At the end of September I went back to Liujiakou (刘家口) in the western part of Qinhuangdao, Hebei, a place I visited for the first time in February this year. Back then it was very cold so I only stayed a short time, so this time I planed to reach the top of the mountain – a hike of about 2.2 kilometres. Unfortunately, I misjudged the time so I only had time to go to where the steep climb begins before I had to turn back, and wait for another time to climb the mountain. I probably take too many photos, so even a very short hike can take a long time.
The main feature at Liujiakou is the cross-water watchtower, the biggest of its kind in Hebei province. The tower is 10 meters long, 9 meters wide and 12 meters high with a 6.36-meter high water passage in the middle.
According to one of the locals, the tower contain a stone tablet with some inscriptions, but the access to the tower is not easy since the wall close to the tower have completely disappeared.
From the tower the wall can be accessed on both the west and east side. So far I have only hiked the east side, and from the tower it’s only a short walk to the beginning of the Great Wall.
The Great Wall here is in very bad condition, and the original brick covering can only be seen in a few places including the watchtowers.
To the north of the wall there is a distinct ditch running along the wall. This is probably the place where the stones to build the main part of the wall was collected, however later it might have served as an extra defence against an advancing enemy.
From the top of the wall, there is a beautiful view to the west where the wall winds its way towards the Lengkou section.
When coming from Bejing follow the Jingshen expressway towards Qinhuangdao and exit towards Qian’an (迁安) and follow S252 north towards Qinglong (青龙). At Jianchangyingzhen (建昌营镇) take S363 to the east and continue until Liujiayingxiang, and then follow the road from here to the north. Another way is to take the exit on the expressway after the Qian’an exit and then follow the road north.
Entrance price: free
Date of visit: September 30, 2008
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.