http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/07/old-dragons-head-where-great-wall-of.html Old Dragon’s Head: Where The Great Wall of China Meets the Sea By Kaushik Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Asia, China, Travel The Great Wall of China is one of the most amazing piece of architecture and the most ambitious building project ever attempted in the history of mankind. Construction of this formidable defensive structure, built to ward off invasion and to protect the Chinese Empire, goes back by more than two thousand years to the the 7th century BC during the Chunqiu period. Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained and fortified. Construction continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), when the Great Wall became the world's largest military structure. One of the more interesting places to visit The Great Wall is where it meets the Bohai Sea near Shanghaiguan in Qinhuangdao City about 300 kilometers east of Beijing. Shanhaiguan or Shanhai Pass is one of the major passes of the Great Wall of China located south of Yan Mountain, and north of the Bohai Sea. The Wall extends 5 kilometers north of Shanhai Pass where it juts into the sea. This is where The Wall starts (or ends depending on how you look at it) and from here it stretches to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia – a length of approximately 8,850 km. Picture: The end of the Great Wall of China. Photo credit This part of the wall is known as Laolongtou or the Old Dragon’s Head, because it looks like a long dragon dipping his head drinking water from the sea. This section of the Wall extends about 23 meters out into the Bohai Sea, and it is possible to walk out onto the Wall and look over the edge directly down into the water below. Laolongtou was built in 1579 in the Ming Dynasty. In July 1904, Japanese troops landed at Shanhai Pass, prior to marching on Peking to relieve the siege of the legations during the Boxer Uprising. A pre-landing bombardment of the area, which was totally unnecessary as few Chinese troops were present, destroyed this section of the wall. What stands today is a 1980s effort by the authorities to replicate the original. By the shore, the Changtai Tower, and the Temple to the Sea Goddess that sits in its center, was originally built in 1579, but is now covered with replica soldiers in Qing Dynasty costumes. Most interestingly, the original wall was built using a mixture of glutinous rice soup mixed with sand, earth and lime. The Laolongtou Great Wall is mainly formed by 7 parts, which are the Estuary Stone City, Chenghai Tower, Nereus Temple, Jinglu Beacon Tower, Nanhaikou (Southern Estuary) Pass, Ninghai City and Binhai (Seafront) Walls. Among them, Chenghai Tower is the most celebrated structure. Chenghai Tower is a two-storey building built with wood and bricks, which functioned as a defensive arrow tower. Emperors of the Qing Dynasty once visited it while on their way to Northeast China, worshipped their ancestors and left many poems and inscriptions. There are also poems by famous literary figures inscribed on the tablets embedded on the walls. Pictures: ===================== http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/construction/ All the stats you'd ever want to know. Great Wall Construction Great Wall Structure Great Wall Structure Illustration The history of the construction of the Great Wall of China can be dated back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC). But the wall at that time was only a line of fortresses standing to defend against attacks from the Yanyun (an ancient nomadic tribe in north China). The Period of the Warring States (476 BC - 221 BC) was an era when the seven states (Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, Qin) were busy engaging in Great Wall construction for self-defense. Instead of one line, their walls stretched in the four directions and varied in length from several hundred miles to one or two thousand miles. In the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BC) the emperor Qin Shihuang ordered his laborers to connect these scattered walls and create some new sections, thus forming a Great Wall in northern and central China in the true sense. The Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) further developed the defensive system of the wall and strengthened it on a larger scale. It pushed the wall construction to its highest peak. Battlement Wall with Loopholes Battlement Wall with Loopholes The winding Great Wall is not merely a wall but instead a complete and rigorous defense project composed of countless passes, watchtowers, garrison towns, beacon towers and blockhouses. These fortifications were arranged in certain ways under the control of the military command system at all levels. For example, there were about 1,000,000 soldiers guarding the Ming's Great Wall. The chief military officers were stationed in garrison-towns, while lesser officials and soldiers were stationed in Guan Cheng (the defensive beachhead) and other smaller fortifications. The eleven garrisons were set up along the wall in order to guard the precinct or subsection. The average height of the Ming Great Wall measures 33 feet and the width is about five yards. In low, flat areas the wall was built high and more defense lines were added. In the lofty mountains, the wall was a little lower in order to save the human and financial cost. Sometimes, even steep cliffs served as natural walls to thwart enemies. Today, the Great Wall has lost its military function, but as a great ancient engineering work, its magnificent beauty and austere structure are still worthy appreciating. ==================== http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/ Lots of info =================== http://www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/china_great_wall/hebei/laolongtou.htm Laolongtou, situated on the banks of the Bohai Sea, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) apart to the south of Shanhaiguan, is the eastern end of the Great Wall extending into the sea. With mountains behind and the sea in front, its terrain here is strategic point for the sea defense in the Ming Dynasty. Qi Jiguang, a military strategist and illustrious general, constructed City Stone Wall Extending to Sea, Jinglutai Watch Tower, Nanhaikouguan Pass, Chenghailou Defense Tower and Ninghaicheng (Army and Navy Garrison Station). Attraction Intro: Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head) ==================== http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/hebei/shanhaiguan/laolongtou.htm Lying five kilometers (three miles) south of Shanhaiguan Pass in Qinhuangdao City in Hebei Province, Laolongtou Great Wall (Old Dragon's Head) is the eastern starting point of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Great Wall. It extends about 20 meters (66 feet) into the Bohai Sea like a dragon drinking water, hence its name. Laolongtou Great Wall comprises the Chenghai Pavilion, the Nereus Temple, the Estuary Stone City, the Jinglu Beacon Tower, the Nanhaokou (Southern Estuary) Pass and the Ninghai City. In 1900, the Eight Power Allied Force invaded Shanhaiguan Pass and destroyed the Laolongtou. In 1984, it was rebuilt by the people of Shanhaiguan City. The Chenghai Pavilion is the most celebrated architectural structure. It is a two-story building built with bricks and wood. Emperors in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) including Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong once visited there on their way to Mukden (Shenyang City) to worship their ancestors and left many poems and inscriptions. A plaque with four Chinese characters 'Yuan', 'Qi', 'Hun' and 'Mang' and a pair of couplets written by Qianlong still hangs on the lintel and columns of the hall. Poems from other famous literary figures are inscribed on the tablets which are embedded on the walls. In front of the Hebei Laolongtou Great Wall Hebei Laolongtou Chenghai Pavilion is an ancient stone tablet which is inscribed with four Chinese characters 'Tian', 'Kai', 'Hai' and 'Yue'. It is about three meters (10 feet) high and one meter (three feet) wide. It is said that the stone tablet was established by Xue Rengui, a famous and legendary general in Tang Dynasty (618-907) who conquered Korea. Reconstructed in 1988, the Nereus Temple is about 350 meters (0.2 mile) from the Laolongtou Great Wall. It consists of many archways, the Drum Tower, the Nereus Hall, the trestle bridge and the Hall of the Goddess of Heaven; the Nereus Hall and the Hall of the Goddess of Heaven being the main structures of the temple. Inside the temple are sculptures of Nereus, Goddess of Heaven, Eight Immortals and the Door Gods. A plaque inscribed by Qianlong hangs on the door lintel. The Estuary Stone City was built by Qi Jiguang, a famous general of the Ming Dynasty. It is a city measuring about nine meters (30 feet) high and eight meters (26 feet) wide which extends approximately 22 meters (72 feet) into the sea. The city is built on natural reefs and huge rocks thrown into the sea to act as foundations. It once served as a defence fortification designed to resist the aggression of the minorities. Gate Tower of Laolongtou (Old Dragon Gate Tower of Laolongtou Jinglu Beacon Tower was built in 1565. Following extensive reconstruction, the beacon tower stands about 15 meters (49 feet) high. The tower has three rooms which are connected by six door openings and nine windows in all, making the rooms well ventilated. It functions as a defence system together with the Chenghai Pavilion, Nanhaikou (Southern Estuary) Pass. The Ninghai City and the the Nanhaikou (Southern Estuary) Pass are also worth a visit. The Ninghai City was built in the Ming Dynasty. On the north and west city gates are two embrasured watchtowers guarding the South China Sea. The Nanhaikou (Southern Estuary) Pass is the No.1 Pass of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall according to the location order.