Yan-Zhao Great Wall

Yan-Zhao Great Wall

Yan-Zhao Great Wall: The 1688 edition of the *Da County Annals · Historical Sites* states, “The ruins of the Great Wall are located at Guang’an Town in the southwest of the county, where there is an earthen mound, said to be part of the Great Wall built by Emperor Qin Shi Huang.” The section on river embankments in the annals also mentions, “An ancient dike stretches from Mitidi Village in this jurisdiction to Hancun in Wen’an County, undulating intermittently over fifty li. It is referred to by some as the ‘Great Wall Dike’ and by others as the ‘City Defense Dike.’?... It is believed to have been constructed...” The historical records are not entirely accurate. According to *A Comprehensive Survey of China’s Ancient Great Walls* and related local research, the so-called “Great Wall Dike” (or defense dike) refers to both the Yan and Zhao state great walls.

The Yan Great Wall, also known as the Southern Yan Great Wall, was built by King Zhao of Yan in 284 BC after reclaiming Pingshu (present-day Da Cheng) from the Qi state. The Warring States period was marked by frequent feudal wars of annexation, prompting various states to construct great walls to bolster their defenses. To guard against threats from the Zhao and Qi states to the south, Yan converted parts of the Yi River water conservancy embankment along its border into a military defensive structure—hence it is also called the Yi River Great Wall (referred to locally in old Da Cheng as the Great Wall Dike). This section of the wall started from the ancient Yan capital (located southeast of present-day Yixian County) in the west and extended to the county seat of Da Cheng in the east, spanning approximately 250 kilometers. Within Da Cheng County, it entered from Beizhao in Hejian City to the west, passed through villages such as Caijian, Guang’an, Yanma, Mitidi, Yangdi, and Wangzhuang, the 110,000-volt substation, and ended at Erguyuan Village, covering a total length of about 20 kilometers. The *Historical Atlas of China* also marks this section of the wall. To this day, remnants can still be found east of Weigan Village, at Yangdi Village, and south of Jiaozhuang Village. The surviving ruins south of Jiaozhuang Village stand about 3 meters high, with a summit width of around 25 meters. The cross-section shows visible ancient rammed earth layers and groove patterns. In June 2001, the Southern Yan Great Wall (Da Cheng section) was designated as a provincial-level Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People’s Government of Hebei Province.

The Zhao Great Wall. This section of the Zhao Great Wall lies north of the county seat, extending through villages such as Nanlouti, Zhoubei, Handi, and Xinglin before reaching Hancun at the border with Wen’an County. This is not the same wall built by King Wuling of Zhao as recorded in earlier county annals or those of Wen’an. At that time, King Wuling of Zhao supported the restoration of the Yan king’s throne and aided Yan in its campaign against Qi, with the two states sharing the Southern Yan Great Wall as their mutual border. Relations between Yan and Zhao deteriorated around 249 BC. In 247 BC, Zhao defeated Yan, leading to an exchange of certain border territories—the former Yan territory of Pingshu was ceded to Zhao. For Zhao, the original Southern Yan Great Wall had lost its defensive value, prompting the construction of a new defensive wall along the newly established border.