During a visit from my family we made a one day trip to Laolongtou (老龙头) a few kilometres south of Shanhaiguan (山海关). Although it was heavily damaged by the invading Eight-Nation alliance in 1900 and restored in 1984, it is still worth a visit especially because this is the place where the Great Wall meets the Bohai Sea.
Most of the wall here is completely new, but some of the original stones can still be see since it was reused during the renovation, and part of the original Ninghai wall is preserved behind glass.
One of the most impressive parts of Laolongtou is the Chenghai Tower, which stands majestically looking out at the see from the top of the Laolongtou fortification, looking down at the Great Wall stretching into the sea.
Laolongtou was first constructed by General Xu Da (1332—1385) during the early Ming Dynasty. When he constructed the Shanhaiguan Pass, Laolongtou was chosen as the place where the wall meets the sea. Later in 1579 General Qi Jiguang extended the wall 23 meters into the sea.
After large parts of China was united during the Qing dynasty, the Great Wall at Laolongtou lost it military significance but remained a popular place to visit the sea.
Laolongtou is still a popular place to visit, but being so far away from Beijing it’s normally no problem to visit without too many tourists as long as you avoid the Chinese holidays.
From Laolongtou the Great Wall continues north towards the fortified city of Shanhaiguan and Jiaoshan mountain. All three places can be visited in one day, and Shanhaihuan can easily be reached by car by following the Beijing-Shenyang expressway or by train or bus from Beijing.
Entrance price: 50 RMB
Date of visit: September 16, 2008
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