Great Wall Sections

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Like a giant dragon, the Great Wall meanders over deserts, grasslands, and mountains until finally arriving at its destination - Bohai Gulf. Zigzagging 21,196 kilometers (13,170 miles) from Jiayuguan Pass in the west to Hushan Mountain in Liaoning in the east, the wall crosses over ten provinces and cities, including Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, and Liaoning. The wall had witnessed many changes through several thousand years of history, from the Warring States to the Ming Dynasty.

Here lists the famous sections in different areas:

Beijing

In Beijing, there are many relics of the wall, most of which were built around 1540. The notable sections include:

Badaling, Beijing

Gansu:

In Gansu, numerous cultural relics of the Silk Road can be found, such as the Mogao Caves and Maijishan Grottoes. Also it played a very important role in the ancient military defense. A lot of Great Wall relics have been found in this region. The most famous one is Jiayuguan Pass in Jiayuguan City, which is the western beginning of the Ming wall. Additionally, the Overhanging Wall is worth a visit.

Jiayuguan, Gansu

Hebei:

There are a large number of Great Wall relics in Hebei Province. Most of them were built in the Ming Dynasty. In the east of Hebei stand the Wall of Laolongtou, Shanhaiguan Pass, Xifengkou & Panjiakou, Zijingguan, Jiaoshan, Qingshankou, Malanguan, etc. In northwestern Hebei, you can see Zhangjiakou, Changyukou and Qingbiankou Great Wall. And in the southwest of Hebei, Wulonggou, Futuyu, and Chajianling can be seen.

Shanhaiguan, Hebei

Inner Mongolia:

Inner Mongolia boasts the largest number of Great Wall relics. Its total length covers one third of the whole length of China Great Wall. However, a great many remains were destroyed and even some of them have died out. For instance, in the area of Juyanhai Lake, ten fire towers have disappeared.

Great Wall in Inner Mongolia

Jiumenkou, Liaoning

Liaoning:

It's thought that the eastern beginning of the Great Wall is the Shanhaiguan Pass in Hebei. However, in recent years, people find that its beginning is in Liaoning Province. Most of the Wall in Liaoning was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In that period, the Wall was divided into nine districts, called Nine Important Towns on the Border. The wall in Liaoning was administered by Liaodong Town. Now, it's uncommon to see its relics. The remains mainly distribute in the northwest of this region.

Ningxia:

In Ningxia, the Sanguankou (Three Passes) is highly recommended. In the Ming Dynasty, the Tartar and Wala tribes of Mongolia often came into the northwest China from Sanguankou. For the sake of safety, Sanguankou was built.

Hongguozi Great Wall in Ningxia

Zhenbeitai, Shaanxi

Shaanxi:

In Shaanxi, the Great Wall mainly distributes in Shenmu, Fugu, Jingbian and Hengshan in Yulin, Wuqi and Fuxian in Yanan and Dali, Heyang, Pucheng, Chengcheng, Baishui and Hancheng in Weinan. In length of more than 2,000 kilometers was built ranging from the Warring States Period to the Ming Dynasty.

Shanxi:

Yanmenguan Pass, Shanxi

In history, Shanxi was a point of battle. Thus, a lot of Great Wall remains can be found there. The wall there comprises inner and outer walls. The inner wall is the second line of defence. In Shanxi, many famous passes can be found, such as:

Tianjin:

The Great Wall in Tianjin was mostly built in the Ming Dynasty. And most of them were stone-structured. Only the Huangyaguan Pass was made up of bricks. Tianjin Walls has a complete defensive system, including walls, terraces, passes, fire towers, fire pools, ovens and fortresses.

Click to choose a section suitable for you: Which Section to Visit?, 6 Best Places to See Great Wall of China

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- Last updated on Jul. 24, 2024 by Catherine He -