The Warring States Qin Great Wall

The Warring States Qin Great Wall

The Warring States Qin Great Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Guyuan was under the jurisdiction of the Beidi Commandery of the Qin State. At that time, northern ethnic minorities frequently invaded, so the Qin State built the Great Wall along the Longxi, Beidi, and Shangjun regions to defend against these incursions. Later generations referred to it as the "Warring States Qin Great Wall."

The Qin Great Wall within Guyuan spans two counties and one district: Xiji, Yuanzhou (District), and Pengyang. It enters Xiji from Jingning County in Gansu, passes through Yuanzhou (District), Pengyang, and other areas, and then heads northeast into Wugou Township of Zhenyuan County in Gansu Province, with a total length of approximately 200 kilometers. Despite more than two thousand years of weathering and damage, its outline remains visible, with intermittent sections connected as a whole. Well-preserved segments include Hongzhuang Village in Hongzhuang Township, Changchengliang in Xijiao Township, Mingzhuang, Guozhuang, and Changchengyuan in Pengyang. The better-preserved sections of the wall have remnants standing 2–10 meters high, with base widths of 8–10 meters. The wall’s enemy towers reach residual heights of 5–20 meters, with outward-projecting platforms spaced about 200 meters apart. The Guyuan Qin Great Wall features a unique double-line defensive construction, a rare form seen nowhere else in the country.