Laoniu Bay sits at the junction of Shanxi Province to the south and Inner Mongolia to the north. It is where the Great Wall meets the mighty Yellow River and then runs alongside it for the next 44mi (70km). A lone, ruined beacon tower stands at the end of the headland.
The Yellow River has an amazing journey across China. Its source is in the Bayan Har Mountains, Western China at an elevation of 15,700ft (4,800m) and it flows east until it empties in the Bohai Sea. It is the second longest river in China, after the Yanghtze, and the sixth longest in the world.
Heading east, the river runs through two large freshwater lakes, Gyaring and Ngoring. The water is crystal clear with a steady flow. It then makes two loops, first is northwest, followed by northeast, before it takes a sharp southern turn until it turns east again for its final flow into the sea.
The upper river travels through pastures, swamps, knolls and peat bog. The terrain along its banks changes from steep cliffs to deserts and grasslands. When it reaches the middle section, the river runs through the Loess Plateau, where large amounts of mud and sand end up in the river, giving it the muddy-yellow colour. Each year approximately 1.4 billion tonnes of silt are carried to the sea. In 1933, a record 3.9 billion tonnes of silt were discharged into the river from the plateau. The flow here is powerful, making it a great location for hydroelectric plants. When it reaches the lower section, the river slows down and sometimes it even dries up before reaching the sea.
The Yellow River has flooded many times, causing enormous losses of life and destruction. It has also been used as a military tactic by sabotaging canals and reservoirs or intentionally flooding warring states. Sometimes such plans backfire, as it did in 1642, when a Ming governor ordered the dikes to be broken in the hope that it would flood the rebels. Instead, it destroyed his city, causing famine and a plague that killed nearly 80% of its population.
Over the course of the last 2,500 years, it is estimated that the Yellow River has flooded nearly 1,600 times. It has also changed its course noticeably 26 times and severely at least 9 times. The most significant change was in the 12th century when instead of flowing into the Bohai Sea, as it usually does, it shifted so far south that it flowed into the Yellow Sea. It took 700 years for the Yellow River to return to its more northerly course.
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Most people would be familiar with Disney’s animated film and live-action adaptation of the story of Mulan. Set during the Han Dynasty, Mulan’s father is conscripted to join the imperial army. Unbeknownst to her frail father, Mulan takes his place by impersonating a man and together with General Shang, she battles the Hun invasion.
However, the fictional Mulan is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan from the Northern Wei Dynasty (4th-6th century AD). In the folk story, known as the Ballad of Mulan, dressed as a man, Mulan takes her father’s place in the imperial army and spends the next decade as a cavalry soldier, never revealing her gender.
In real life, a war took place between the Wei and a Mongol state called Rouran that, according to the ballad, lasted 12 years. The wars took place between Black Mountain, Wei State and Mount Yanran, Rouran, with Shahukou Pass, a Great Wall fortification at the centre of it. In the ballad, Mulan set off for Yellow River, then headed north towards Black Mountain when she hears the northern enemy’s horses neighing fiercely.
Mulan describes how after many years at war and many generals lost, only the brave warriors return home. As gratitude, the emperor bestows the warriors with gifts and titles, and he offers Mulan a ministerial position of the highest order.
Mulan, however, rejects the offer and retires to her hometown. Before she leaves court, she changes into women’s clothing, thereby revealing her gender, much to the surprise of her comrades.
The story is quite short but it has become a popular tale encouraging and inspiring young girls to be brave.
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Datong has a long history, dating as far back as the 5th century BC when it served as a military fort during the Zhao Dynasty. When the Qin replaced the Zhao in 221 BC, the emperor ordered the Great Wall to be extended on its western border, north of Datong.
When the Han Dynasty replaced the Qin, Datong became the headquarters for its eastern frontier. Then the Northern Wei Dynasty replaced the Han and they set up the capital in Datong. The Wei walled the city in 421 AD, with an outer wall circumference of 10mi (16km), then proceeded to build palaces and official buildings on a grand scale. As devout Buddhists, they built many beautiful temples that continue to exist today. To settle the new city, many Chinese families were forcibly moved from their home towns in the north.
The Wei also built the massive Yungang Grottoes, a collection of caves containing over 50,000 Buddha carvings. The caves are packed with statues of varying sizes, with the smallest barely 1.5in (4cm) tall. Other caves are brightly painted in rich colours of red, yellow, green and blue. A handful of large scale, intricately detailed Buddha sculptures can be found inside and outside the caves, with some measuring up to 23ft (7m) in height. In 2001 the caves were designated a UNESCO site.
The Hanging Monastery, located 40mi (64km) northwest of the city, is a stunning piece of engineering. It was built into a cliff 246ft (75m) above the ground by a monk about 1,500 years ago. The structure is resting on oak cross beams that are fitted into holes carved in the cliffs. This is one of a few temples that combines the three Chinese philosophies: Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
Fast forward to the 21st century and the city walls of Datong have been fully rebuilt, complete with watchtowers, drawbridges and a moat. Inside is a combination of 6-storey apartment blocks and old courtyard homes. Temples, monasteries and palaces are mixed in with shops and restaurants. The highlight is the surviving 14th century screen wall named Nine-Dragon-Wall. It is 147ft (45m) long and 26ft (8m) tall with reliefs depicting nine different dragons. The wall was originally in front of a palace, designed to protect homes from evil spirits and negative energy. Ironically, the screen continues to exist but the palace is long gone.
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The Great Wall as we know it is a structure made of bricks and stones. It has forts and passes, watchtowers and beacon towers. All very well organised to create a complete defence system.
However, the construction materials used across the entirety of the Wall depended on the location’s climate, i.e. desert to the west, mountains to the east, and what was locally available to quarry. The main materials used were: earth, reeds, sand, wood, stones and bricks.
Workers would begin a section by building the towers first. They were made of wood and sun-dried mud bricks with sloping walls for stability. The rooftops were lookout and signalling stations. If enemies were spotted, fire was ignited in rooftop pits signalling the next tower to call for troops. Each tower then built a fire, becoming one long emergency call for assistance.
Outposts were built next on the enemy side of the Wall. These were forts occupied by garrisons who formed the first line of defence. They met the enemy first, before the rest of the Chinese armies arrived.
When the towers and outposts were complete, the workers built the connecting walls by first erecting a bamboo frame. Dirt was dug out from nearby and dropped into the frame, the workers would then ram the dirt until compact. The dirt was added in layers until it reached the top of the frame. When finished, the frame was moved down the line and the process started again.
Rubble was used to line the wall, stone lined the top and the road was paved. Battlements 6ft (1.8m) high had crenels and loopholes. Three storey watchtowers were built for surveillance and one to two storey beacon towers were for communications. Fortresses held the command posts and their gatehouses served as passes.
Where possible, they used mountains and rivers as natural barriers, saving labour and costs and on steep mountain slopes they only built a single thin wall.
These basic principles of building were used all the way through the Ming era. With material and technological advancement, the Ming just made the Wall bigger and better by covering the walls with bricks and stone and used sticky rice to strengthen and waterproof their mortar mix. Making it more attractive was the added bonus.
Fast Facts:
Average height: 20-23ft (6-7m)
Average width: 13-16ft (4-5m)
Highest elevation: 4,722ft (1,439m)
Lowest elevation: just above sea level
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First built in 1505 to protect the Juyong Pass, Badaling was fully restored in the 1950s and was the first section to open to tourism. Badaling is also the last major tourist centre and is where the Wall that most people know about ends.
Stretching across mountain ridges, the width of the Wall is 19ft (5.7m), intentionally built to accommodate five horsemen galloping across side by side or ten soldiers marching shoulder to shoulder. Split into north and south, Badaling has 30 watchtowers – eight south of the main gate and 12 north of it. Its highest point is at 3,300ft (1,500m) with grand panoramic views of lush landscape and rocky terrain. Boardwalks and railings have been installed as part of the renovations.
Close to Beijing, Badaling was a major defence border on the northern frontier. When Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian tribes and established his empire, he set his sights on China. Many military conquests north of the Wall ensued over the next sixty years until his grandson, Kublai Khan, ascended the throne as Mongol Emperor in 1260. Establishing the Yuan Dynasty a decade later, he set up his capital in modern-day Beijing. When in 1279, he conquered the Song Dynasty in southern China, Kublai reunified the country and became the first Mongol to rule all of China. The Yuan Dynasty ruled until 1368 when they were defeated by the rebel leader Zhou Yuanzhang, who founded the Ming Dynasty.
Famous merchant and explorer, Marco Polo, spent 17 years in Kublai Khan’s court. He learned the language and served as a messenger. He was promoted several times to government official positions, something that was unheard of before, when most of China was closed to foreigners. Kublai Khan encouraged foreign trade and many envoys travelled by sea to visit China. When Polo returned to Venice, it was a turbulent time and he found himself thrown in jail. It was in jail where he penned his book, ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’. For a long time, his book was seen more as fiction than fact but in recent times his accounts have been verified by academics and other explorers.
When Christopher Columbus set off across the Atlantic two hundred years later, he carried with him Marco Polo’s book. Fact or fiction, Marco Polo inspired generations of globetrotting adventurers.
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Juyongguan, translated as Juyong Pass, was a solid stronghold and one of three very important passes. The other two were Shanhaiguan to the far east and Jiayuguan to the far west. Located in Guangou Valley it is flanked by Cuiping and Jingui Mountains.
The current structure is a modern renovation of the pass built by the Ming in the late 14th century with the earliest fortification dating to pre-Qin Dynasty (221BC).
In 1211, Mongol Emperor Genghis Khan breached the Juyong Pass not once but twice in his conquest of China.
Genghis Kahn was the founder of the Mongol Empire and a formidable military leader. During the Jin Dynasty (12th-13th centuries), on one of his campaigns, the Khan lured the Jin army to a field battle at Juyong Pass. Once outside the gates, the Khan’s soldiers retreated knowing full well the Jin soldiers would give chase and leave the Pass unattended. The Jin were swiftly surrounded as the greater Mongol army appeared from the nearby mountains. Deceived and defeated, the Pass was breached and ransacked.
Barely two years later, Juyong Pass was once again under attack by Genghis. This time, the Jin soldiers sealed the north gate but Genghis, not to be outdone, took an alternative route. He travelled over 120mi (190km) southwest to the next but less-guarded pass, crossed it and returned to Juyongguan, attacking it from the south gate and recapturing it.
Juyongguan is a circular route that can be tackled either from the north gate or the south gate. A total of 14 watchtowers are dotted along this 2mi (3.2km) stretch. The width of the wall varies from as little as 4ft (1.2m) to as wide as 55ft (17m).
The path heading west climbs about 2,000ft (600m) up Jingui Mountain to the highest tower. As a steep climb, it is sometimes exacerbated by the steps that can range anywhere between a few inches to 2ft (61cm) in height. The east side is gentler with great views of the fort, the high watchtowers over the two gates and the river pass.
Being close to Beijing, it is a highly trafficked destination putting a lot of strain on the Wall and its ongoing maintenance.
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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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