - 221BC), the Qin (221 BC  - 207 BC) and the Ming Dynasties (1368 - 1644), distributed in 16 counties of Weinan, Yan'an, and Yulin Cities.

 Western Zhou Dynasty 
Han State Wall
About 1031 BC, the governor of Han (a vassal state of the Western Zhou Dynasty, 11th Century BC - 771BC) built walls along the state's border to defend from the invaders, which is believed to the earliest wall for defense. The arc-shaped Han State Wall totals 15 km from east to west, traversing two towns in Hancheng City. It was built of earth and many parts were destroyed in the past three thousand years, but ruins and traces of the wall can still be found. A 2,871-meter-long wall was discovered in Chengnan Village, and the remaining part is 0.5 - 2.5 meters in height, and 5 meters in width.

 Spring and Autumn Period
Liang State Wall 
It was constructed by the governor of Liang (a state of the Spring and Autumn Period) about 2,700 years ago in Nanzhichuan and Longting Towns of Hancheng City. Built of rammed earth, the wall stretched for 11 km, covering over 10 villages. After thousand of years of erosion, five sections of the wall can still be found. The longest one is 1,650-meter-long, 2-meter-high, and 2.5 in width. 

 Warring States Period
Wei State Wall 
It was built around 385 BC by Wei State. Record has it that the Wei State Wall originated from the Chaoyuan Cave at the foot of Mount Hua, extending over 140 km all the way to the north, through the bank of Yellow River and Luohe River, and finally to the Fuxian County in northern Shaanxi Province. It was also called Wei West wall for it was constructed along the western border of the Wei State. A 22-kilometer-long Wei State Wall has been discovered in Hancheng City. In some well-preserved sections, there are even the traces of beacon towers.
Qin State Wall 
The traces and ruins of beacon towers of the Qin State Wall of the Warring States Period were discovered in Shenmu, Jingbian and Henshan Counties of Yulin City. According to historical records, the Qin State Wall was built to prevent the invasion of Linhu Tribe from the north. The wall and beacon towers were built with earth and rubble. Relics of tiles were also found along the wall.

 Qin Dynasty 
After he unified the country, Emperor Qin Shihuang ordered a wall be built in the north to prevent the northern invaders. The Qin wall in Shaanxi Province was connected with two other walls of the Warring States Period, Zhao and Yan Walls, composing the Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty.

 Ming Dynasty 
The wall of the Ming Dynasty stretches for 880 km (547 miles) from the western bank of Yellow River in Fugu County all the way to the west to the eastern border of Yanchi County in Ningxia, traversing Fugu, Shenmu, Yulin, Hengshan, Jingbian, Yan'an, and Dingbian, in Northern Shaanxi Province. The wall of the Ming Dynasty in Shaanxi can be divided into three sections: the eastern, middle, and western sections. The part in Yulin also served also as one of the Yulin city walls, therefore, relics of walls, beacon towers, guard towers and abutment walls can be found in Yulin. The Zhenbeitai Tower in Yulin is the largest beacon tower along the wall, and is considered the 'premier tower of the Great Wall'.

The Great Walls in Shaanxi have seen great changes in the past three thousands years, but they are in a poor condition due to natural erosion and damage done by local people. Many parts have disappeared, and the remaining parts are dilapidated, so protection and renovation are urgent requirements.

 Shaanxi Great Wall Photos:    Yulin Great Wall Photos