Ruins of the Qin Great Wall in Guyang

Ruins of the Qin Great Wall in Guyang

The ruins of the Qin Great Wall in Guyang are a cultural tourism attraction, a patriotic education base, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The ruins of the Qin Great Wall in Guyang are located in the Yinshan Mountain area in central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, specifically in the regions of Damiao, Yinhuo, and Xidoupuzhen in the northern part of Guyang County. This defensive structure was built during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC–206 BC) to protect the Central Plains from invasions by northern tribes.

The ruins of the Qin Great Wall in Guyang stretch approximately 120 kilometers in length. The wall was built using stone blocks, standing 2 meters high, 2.5 meters wide, and reaching up to 3.8 meters at its highest points. Beacon towers were erected every few li, mostly within 50 meters of the southern side of the wall. Watch posts and guard positions were also set up nearby. The ruins are largely continuous, generally standing about 1 meter above the ground, with the best-preserved section stretching around 7 kilometers. Stone beacon towers have been found atop mountain peaks, along with ancient fortresses known as "barriers" situated along key mountain passes. In the better-preserved sections of the Qin Great Wall, the stone walls and moats can still be faintly discerned.

In the late Warring States period, the Qin state successively conquered the six states of Han, Zhao, Wei, Yan, Chu, and Qi. After unification, the Qin Dynasty undertook large-scale construction of the Great Wall to consolidate national unity and defend against invasions by northern nomadic tribes such as the Xiongnu and Donghu. The wall stretched from Lintao in the west to Liaodong in the east. The Great Wall built under Emperor Qin Shi Huang extended from Min County in Gansu in the west to Pyongyang in Korea in the east, and was divided into eastern, central, and western sections. The central section started in Xinghe, followed the Daqing Mountains westward, passed through the Yin Mountains and Helan Mountains, and extended to the northern edge of the Ulan Buh Desert. Part of this section was built upon the foundations of the Warring States-era Zhao Great Wall, while other parts were newly constructed after the unification of China.

The ruins of the Qin Great Wall in Guyang preserve the original appearance of the Qin-era wall, making them of great value for studying the characteristics of the wall at that time as well as the relationships between the Qin and neighboring ethnic groups. In November 1996, the ruins were designated as part of the fourth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.

Further reading:

· Fourth Group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level