The most famous pass along the Great Wall at the border between the Hebei and Shanxi province is the Niangziguan. Niangziguan can be translated to something like Women’s Pass, and according to the legend Emperor Li Yuan of the Tang dynasty put his daughter in charge of guarding the pass together with other female soldiers.

The pass that can be seen today dates from the Ming dynasty and was constructed in 1542 but the original pass dates back to the 7th century. Since then much of the original Wall have crumbled away although the pass itself remains more or less intact and the local government initiated a plan to renovate the area in 2001.

The gate tower is now converted into a small temple and is a sad reminder of how ancient structures should not be repaired. A 1980 photo in The Great Wall Revisited by William Lindesay shows that the gate was original build by stones but after the rebuilding it’s constructed by bricks. Furthermore the watchtower above the gate has been changed from a single-storey to a multi-storey building with flying eaves.

The wall itself looks more like something you would find in an amusement park, and is by far the poorest reconstruction I have ever seen. It simply doesn’t feel right to walk here. At least at Badaling you have a feeling that the wall is reconstructed according to the original design but this feeling is completely absent at Niangziguan.

Unfortunately the amount of heavy loaded trucks in this part of China is beyond belief so I didn’t have time to search for the remains of the original wall which should be located beyond the mountain at the end of the restored section.

I my opinion the Guguan pass not far from here is a much better choice for Great Wall enthusiasts visiting the Shanxi-Hebei border area.

Entrance price: 10 RMB

Date of visit: March 23, 2008

During a visit to Shijiazhuang I had the chance to visit the Great Wall Pass of Guguan in the mountainous region between the Hebei and Shanxi province.

Guguan is conveniently located close to the express way between Shijiazhuang and Taiyuan and can thus be easily reached from Shijiazhuang.

According to the local guide the Guguan section has been restored by the locals without support from the local government. Most noteworthy is the pass itself and not so much the actual wall. Although repaired the gate tower seems fairly original and show a very interesting layout. Before entering the gate it’s possible to see a collection of stone stelae, however this is not very interesting and unless highly interested in Chinese calligraphy one should continue through the gate.

An interesting detail at the gate is the original pavement with clear sign of wear from the many wagons passing trough the pass during its many years of history. The pass comprise of two gate towers connected by a double half circular wall, meaning that the enemy would find himself surrounded by high walls on both sides if he would succeed in breaking trough the front gate and he would still have to break trough yet another gate to successfully break through the pass.

From the back gate it is possible to climb to the wall and continue either north or south. Going north the wall passes the express way and follows the proximity of a monastery. From here it raises steeply towards the top of the mountains. At the top two watchtowers have been rebuild, although the interior of one of them is not completely finished. Close to here it’s possible to see some of the original Great Wall but not much is left but a pile of white stones stretching north towards Niangziguan.

Entrance price: 20 RMB

Date of visit: March 24, 2008