Baihe Stone Great Wall Ruins

　　In Baihe County, multiple stone Great Wall ruins have been found, extending from Xunyang County and winding through the towering mountains. They are majestic and spectacular. For example, on the central peak of the mountain range at the border between Sanshuang Village in Kazi Township and Maota Jielinggou in Hubei Province, there is a stone-built city wall with a gate. The gate is 2.2–3 meters wide, the stone sill is 0.33 meters high, the pivot hole of the stone gate is 0.14 meters in diameter and 0.02 meters deep, with the pivot hole located on the Shaanxi side. The wall is 1.62 meters high and 2.84 meters thick, with severe weathering of the stones. Facing Hubei, there is a "Niángniáng Temple" built with flagstones, constructed in the fifth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1800 AD). Above the gate is a couplet: “Might spreads over Qin and Chu, divine power is great; Blessings shelter rivers and mountains, lofty peaks stand tall.”

　　At the Jieling border in Heping Village, Kazi Township, now beside the Hanbai Highway at the boundary between Qin and Chu, on the central peak of the mountain range, there is a wall built with rough stones, ranging from 1.5 meters high to 0.5 meters low, with a thickness of 1 meter. A few sections have battlements. South of Yanjiaba in Sixin Township, there is a stone city that extends up the mountain ridge, stretching about 0.5 kilometers east-west along the Qin-Cao watershed, with walls approximately 3 meters thick and a gate 2 meters wide, meandering through the depths of the forest.

　　At Xiaojieling in Nancha Township, there is a gate tunnel. To the west of the gate, there is a wall extending several li. The gate opening is 1.4 meters wide, the western wall is 2.45 meters high and 3.6 meters thick, and the gate has no roof. Towering peaks flank both sides of the gate, making the terrain perilous.

　　From Hanjiashan in Gefeng Township, passing through Suoshangou Shang, Tielugou Shang, Xilaigou Shang, Bantianyun, Huishuigounao, to Ruhuagou Shang, along the Qin-Cao provincial boundary ridge for about 15 kilometers, the stone city walls are clearly visible, with most sections well preserved. There are four gate tunnels and five arrow towers in this stretch. The gate tunnel at Suozigou Shang has a stone sill, among other features. The gate tunnels are all 1.72 meters high and 2.33 meters wide. The arrow towers are 2.4 meters high and 4.08 meters wide, with one of them containing internal steps. The largest stones used in constructing the gates and arrow towers are 2.38 meters long, 0.25 meters thick, and 0.5 meters wide.

　　The Baihe (including Xunyang) stone Great Wall ruins differ from the tamped-earth and brick-built walls of northern Shaanxi and the Guanzhong region, providing new and important material for the study of the Qin-Chu rivalry during the Warring States period and the history of ancient Chinese Great Walls.