The Wrong Great Wall

The Wrong Great Wall

The Wrong Great Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Great Wall is a crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese nation and, like the Egyptian pyramids, is hailed as one of the world’s wonders. Yet, even such a human miracle was not without error during its construction, leaving behind a regrettable blemish on this grand project.

Xishadi Village is an unremarkable small mountain village in Xitianhezhuang Town, Miyun. It is also a place where a rooster’s crow can be heard in two counties—the southwest of the village borders Huairou County, and just two kilometers west lies a range of undulating mountains. Within these mountains lies a north–south valley called Shitangyu, and atop the ridges on either side of the valley is the astonishing site known as the “Wrong Great Wall.”

Locals call the Wrong Great Wall the “half-built wall.” The combined length of the wall sections on both sides of the valley is only 400 meters, and it is not connected to any other section of the Great Wall, standing isolated and unrecorded. Strictly speaking, the western section cannot really be considered part of the Great Wall because it has neither watchtowers nor beacon towers—just a hastily built stone wall about ten meters long and 1.5 meters high, constructed from rough stones halfway up the mountainside. The eastern section, however, follows the mountain ridge with imposing momentum. Its foundation consists of large stone slabs hewn into blocks, the largest measuring two meters in length and 50 centimeters in height. It’s unclear how these were transported up the mountain without machinery in ancient times. On top of the foundation, blue bricks were used for facing, featuring a double-layered wall structure with compacted yellow earth in between. The wall follows the contours of the mountain and is uniquely constructed, with one watchtower in the middle. This tower has two stories, with an interior layout of three bright rooms and nine dark ones. On the arched ceiling of the ground floor, you can still clearly see the imprints of bamboo strips from the wattle-and-daub used during construction—an extremely rare sight on other watchtowers and a valuable clue for studying the architectural techniques of Great Wall towers today. Connected to the watchtower, the inner side of the eastern wall segment features an arched gate. According to Uncle Jiang, there were originally two stone doors that could be opened and closed. In front of the stone doors were steps lined with stone slabs. Passing through the gate, you’d find two more slab-lined staircases along the inner walls of the wall, leading up to the ramparts on both the east and west sides. The outer side of the wall, however, was solidly built with no openings. Such a gate is extremely rare on other stretches of the Great Wall. The wall is equipped with brick battlements, arrow slits, and lookout holes. Some of the latter, especially those near cliff edges, are even adorned with delicate carvings of water ripples—now overgrown with thick moss, as if whispering tales of history’s trials.

According to Uncle Jiang from Xishadi Village, who guided us, during the Cultural Revolution, parts of the wall’s bricks were taken to build a local school. Some bricks still bore inscriptions indicating they were fired in Shitanglu, over 20 kilometers away. Scattered throughout the valley at the foot of the Wrong Great Wall are remnants of unfinished stones from its construction—some showing only a single groove carved, others abandoned halfway. Li Daru, 73, Secretary-General of the Miyun County Cultural Relics Protection Association and a member of the China Great Wall Society, stated that judging by the bricks, this section of the Great Wall undoubtedly dates back to the Ming Dynasty.

Historical records offer no official account of the origins of the Wrong Great Wall. According to local elders in Xishadi, passed down through generations, this section was built during the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty, under the command of Qi Jiguang as the General of Jizhen. Just as Qi had completed fortifications around Gubeikou and Heilongtan and was advancing the project, news suddenly arrived that enemy forces were invading Liaodong. An urgent imperial decree recalled Qi to lead the defense. With military orders being absolute, Qi quickly handed over the Great Wall construction duties to his deputy, Tan Cheng, and rushed to Liaodong.

Tan Cheng was the nephew of Tan Lun, Qi Jiguang’s former superior and then the Governor-General of Jiliao. Through his uncle’s connections, along with his own cunning and flattery, Tan Cheng had earned Qi’s favor. Within just a few years, he rose from a common soldier to Qi’s right-hand man. After Qi left, Tan Cheng took charge—and his true nature began to show. Convinced that Qi wouldn’t return anytime soon from battle, he saw an opportunity to profit from the ongoing project. He sent trusted men to the court to inquire about when construction would resume. Soon, they returned with word that the next phase would begin at Shentangyu and was to start shortly. Whether the message was misdelivered or Tan Cheng, blinded by greed, misheard, the wall ended up being built not at Shentangyu in Huairou—but at Shitangyu in Miyun. A single character’s difference led to a mistake dozens of kilometers wide—a blunder for the ages.

Desperate to finish the wall before Qi Jiguang’s return—both to claim credit and embezzle funds—Tan Cheng drove the workers relentlessly, day and night. Soldiers and laborers suffered immensely, but remarkably, the wall was completed in record time. Thrilled by the speedy progress, Tan Cheng gloated, believing he had outperformed his former superior—not only finishing faster but also delivering quality work. Surely the court would praise him, leading to promotion, wealth, and glory. What more could one ask for?

But just as Tan Cheng was basking in his fantasies, Qi Jiguang returned victorious from battle. Upon arriving at Shentangyu, he found no trace of the Great Wall. After investigating, he learned that Tan Cheng had mistakenly built it at Shitangyu. As a national defense project, the Great Wall allowed no errors. Enraged, Qi Jiguang rode straight to Shitangyu...

where he had Tan Cheng detained and immediately dispatched a report to the imperial court. After investigation, it was revealed that Tan Cheng had committed the most egregious case of dereliction of duty in the history of Great Wall construction. Moreover, he and his subordinates had embezzled food rations meant for soldiers and laborers, inciting widespread public outrage. The court ruled that 20 of the involved criminals be executed on the spot—the execution ground located in a gully west of Shitangyu. To this day, that gully is still called “Corrupt Officials’ Gully.”

Over 600 years have passed, yet the “Wrong Great Wall” remains, and so does “Corrupt Officials’ Gully.” They continue to serve as solemn reminders for future generations, offering profound lessons.