Narintai Qin Great Wall Ruins

Narintai Qin Great Wall Ruins

The Narintai Qin Great Wall Ruins are a cultural tourism attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Great Wall — Narintai Qin Great Wall Ruins are situated on Nanshan Ridge in Nalintai Township, Yijinhuoluo Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This section was part of the Great Wall constructed by King Zhaoxiang of Qin to resist the Xiongnu. It starts from Shenmu County in southern Shaanxi, passes through here, and extends northward to Jungar Banner, spanning a total length of over 40 kilometers. The Narintai section is the best-preserved segment within the Yikezhao League, built with stacked natural stone slabs. The remains stand 1.7 meters high and are over 3 meters wide.

The Qin Great Wall within the Weiyuan area was built after King Zhaoxiang of Qin during the Warring States period conquered the Yiqu Rong, making it one of the oldest sections of the Great Wall in Chinese history.

Starting from Shawangfen, thirty li east of Lintao in the west, it enters the Weiyuan County area via the Great Wall Slope of Dongyugou and Shangyang Mountain. It traverses through Di'erpo, Fanjiawan, Wenchang Palace, Qinwang Temple, Shibaozi, Chenjiawa, Fangjialiang, Chenghao, Gaozuishan, Majiashan, Xiayan Tan, and Yangshan across fourteen villages in four townships, covering a winding distance of thirty-seven kilometers before entering Longxi County via Ye Huwan. Most parts of this ancient wall still stand about 3 meters high, with some sections exceeding ten meters. Along the wall, there is a small beacon tower every li and a large one every ten li, presenting a majestic sight. The rammed layers beneath the wall are clearly visible, and Qin dynasty tiles are scattered everywhere. At the foot of the Great Wall lies the Qinwang Temple, which, according to legend, was named after Emperor Qin Shi Huang stayed here overnight during his western inspection tour of Longxi Commandery (with its seat at Didao). Later generations built the temple in his honor. Originally, the temple complex had three courtyards in a row, grand and imposing, with a theater stage and assembly hall outside the mountain gate. In the rear courtyard, there is a deep well known as the “Qinwang Horse-Watering Well,” beside which stands a thousand-year-old tree called the “Qinwang Horse-Tying Tree.” Inside the temple is a large bell cast in the first year of the Ming Chenghua era (1465 AD), funded jointly by the three counties of Long, Wei, and Lin. The bell has a diameter of 2 meters, a height of 3 meters, and weighs 4,800 jin (approximately 2,400 kg), making it a rare relic in the world.

The Qin Great Wall ruins were discovered in 1987, with two sections found. One section starts from Zhuanshuimiao Village in Balasu Town in the south and extends to Xiangyang Village near Bulanghe Township in the north, spanning a total length of 25 kilometers. The wall is intermittent, with the widest point being 30 meters and an average height of around 1 meter. There are multiple rammed earth layers, though the ramming imprints are not very distinct.

The other section starts from Qiaojiamao in the south of Balasu in the east and reaches Jingjie Village in Hongshiqiao Township in the west, covering a total length of 14 kilometers. The remnants of the wall are intermittently continuous, with rammed earth layers 15–20 centimeters thick. Some remaining beacon towers are 9 meters wide and 5 meters high. Along these two ancient Great Wall sections, a large number of white lime pottery, sandy gray pottery, black pottery, and a small amount of red pottery fragments have been found, most decorated with patterns such as blue stripes, coarse and fine rope waves, grid patterns, and piled textures. Additionally, artifacts such as single-legged tripod remnants and fragments commonly used during the Warring States period, stone tool fragments, and quadrangular iron arrowheads have been discovered. Research confirms that this site dates back to the Qin and Han dynasties during the Warring States period.

In June 2001, the Narintai Qin Great Wall Ruins were designated as part of the fifth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.