Maliangguan Great Wall

Maliangguan Great Wall

The Maliangguan Great Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Maliangguan Great Wall is located on Maliang Mountain, about 1.5 kilometers northwest of Mingshui Zhang Village, Songjiazhuang Township, Xingtai County, and 8.5 kilometers north of the Heduling Great Wall. To the west, it lies 2.5 kilometers southeast of Gedadian Village, Gaoluo Township, Xiyang County, Shanxi Province. The pass is surrounded by mountains on the east, south, and north, with a deep ravine to the west and a small basin in the center. The flat area can hold three to five hundred people. It has two walls—eastern and western—each with a gate (the East Gate and the West Gate). There are also beacon towers on the peaks to the north and south, an enemy tower on the western slope, and a bridge over the ravine. According to the *Xingtai County Annals*, “Maliangguan originally had two gates, east and west, as well as watchtowers, drawbridges, official halls, barracks, and defending troops, all now abolished.” Both the eastern and western walls have arched gateways, which still remain today. Most of the wall and battlements are relatively well-preserved, with the western wall being longer than the eastern one.

The Maliangguan Great Wall was built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty at the valley entrance between two mountains, forming an independent fortified pass. Stone walls and watchtowers line both sides of the valley entrance, and the ancient post road runs through the pass, making the East and West Gates the only two exits. The entire pass is rectangular in shape, with a unique and spectacular layout. The tall and magnificent blue stone gate towers, along with the majestic and solemn blue stone walls topped with battlements, resemble a fierce, soaring green dragon that sweeps its wings down the imposing mountains, extending for approximately five li in length and forming a tight defensive line from the northwest to the southeast. From a high vantage point, one can see why this place has the feel of “one man guarding the pass, ten thousand unable to breach it.”

The Maliangguan Great Wall features enemy towers (pavilions) and two beacon towers. One enemy tower is located on the mountainside 40 meters due east of the northern end of the western wall. It is a solid, high platform-style structure, now heavily collapsed. It measures 6 meters in length from north to south, 3 meters in width from east to west, and has a remaining height of just 2 meters. It is built with irregular strip stones, mortared with lime, and filled with yellow soil and broken stones, all compacted. Walking 40 meters uphill to the east from the first enemy tower leads to the second one, which is square-shaped with sides measuring 6.2 meters and a remaining height of 1.5 meters. The structure and building materials of this tower are consistent with the first. Scattered around the base are numerous fragments of gray-glazed roof tiles, indicating that there was once a building with a gray-glazed tile roof atop the tower, likely used to shelter soldiers from wind and rain. Therefore, this tower can be referred to as an enemy pavilion. Below the western slope of the enemy pavilion lies a stone bridge over the ravine, beyond which a mountain road winds toward Shanxi Province. These two towers occupy a commanding height, making them ideal for surveillance and observation.

The two beacon towers are located on peaks to the north and south, approximately 1.5 kilometers apart. The northern beacon tower is bounded by cliffs on three sides and is constructed from neat strip stones. It has a remaining height of 4.2 meters, with a base measuring 4.3 meters in width from east to west and 5.3 meters in length from north to south. The southern side has steps wide enough for climbing, measuring 1.4 meters in width and 8 meters in length. The southern beacon tower is heavily collapsed, with a remaining height of less than 1 meter. Due to their location at the highest elevation of Maliangguan, these towers offer a commanding view of both the inside and outside of the pass. In case of enemy activity, beacon fires could be quickly lit to transmit alerts promptly.

Location: Northwest of Mingshui Zhang Village, Xingtai County, Hebei Province

Transportation by bus: Within Xingtai City, take a bus from Xingxi Bus Station to Yunmengshan, which stops at Maliangguan.

Self-driving route: From Xingtai City, take the Xinghe Highway, passing through Nanshimen, Xihuang Village, and Yegoumen Reservoir, then head in the direction of Songjiazhuang. Continue to Mingshui Zhang Village, and after about 1 kilometer, you will reach the Maliangguan parking lot.