Jinshanling Great Wall

Jinshanling Great Wall

The Jinshanling Great Wall is a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction, a key cultural relics protection unit of China, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Jinshanling Great Wall winds along the Greater and Lesser Jinshan Ridges in Hualougou, Bakeshiying, Luanping County, Hebei Province.

The Greater and Lesser Jinshan Ridges lie between Wuling Mountain, the highest peak of the Yanshan Mountain Range, and Wohu Ridge at Gubeikou. The terrain here is extremely rugged, with overlapping peaks and forests as vast as the sea, creating a majestic and boundless landscape. To the west, Gubeikou is the only pass leading into the region and has historically been a strategic military location fiercely contested by armies. Due to its perilous terrain and critical military position, it is hailed as the “Second Badaling.” In 1980, a survey team from the Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Work Unit discovered this section of the Great Wall while investigating its preservation status.

The Jinshanling Great Wall stretches over 50 kilometers across Longyukou, Wulishekou, Zhuanduokou, and Shalingkou. In the early Ming Dynasty, the renowned general Xu Da oversaw the construction of the wall. In the first year of the Longqing era (1567), Qi Jiguang was stationed to guard the northern frontier and continued building numerous imposing watchtowers and robust beacon towers. As a result, this section became the most structurally intricate and densely packed part of the entire Great Wall. It features a total of 158 watchtowers and battle platforms, each with unique architectural styles. The watchtowers are built with either brick and wood or brick and stone, their designs varying according to the mountain terrain—each tower is distinct. The bases come in various shapes such as square, round, and fan-shaped, while the rooftops feature domed, quadrangular, boat-shaped, and eight-cornered spire forms. Additionally, there are multi-window night watchtowers and storage towers, which are rarely seen in other sections of the Great Wall. The diverse and staggered structures of the Jinshanling Great Wall form a complete defensive system. Today, the Jinshanling Great Wall has been developed into a scenic area for visitors to explore. (Source: National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Ticket Price:

65 yuan

Nearby Attractions:

Liuyan Tower, Greater Jinshan Tower

Public Transport:

Direct tourist bus from Dongzhimen to Jinshanling Great Wall

Further Reading:

· Top Ten Ancient Architectures of Hebei Province

· Fourth Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· 2020 Top 100 Historical Site-type Scenic Spots Brand Ranking

· Third Batch of Key Cultural Relics Protection Units of China