Great Wall - Huanghuacheng

Remember when the wall at Panjiakou was submerged beneath a dam? Huanghuacheng is another that was buried beneath the water.

When this Ming section was built, it took 188 years to complete. Towards the end of its construction time, scheming officials informed the emperor that General Cai Kai, who was in charge of the build at the time, was spending too much time and money on a sloppy job. The emperor, in his anger, ordered the general to be executed. It dawned on him later that perhaps he should have had the Wall inspected. Following a survey report, it was discovered that the Wall was actually very well built, solid, steep and fortified. Realising his mistake, the emperor ordered a monument to be erected in honour of the general.

Fast forward to modern times and Huanghuacheng is now divided by a reservoir to the west and a lake to the east. Several sections of the Wall are under water, of which two are accessed via dams. One of the submerged sections is not directly connected but a short path skirts around the water providing access to the other side. The third connection is over a glass-decked bridge.

The Wall between the reservoir and lake is in a ruinous state, with most of its sides completely destroyed, the watchtowers collapsed and trees growing through them. The original pavements are long gone and the trail is filled with wild vegetation, leaving only a narrow single-person track to hike through.

Huanghuacheng offers spectacular views of mountains, lakes and the ever-present snaking Wall ribboning over the ridges.



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Great Wall - Xifengkou and Panjiakou

Now this is an exciting portion of the Wall. Two different walls near each other named Xifengkou and Panjiakou are part of the Underwater Great Wall.

When they were first built, both sections were strong fortresses between the mountains. The construction of both walls took place in different centuries with Xifengkou built in the late 14th century and Panjiakou in the mid-16th century.

Built by General Xu Da, Xifengkou was a major gateway to access central China. It had three gates linked by stone walls. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and a lake on the fourth, Xifengkou was very difficult to attack, although it still saw many battles due to its proximity to the northern borders.

Panjiakou on the other hand was flanked by mountains and had Luanhe River running through it. This wall was built by General Qi Jiguang, another military leader who successfully reinforced many sections of the Great Wall.

What made these two interesting was that both of them had parts of their walls underwater. When Panjiakou Reservoir was filled, it submerged the town of Panjiakou under 160ft (50m) of water, along with parts of Panjiakou Pass and Xifengkou Pass. A small part of Panjiakou Pass that was on higher ground is still above water. It is said that during low water levels, some of the underwater walls become more clearly visible.

One endearing description likened the area to a giant dragon crawling along the winding wall towards the lake. Diving in, it later re-emerges on the opposite side, climbs up the ridges and lies down to rest on the lofty mountains.



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