Charge your batteries because this is one of the most beautiful winding sections the Great Wall has to offer. We will start this trip with a great lunch with the most friendly farmers (and they are also great cooks;-) we ever met. A short hike up this mountain will bring us to the Wild Great wall. During this hike we will pass several watch and beacon towers. We will show you some the different building styles carried out by the different dynasties. Discovering bullet holes and pottery along the way your imagination of how things were a thousand years ago can start running wild
Backgroud info
Located along the Yanshan Mountain range in the northeast of Miyun County, south of the hill country of Panlong Mountain and Wohu Mountain, Gubeikou Great Wall occupies a strategically important location which is difficult to access. Situated between Shanhaiguan Pass and Juyongguan Pass, and about 62 miles to Beijing, it is the bastion protecting the northern gateway to the capital.
The first section of the wall was built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 557). Centuries later, General Xuda ordered...
Located along the Yanshan Mountain range in the northeast of Miyun County, south of the hill country of Panlong Mountain and Wohu Mountain, Gubeikou Great Wall occupies a strategically important location which is difficult to access. Situated between Shanhaiguan Pass and Juyongguan Pass, and about 62 miles to Beijing, it is the bastion protecting the northern gateway to the capital.
The first section of the wall was built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 557). Centuries later, General Xuda ordered to rebuild it in the early Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The defensive capability of the wall was enhanced by adding more stone. When Qi Jiguang was appointed chief commanding officer of Ji Garrison (one of the eleven Garrisons in Ming Dynasty), he laid another line of brick wall beside the original one, thus forming the unique Gubeikou double-lined Wall.
Today the famous Gubeikou Great Wall stretches for more than 25 miles. There are 14 beacon towers, 143 watch towers, 16 strategic passes, three citadels and many other military constructions. Many of them are famous cultural relics, such as the Big Flower Beacon Tower of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Fairy Tower, General Tower, and the dominant Wangjing Tower.
Panlongshan Great Wall: West of Wohushan Great Wall, it is located in the middle section of Gubeikou Great Wall, where most of the historical wars took place. In ancient times, both warring parties placed emphasis on securing the Panlongshan Great Wall, because each knew that once the wall was captured, the Gubeikou Great Wall would be readily occupied. The whole wall measures about 3.1 miles. Of its over 40 watch towers, the General Tower is the most famous. It is located at the commanding elevation of Panlongshan Mountain, from where wars were directed. There are four arrow windows on the north and south sides respectively, while each of the east and west sides has three arrow windows. This section of the wall is of unique construction: it is made up of earth walls, stone walls and brick walls. And it is also preserved in its original state.