Zijinguan Pass

Situated on Zijingling Hill in Hebei Province, Zijingguan Pass is a significant pass of the Great Wall.

Zijingguan Pass is one of the oldest passes of the Great Wall. Named "Wuruanguan Pass" in the early Qin period (221-206BC), it was one of the Nine Forts Under Heaven. In the Song Dynasty it was called "Jinbeiguan Pass" and was later renamed "Zijingguan Pass" after the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) because redbuds ("zijing") abounded nearby. It was reconstructed in the Ming Dynasty, and most of its existing architecture is the product of that period.

The Zijingguan Pass is 3 km in circumference, consisting of nine forts and four water gates. There are additional walls beyond the east, west and south walls, while the north wall faces the Juma River. The north gate and the north wall were all built of huge rocks, with high architectural skills rarely seen among similar architecture in China.

The Zijingguan Pass has a long history and is an important historical artifact for researching the pass architecture of the Great Wall and ancient military science.

This section of the Great Wall is now open to visitors.

 Jinshanling Great Wall

The Great Wall is the universal symbol of China. Starting from the eastern Shanhaiguan Pass and ending at the Jiayuguan Pass in the west, the Great Wall fully merits its title as a wonder of the world. In Hebei Province alone, it snakes across 2,000 km and through more than 200 passes. The Jinshanling Great Wall lies in the mountainous area of Luanping County, Hebei Province, and has a total length of 10.5 km.

Essence of the Great Wall

The Jinshanling Great Wall was first built in the sixth century during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589). Along it are 67 watchtowers -- all built in different styles -- at average intervals of 150 meters.