The Northern Qi Great Wall

The Northern Qi Great Wall

The Northern Qi Great Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Northern Qi Great Wall extends northeastward from Luya Mountain and Guancen Mountain in northwestern Shanxi today, passing through Datong, Yanggao, and the northern border of Tianzhen before entering the territory of Chicheng County in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province. It then follows the southeastern direction of the Yanshan Mountain Range through Beijing, Tianjin, and the territory of Tangshan City, finally reaching the sea in the Shanhaiguan District of Qinhuangdao City. Another section, the southern Inner Border, starts in the northwest of Shanxi near Pianguan and heads southeast, turning northeast at the north of Wuxian, following the eastern part of the Hengshan Mountain Range into Hebei Province. It then continues north along the Taihang Mountains, where it connects with the Outer Border section of the Great Wall in the northwest of present-day Beijing. Academia generally believes that its specific route largely overlaps with the central and eastern sections of the Ming Great Wall. As a result, some scholars suggest that certain segments of the Ming Great Wall were built over the Northern Qi Great Wall, while others partially overlap or are intermittently connected—though not for long distances. For example, a section approximately 25 kilometers long of the Northern Qi Great Wall was discovered south of Laoying Town in Pianguan, Shanxi. This section of the Northern Qi Great Wall initially runs parallel to the Ming Great Wall, but the two diverge after Xinzhuangzi Village—the Ming Wall heads southwest while the Qi Wall turns slightly southeast. After curving around, the two reunite south of Beichang Village.

To strengthen defenses against nomadic tribes and the Western Wei (later the Northern Zhou), the Northern Qi Dynasty constructed the Great Wall multiple times during its 27-year existence, while also launching military campaigns against northern threats such as the Rouran, Göktürks, and Khitans. After the establishment of the Northern Qi Dynasty, which inherited the territory of Eastern Wei, it controlled parts of Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, and Shandong (east of Luoyang), as well as portions of Liaoning and Inner Mongolia. To the south was the Liang Dynasty (after its fall in 557, replaced by Chen), to the west the Western Wei (which became the Northern Zhou after its fall in 556), to the east the Bohai Sea, and to the north the Rouran, Khitans, Göktürks, and Kumo Xi. In 550, Gao Yang overthrew Eastern Wei and founded the Northern Qi Dynasty, taking the title Emperor Wenxuan of Qi. His realm included present-day Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, and Henan. Politically, he took measures such as banning corruption, establishing Qi Law, creating administrative divisions, and stabilizing the internal governance. For defense, he first reorganized the military and repeatedly launched successful campaigns against the northern threats of the Rouran, Göktürks, and Khitans.