Remains of the Qin Great Wall at Nalin Ta

　　The Great Wall – Remains of the Qin Great Wall at Nalin Ta are situated on the Nanshan Ridge in Nalin Taochai Township, Ejin Horo 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 Shaanxi to the south, passes through this site, and extends northward to Jungar Banner, spanning a total length of over 40 kilometers. Among these, the Nalin Ta section is the best-preserved segment within the Yikezhao League area, built with natural stone slabs. The remains stand 1.7 meters high and are over 3 meters wide.

　　The Qin Great Wall within the territory of Weiyuan was built after King Zhaoxiang of Qin during the Warring States period conquered the Yiqu Rong. It is one of the oldest sections of the Great Wall in Chinese history.

　　Starting from Shawangfen, 30 li east of Lintao in the west, the wall climbs from Dongyugou Great Wall Slope and Shangyang Mountain into Weiyuan County. It traverses through Direpo, Fanjiawan, Wenchanggong, Qinwangsi, Shibaozi, Chenjiawa, Fangjialiang, Chenghao, Gaizuoshan, Majiashan, Xiayan Tan, and Yangshan across fourteen villages in four townships, covering a distance of thirty-seven kilometers, before entering Longxi County via Yehuwan. Most parts of this ancient section of the Great Wall still stand about 3 meters high, with some sections exceeding ten meters. Along the wall, small beacon towers are found every li, and larger ones every ten li, creating a majestic sight. The rammed layers beneath the wall are clearly visible, and Qin dynasty tiles are scattered everywhere. At the foot of the wall lies the Qinwang Temple, which, according to legend, was named after Emperor Qin Shi Huang stayed here overnight during his western tour to Longxi Commandery (with its seat at Didao). Later generations built the temple in commemoration of the emperor’s visit. Originally, the temple complex had three courtyards arranged in a row, majestically standing with a theater stage and assembly hall outside the mountain gate. Behind the temple is a deep well known as the “Qinwang Horse-Watering Well,” next to which grows a thousand-year-old tree called the “Qinwang Horse-Tethering Tree.” Inside the temple is a large bell cast in the first year of the Ming Chenghua era (1465 AD) through contributions from the three counties of Long, Wei, and Lin. The bell has a diameter of 2 meters, is 3 meters tall, weighs 4,800 jin, and is a rarity in the world.

　　The Qin Great Wall ruins were discovered in 1987, comprising two sections. 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 discontinuous, with the widest point reaching 30 meters and an average height of about 1 meter. There are multiple rammed earth layers, but the imprint is not very distinct.

　　The other section starts from Qiaojiamao in the south of Balasu in the east and stretches to Jingjie Village in Hongshiqiao Township in the west, covering a total length of 14 kilometers. The remaining walls are intermittent, with rammed earth layers 15–20 centimeters thick. Some surviving watchtowers are 9 meters wide and 5 meters high. Along these two segments of the ancient Great Wall ruins, a large number of white lime pottery, sandy gray pottery, black pottery, and a small amount of red pottery fragments have been found, most of which feature decorative patterns such as blue stripes, coarse and fine rope waves, grid patterns, and piled textures. In addition, artifacts such as single legs and fragments of pottery li (tripod cooking vessels) commonly used in the Warring States period, stone tool fragments, and square iron arrowheads have also been discovered. Research has confirmed that this site dates back to the Qin and Han dynasties, originating from the Warring States period.

　　In June 2001, the Remains of the Qin Great Wall at Nalin Ta were designated by the State Council as part of the fifth group of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites.