The Qin Great Wall Ruins in Weiyuan

　　The Qin Great Wall in Weiyuan, built during the Warring States period, is one of the oldest sections of the Great Wall in China. Within Weiyuan, the wall passes through four towns and 14 villages, meandering over 36 kilometers before entering the territory of Longxi County. Most parts of this ancient section of the wall stand about 3 meters high, with some sections exceeding 8 meters. There is a small beacon tower every li (approximately half a kilometer) and a large one every 10 li, presenting a majestic sight. It is now a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

　　The Qin Great Wall in Weiyuan was built after King Zhaoxiang of Qin eliminated the Yiqu Rong during the Warring States period, making it one of the oldest sections of the Great Wall in Chinese history. It starts from Shawangfen, 30 li east of Lintao, enters Weiyuan County via Changchengpo in Dongyugou, Shangyang Mountain, and passes through 14 villages across four towns—including Dierpo, Fanjiawan, Wenchanggong, Qinwangsi, Shibaozi, Chenjiawa, Fangjialiang, Chenghao, Gaizuishan, Majiashan, Xiayantian, and Yangshan—spanning 37 kilometers before reaching Ye-huwan and entering Longxi County.

　　This ancient wall mostly stands about 3 meters high, with some sections over ten meters. Along the wall, there is a small beacon tower every li and a large one every 10 li, creating an awe-inspiring landscape. Below the wall, the rammed layers are clearly visible, and Qin dynasty tiles are scattered everywhere. At the foot of the wall lies the Qinwang Temple, said to be built to commemorate Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s overnight stay here during his western inspection tour of the Longxi Commandery (with its seat at Didao). Originally, the temple had a grand three-courtyard structure. Outside the mountain gate was a theater stage, and behind the temple was a deep well called the “Qinwang Watering Horse Well.” Next to the well stood an ancient tree known as the “Qinwang Tethering Tree.” Inside the temple was a large bell cast in the first year of the Ming Chenghua era (1465 AD), funded by the three counties of Long, Wei, and Lin. The bell, with a diameter of 2 meters, a height of 3 meters, and a weight of 4,800 jin, is a rare relic.

　　Most of the Qinwang Temple buildings were destroyed during the Qing Tongzhi era due to war. The large bell was destroyed and melted down in 1958. Today, only the rear main hall (rebuilt in the 23rd year of the Republic of China), a side hall on the left of the front courtyard (built during the Xuantong era of the Qing Dynasty), and three wing rooms on the eastern side of the courtyard remain; the rest are in ruins. On the surviving wall paintings of the side hall is an emotional poem: “The Wei River flows day and night, / Who knows when the wars will cease? / The ruins of the Great Wall still stand, / But the Qin kings and nobles are no more.” The Qin Great Wall in Weiyuan is now a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

　　The Qin Great Wall ruins were discovered in 1987 at two sites. One stretches 25 kilometers from Nanshi in Balasu Town’s ZhuanShui Temple Village to Xiangyang Village near Bulanghe Township, with intermittent continuity, a maximum width of 30 meters, and an average height of about 1 meter. There are multiple rammed earth layers, though the impressions are not distinct.

　　The other site starts east from Qiaojiamao in southern Balasu and extends west to Jingjie Village in Hongshiqiao Township, spanning 14 kilometers. The fragmented walls are interspersed, with rammed earth layers 15–20 cm thick, and surviving watchtower bases that are 9 meters wide and 5 meters high. Along these two segments of the ancient Great Wall, a large number of white lime pottery shards, mixed sand gray pottery, black pottery, and a few red pottery fragments have been found, featuring decorative patterns such as blue lines, coarse and fine rope waves, grid patterns, and stacked textures. Additionally, artifacts such as single-legged pottery li tripods common in the Warring States period, stone tool fragments, and quadrangular iron arrowheads have been discovered. Research confirms that this area contains ruins of the Great Wall dating from the Warring States to the Qin and Han dynasties. According to the “Book of Han · Biography of the Xiongnu,” it states: “More than ten years after Meng Tian’s death, the feudal lords rebelled against Qin, the Central Plains descended into chaos, and those relocated or exiled to the frontier by Qin all returned. Thus, the Xiongnu gained relief and gradually crossed the Yellow River southward, reclaiming the old border fortifications.” The so-called “old fortifications” refer to the Qin Great Wall built during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and discovered today within the territory of Yulin City.

　　In Baotou, besides the earlier Zhao Great Wall constructed by King Wuling of Zhao, there is also a relatively intact section of the Qin Great Wall.

　　In the 32nd year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s reign (215 BC), the emperor dispatched General Meng Tian with 300,000 troops to strike north against the Xiongnu and seize the Henan region. To prevent invasions by northern nomadic tribes, he built the Great Wall stretching west to Sanbei (now Min County, Gansu) and east to Liaodong Commandery (now Liaoning Province). After extending from Ningxia into Inner Mongolia, the wall proceeds eastward from Langshan, passing through the northern part of Guyang County in Baotou City—namely Xidoupuz, Yin Hao, and Damiao Township—before entering Wuchuan County, traversing the eastern part of Daqing Mountain, and extending into Hebei.

　　The total length of the Qin Great Wall within the territory of Baotou is approximately 120 kilometers. Most of it was built along the northern slopes of mountains, utilizing the terrain for strategic advantage. In valleys and plains, the walls were mainly constructed with rammed earth, while in mountainous areas, stone or mixed stone-earth construction was used. Generally, the stone sections of the wall are better preserved, with outer walls standing at least 4 meters high, a base width of 4 meters, and a top width of around 2 meters. From elevated viewpoints, one can still see the wall winding along the mountains like a dragon, with remnants of ancient beacon towers and barrier fortresses discernible at intervals. Around the Baotou section of the Qin Great Wall, there are 8 to 9 ancient city ruins, where pottery shards from the Qin to early Western Han periods are often found.

　　The Qin Great Wall not only features its own unique construction methods but also has distinctive defensive structures. Known for its stone construction, the wall is majestic and was later utilized during the Han Dynasty. It is a treasure of the Chinese nation, a marvel of world architectural history, and a symbol of the glory and splendid culture of the Chinese people.