Located
in the mountainous area of Tianjin's northern Ji County, the Huangyaguan
Great Wall was first built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550
- 557) and repaired in large scale with bricks during the Ming
Dynasty (1368 - 1644). When appointed as the chief commanding
officer in the Ji Garrison (one of the eleven garrisons of the
Ming Dynasty), Qi Jiguang added watch towers and other defensive
works.
The Huangyaguan Great Wall comes out first in the ten most-visited
sites in Tianjin. It is considered to be a miniature of the Great
Wall. The entire section is built on an abrupt mountain ridge.
Being endowed with both natural beauty and cultural interest,
it has become famous as a natural beauty spot and a summer resort.
The major scenic area is composed of Huangyaguan Pass and Taiping
Mountain Stronghold.
Huangyaguan Pass: In 1984, the people of Tianjin spent three
years repairing 3,308 yards of the main wall from Banlagang Mountain
in the east to Wangmaoding Mountain in the west. They restored
20 terraces, the Huangyaguan Water Gate, and the Bagua Castle
(the Eight Diagrams Castle). The defensive system of the wall
is complete. Watch towers, frontier cities, drain holes, emplacements,
barracks and other indispensable military facilities are arranged
orderly along the wall. Besides, the stele forests of the Great
Wall, Beiji Temple, the exhibition hall of famous couplets, the
Great Wall Museum (the first museum along the Great Wall) and
the Phoenix Fortress have been newly built within the area.
Taiping
Mountain Stronghold: Six miles northwest of Huangyaguan Pass
and built 437 yards to 547 yards above sea level, the stronghold
is located in Xiaopingan Village. It controls the Chongshan Valley
east of Huangyaguan Pass City. Qi Jiguang's stone statue and a
tower were erected by twelve widows from this area.
Huangyaguan Great Wall welcomes tourists from all over the world,
including many runners, who participate in the annual international
marathon race.