Baiyangyu Great Wall Scenic Area

Baiyangyu Great Wall Scenic Area

Baiyangyu Great Wall Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Baiyangyu Great Wall is located on the southern ridge of the Yanshan Mountains, 20 kilometers north of Qian’an City. It stretches 7,000 meters from the marble section of the Great Wall at Dazhuang Beishan in the east to the Laoduntai watchtower at Sigou in the west. It integrates water gates, fortresses, beacon towers, walls, battlements, slopes, and moats, forming a complete ancient military defense system.

Baiyangyu is also known as Baiyang Pass. Baiyang Pass is famed for its majesty, while Lengkou is celebrated for its peril, together known as the “Majestic Pass and Perilous Gateway.” A Baiyang River flows from north to south through the Baiyang Pass. Originally, there was a gate spanning the river, connecting both ends to the Great Wall, referred to as the Baiyang Water Gate or Yanggu Pass. The Great Wall features various types of passes, but water gates are rare, and surviving ones even fewer. The Baiyang Water Gate is the source of the Baiyang River, with abundant springs along over 500 meters of its course, making it a true water gate. It features a double-channel water fortress design, and the foundation of the riverside battlement on the eastern bank still remains. Such water gates are unique to Baiyangyu on the Great Wall. Once restored, the Baiyang Water Gate will become the “foremost water gate of the Great Wall.”

The Baiyangyu Great Wall has 36 watchtowers, categorized as command towers, combat towers, and observation towers, most of which are well-preserved. Among them, the Jian Tower and La Tower are typical command towers where military officers resided and directed defenses during the annual spring and autumn campaigns.

Among the many watchtowers, the Shenwei Tower west of the water gate is unique and considered a masterpiece. Unlike other watchtowers built atop the wall, it is suspended on the outer side. The Shenwei Tower’s walls are constructed with blue bricks and white lime plaster up to the eaves. On the back exterior wall, there is an arrow slit serving as a ventilation and lighting window, an observation hole, and a firing point for arrows, cannons, and guns. Below the slit are two thunderstone holes used to launch stones at enemies below. The arrow slit and thunderstone holes are arranged in a triangular pattern, with similar structures on the east and west walls. Inside, there is a simple vaulted ceiling, and above the door is a stone plaque engraved with the three characters “Shenwei Tower” in intaglio regular script. The upper left inscription reads “Composed by Garrison General Zhang Shizhong,” and the lower right reads “Erected in the summer of the 16th year of the Wanli era.” Opposite the door is a screen wall on a Sumeru pedestal, inlaid with a commemorative stele. Despite having no wood or tiles except for the door and windows, the brick imitation wooden structure is remarkably lifelike and enhances the tower’s sturdiness.

Adjacent to the east of the Shenwei Tower is a watchtower with a wooden beam structure, a rare mid-level building among the predominantly brick-vaulted ones. The interior features many niches, making it a typical “commander’s meeting room,” with historical and artistic value rarely seen on the Great Wall.

The Baiyangyu Great Wall was initially built during the Northern Qi Dynasty with stone, only 3 meters wide. During the Ming Dynasty, Qi Jiguang organized multiple reinforcements, using brick facing in critical sections to increase the width to 5–6 meters. General stone walls are mainly found in easily defensible, less accessible areas far from passes. The wall between Fangzi Tower and Kengzi Tower, a key part of the Baiyang Water Gate, was built with large rough stones without any bricks for crenellations or parapets. Despite being over 400 years old, it remains intact—a mystery due to its strategic placement and remarkable durability.

In the eastern section of the double-brick-faced wall, two stone boundary markers are embedded on the inner wall surface, inscribed in intaglio regular script with “Eastern Command Yanhe Road Western Boundary” and “Central Command Taiping Road Eastern Boundary.” At the time, the Great Wall in Tangshan was under the jurisdiction of the Jizhou Command of the nine northern frontier garrisons of the Ming Dynasty, which was divided into twelve routes responsible for constructing and defending their respective sections. Boundary stones were erected at the junctions of these routes. These two stones mark the boundary between Yanhe and Taiping Routes.

The western section of the boundary stones uses grayish-white limestone as the base for the wall and watchtowers, while the 2,100-meter section east of the stones uses purplish-red marble. The striking contrast of red and white at the junction creates the rare marble Great Wall seldom seen in the Great Wall’s vast expanse.

East of the marble Great Wall lies a blind wall, locally called the “Wrong City,” near a general’s tomb. Legend says the Wrong City was built in error, leading to the execution of a general, or that it served to mislead enemies like a decoy city, though neither is documented. The town fortress and Shenwei Tower stand east and west of the water gate, respectively, symbolizing both merit and shame, showcasing the profound cultural richness of Baiyangyu Great Wall.

The so-called “Horse Pen” or “Parade City,” now still imposing, is a decoy fortress located on a high point east of the water gate. Easily defensible and seemingly approachable yet unassailable, it covers about 3,000 square meters. It was designed to mislead enemies into thinking it was the command center, drawing their forces for futile assaults, and also to store provisions, horses, and troops—a unique element of Baiyangyu’s defensive system.

On the northern slopes of Baiyangyu, there are two or more slopes parallel to the wall, built with stone bases and earthen tops forming “vertical walls” extending east-west. These add another scenic highlight. Before the main wall was completed, slopes and moats served as primary defenses in some areas; afterward, they protected the wall. Slopes hindered siege equipment and slowed enemy cavalry and infantry, effectively shielding the wall. Two similar moats once existed in low-lying areas north of the Baiyang Water Gate, later filled by the 1960s.

Baiyangyu, along with Lengkou and Caiyazi—strategically critical areas—formed a mutually reinforcing network. The Yongping Prefecture Annals recorded that invaders would inevitably target Baiyangyu. Thus, its distinctive architecture provided an effective military defense against enemies.

Address: Baiyangyu Village, Dacunzhen, Qian’an City, Tangshan

Type: Fortress

Recommended visiting time: 3 hours

Ticket information:

Door price: 30.0 RMB

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I. Town Overview

Dacuizhuang Town is located in the northwest of Qian’an City, at the foot of the Great Wall, covering a total area of 69.928 square kilometers, with 28,900 mu of arable land and 16,715 mu of mountainous land. The town has a total of … Dacuizhuang Town detailed information++