Wulonggou Great Wall

Great Wall of Wulonggou

The Wulonggou Great Wall crawls over the mountains near Wulonggou Village, Wulonggou Town, Laiyuan County, Baoding, Hebei Province. It is connected with the Xiaguan Pass near Pingxing Pass in the west, and runs northeast to Laishui County. The wall has not been repaired, but it is well-preserved.
 

 It was constructed in 1573 to 1576 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to prevent the invasion of northern Mongolians.

  The section in Laiyuan County measures 93 miles (150 kilometers) long. Along it, there are more than 300 watchtowers, 42 battle terraces, 33 beacon towers, and 6 forts.

 The wall is 3.3 yards (3 meters) to 4.4 yards (4 meters) wide, and 13 feet (4 meters) to 20 feet (6 meters) high. On the outer side of the wall are crenels 7 feet (2 meters) high.

  The wall is piled-up stones, and the watchtowers are made of blue bricks.
 

The Great Wall of Wulonggou has never been repaired. But it is surprisingly well-preserved, especially the watchtowers. Its current situation rivals that of Badaling, Mutianyu, and Jinshanling before their restoration. There are several reasons behind this. First of all, the joints between bricks are filled with lime which is abundant in Laiyuan County. This made the wall and watchtowers solid and sound. Moreover, the mountains are precipitous, so that the wall is seldom bothered by human beings. In addition, even if the bricks and stones were removed, it would be difficult to transport them. Therefore, the bricks and stones have not been demolished or removed by local villages as in other sections. 
 Along the Great Wall of China, there are two sections with a high density of watchtowers. One is Jinshanling, and the other is Wulonggou. Seen from afar, the watchtowers resemble musical notes on a staff. You can even find a dozen watchtowers along 0.6 mile (1 kilometer). It's said that someone once saw as many as 32 watchtowers at one glance.
 The fort is situated at the foot of the mountain. It is elliptical in shape, and made of dressed stones. There are two gates: the Zhenshuo Gate in the west, and the Yijing Gate in the south. The Zhenshuo Gate, about 10 feet (3 meters) high, is well-preserved. You can still find its name engraved on the gate. However, the inscriptions on the Yijing Gate have long since disappeared.
  Some sections are well-preserved, while others are dilapidated. You need to take care.

 The slope of the wall rises gently, with few steps. But it may be slippery because of the sand.

 The entrances to the watchtowers are about 3 feet (1 meter) above the ground. You can enter the watchtowers along the stone steps  in front of the entrances. Some stone steps are gone, so you need to make a detour. 
 

It is about 23 miles (37 kilometers) to the northeast of Laiyuan County. You need to get to Laiyuan County first.

 How to Get to Wulonggou Great Wall from Beijing
You can take a bus to Laiyuan from Yongdingmen Bus Station. The buses are scheduled at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, and 17:30. The trip takes about 3 hours. The fare is CNY 67. Upon arrival, take a taxi to the site for about CNY 80.

 How to Get There from Baoding
Take a bus to Laiyuan from Baoding Passenger Transport Center at no. 1085, East Yuhua Road. The buses are available from 6:20 to 18:00 at intervals of 20 minutes. The trip takes about 3 hours. The fare is CNY 48. Upon arrival, take a taxi to the site for about CNY 80.