The Jinshanling Great Wall is located about 140 kilometers northeast of Beijing city, China. It is the best preserved part of the Great Wall which connects to the Simatai section of the wall in the east and Gubeikou section in the west.
The Great Wall at the Jinshanling is seven meters high, six meters wide, and built of rectangular slabs of stone. The brick-paved walkway along the top of the wall is four meters wide and the crenellated openings two meters wide. In the merlons there are small holes for observation and shooting arrows. There are also special openings between the crenels to insert flags for display or signal transmission.
The Jinshanling Great Wall is situated on the Big and Small Jinshan mountains, hence its name. It has an elevation of 700 meters. Based on huge stone bars, the Great Wall was then made by huge bricks, each of which weighed about 12 kilograms. It has five main passes, 67 watchtowers and 2 beacon towers. Every 100 meters, there is a watch tower each of which is about ten meters high. Featuring various structures and having various functions, those watchtowers are either one-tiered or two-tiered. On the first floor there are some windows for shooting arrows. The roofs of the towers are many and varied, flat, arched, quadrangular or octagonal. Some are used to store weapons and hay. Others are used as soldiers' bedrooms. Among them, the most celebrated are the Big and Small Jinshan Watchtowers.
The Big Jinshan Watchtower has two tiers which are connected by stone stairs. On the top of the tower is a small room used as the soldiers' retiring room. This small room has a unique structure. The rafters and eaves of the room are all made from polished bricks. The Small Jinshan Watchtower was constructed by soldiers from Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces led by Qi Jiguang. To remind themselves of their hometowns, the tower was named Jinshan which was a pavilion's name in the Jiangxin Island in Zhanjiang.
The General Tower, the Black Tower and the Taochun Tower are also must-sees on the Jinshanling Great Wall. Each tower has its legend. The general tower was named to commemorate Wu Guihua, a heroine who sacrificed herself to resist northern invader's invasion in the Ming Dynasty. The Black Tower and the Taochun Tower were christened to commemorate two girls, Heigu and Taochun, who made great contributions to the construction of the Great Wall.
The Wall for Preventing the Horses, the Retaining Wall, the Bricks with Inscriptions on and the Kylin Screen are also renowned and worth a visit. Meanwhile, there is a three-kilometer Night Great Wall which opens at important events to entertain the visitors.
How to get there:
1. At Beijing Dongzhimen Long Distance Bus Station, you can take the local bus to Gubeikou Township. Upon arrival at Gubeikou, you can employ a local taxi at the bus station with RMB 30 to Jinshanling in 30 minutes.
2. Take bus No. 980 to Miyun County from Beijing Dongzhimen Long Distance Bus Station (北京东直门长途汽车站). From Gulou Dajie Street in Miyun County, there are drivers lined up at the stop. You can negotiate with them by RMB 150-200 for a round trip for one car. You have to tell them you will pay the money after returning to this point, and they will wait for you at an agreed time either at Jinshanling or at Simatai. Download the Chinese version of the bus route.
