Guguan Great Wall

Guguan Great Wall in Pingding County, Yangquan City, is one of the four famous passes in the west of Beijing during the Ming Dynasty (the other three are Juyong Pass, Zijing Pass, and Daoma Pass), and is known as the "screen for the capital". The Guancheng was first built in the second year of the Zhengtong Period of the Ming Dynasty (1437). It was called "Guguan" at that time and is located in Jiuguan Village, Niangziguan Town, Pingding County. In the 22nd year of Jiajing (1543), "the enemy invaders in Taiyuan were close to the old pass. Although the pass was located at a strategic location, the old city was not safe enough." So they moved ten miles west to build a new city, and changed "gu" to "gu" in the name of "gu", which means "solid as a rock". They also repaired the Great Wall on both sides of the city. Guguan Great Wall starts from Jiayugou in Niangziguan in the north and ends at the entrance of Baihui Village in the south. It is 20 kilometers long and is the most intact stone-built inner Great Wall in China. Luo Zhewen, a famous Great Wall expert, called it "a little Badaling style". According to Mr. Luo's research, the Guguan Great Wall was built in 369 BC, 155 years earlier than the Great Wall built by Qin Shihuang after he unified the six kingdoms. Although most of the existing ruins are Ming Dynasty buildings, it has a history of 2,374 years since its construction, which is rare in China.

Post by CHEYENNE WOODARD | Jun 21, 2024