Datong Great Wall

The Great Wall in Datong can be dated back to the Warring Sates Period (475BC-221BC)and was built between the 4^th Century and the 18^th Century under nine successive Chinese dynasties. The first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty divided the northern frontline with Mongolia into nine important defense areas of strategic importance along the Great Wall among which Datong is one of the biggest. The remains of the Great Wall in Datong were mostly constructed in the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall in Datong comprises outer and inner walls with hundreds of ancient fortresses and thousands of beacon towers distributed across seven counties and districts of the city, namely Xinrong District and Hunyuan, Lingqiu, Guangling, Yanggao, Tianzhen and Zuoyun Counties.

Shoukou Fortress, Yanggao County

Photographed by Liu Yujun

Shoukou Fortress is located in the north of Yanggao County, It was restored in the period of Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (1522-1566). The Great Wall of this section extends for around 46 kilometers with four passes and 138 beacon towers which are preserved in good condition. The beacon towers are rectangular in shape, 15 meters wide at the bottom, 7 meters wide at the top and 15 meters high. The Great Wall at Shoukou Fortress is built in a mountainous area and follows the slopes of the mountain. Most beacon towers are built at the peaks of the mountain.

Zhenbian Fortress, Yanggao County

Photographed by Liu Yujun

Zhenbian Fortress is one of the five fortresses on the inner Great Wall. The Great Wall in the vicinity of Zhenbian Fortress is unique with many beacon towers built very close to each other because the ground in this area is very flat which makes defense more difficult. Furthermore, there are beacon towers built on both sides of the wall, hidden tunnels connect these beacon towers and the Great Wall. The surrounding environment of Zhenbian Fortress is a vast expanse of open country and the Great Wall in this section is the best preserved part in the Datong area.

Desheng Fortress, Xinrong District

Photographed by Liu Yujun

First built in the 27th Year of Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (1584), Desheng Fortress was an important military fortress for the Ming Dynasty to safeguard the Great Wall defense lines in northern Datong. Desheng Fortress forms a rare domestic fortress group together with Shichang, Deshengkou and Zhengqiang Fortress within two kilometers. During the period of Longqing (1567-1572) of the Ming Dynasty the emperor or the Ming Dynasty and the Tartar ethnic group of Mongolian signed a truce agreement and built a horse market in Desheng Fortress. It was not only an important boarder trade site for Mongolia and Han Chinese in the Ming Dynasty but also a major mountain pass beyond the Great Wall.

Xinping Fortress, Tianzhen County

Photographed by Liu Yujun

Located in the northeast of Tianzhen County, Xinping Fortress is at the junction of Shanxi and Hebei Provinces and the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. The most highly recommended part of Xinping Fortress is the ancient houses built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties in great numbers. Located in the heart of Xinping Fortress and as the highest building within Xinping Fortress, Yuhuang Pavilion (Pavilion of Jade Emperor) is the best preserved pavilion along the Ming Dynasty Great Wall in Datong, with three storeys and two gable and hip roofs and vivid and smooth Taoist mural paintings. Yuhang Pavilion sits at a crossroads and the two roads are still the hub of communication of the fortress.