Jinshanling Great Wall has been restored for easier climb. Visitors can hike all the way from Jinshanling to Simatai west. The Great Wall at Jinshanling has complete defensive system including barrier walls, battlement walls, watchtowers, gun emplacements, shooting holes, horse blocking walls, and branch cities. It is known as the 'paradise of photographer'. Located about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Beijing downtown, visitors can take a bus nearby Wangjing West Subway Station to get there.
Basic Facts of Jinshanling Great Wall
1. It is situated on the Big and Small Jinshanling Mountains, hence its name.
2. It was constructed under the direction of general Xu Da in 1368 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and renovated under the supervision of the great general Qi Jiguang and the local governor Tan Lun in 1567.
3. It zigzags from Longyu Pass in the west, and ends at the Wangjing Tower in the east, with a total length of 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles), a height of 5 meters (16 feet) to 8 meters (26 feet), and an altitude of 700 meters (2,297 feet) above sea level.
4. It has 67 watchtowers, 3 beacon towers, and 5 passes. They are densely distributed, at intervals of 50 meters (55 yards) to 100 meters (110 yards).
5. The watchtowers differ in construction materials, the number of tiers, and the patterns of roofs. Some of them are made of bricks and wood, while others are made of bricks and stone. Some has one storey, while others have two or three. The roofs of the watchtowers also vary, including domes, flat roofs, square ones, and octagonal ones.
General Tower
The General Tower (Storehouse Tower) is the essence of the defensive system, known as the "Most Representative Enemy Tower". It is 10 meters (11 yards) long, and 11 meters (12 yards) wide. There is a stone staircase leading to the top of the tower. On the upper story is a sleeping den, while a storehouse can be found on the lower storey. There are complex constructions outside the tower. To its north are beacon towers, branch walls, buttress walls, and horse blocking walls. Barrier walls stand to its east and west. Beacon towers were used to detect and transfer military information. The branch walls protect the General Tower, the Zhuanduokou Pass and the Shalingkou Pass from being attacked. Buttress walls stop enemies from attacking the General Tower directly. The horse blocking wall prevents cavalry from approaching the Great Wall. The barrier walls are to defend against enemies ascending the wall to attack the General Tower.
Small Jinshan Tower
The Small Jinshan Tower measures 12 meters (13 yards) long, 11 meters (12 yards) wide, and 8 meters (26 feet) high. There is a stone arched door on the east and west side of the tower. There is one shooting hole on the east, four on the north, and three on the west and south. A storehouse is on the upper storey, with two windows and one door.
Big Jinshan Tower
The Big Jinshan Tower is 12 meters (13 yards) long, 8 meters (9 yards) wide, and 36 feet (11 meters) high. The base of the tower is paved with seven tiers of stone slabs. There is a stone arched door on the east and west. There are two shooting holes on the east and on the west of the tower, and four shooting holes on the south and north. A stairway in the east leads northward, which consists of ten brick steps. On the second storey is a delicate storehouse made of bricks and woods. The most striking feature of the Big Jinshan Tower is that the gates are pretty difficult to find.
Bricks with Characters
There are thousands of bricks with characters. The bricks are engraved with the time when they were made and the troops who made them. For example, the characters on a brick read "In the Six Year of the Wanli Period, By the Zhenlu Cavalry Battalion".
Kylin Screen Wall
As a highlight of the architectural art of the Great Wall, the Kylin Screen Wall can be found on the Small Pot Tower (Xiaohu Tower) between the East Five-window Tower and the Three-window Tower. It is a precious screen wall with exquisite relief sculptures. It is made of 15 blue bricks. The Kylin Screen Wall is 2.5 meters (2.7 yards) long, and 2 meters (6.6 feet) high. The kylin is standing on auspicious clouds, with its mouth open and tongue sticking out. It is very vivid and interesting. Because there are no stone stairs leading up to the top of the tower, visitors rarely see the Kylin Screen Wall. Therefore, it is well-preserved. Nowadays, a copy can be found beside Jinshan Gallery inside the scenic area, so that visitors can see the mysterious screen wall easily.