Huangyaguan and Taipingzhai Walls, China

The original Huangyaguan Wall was a combination of a 6th century stone foundation and 16th century brick battlements. It stretched for approximately 26mi (42km), although other sources cite 34mi (54km), and had 66 towers and a fortress. 

As the only Wall located in Tianjin, a major port city southeast of Beijing, it held a very strategic position. Enemies wanting to invade Tianjin had to go through the Huangyaguan Pass. Numerous battles occurred here that destroyed the wall. 

In the 1980s, a 1.8mi (3km) stretch of the Huangyaguan Wall and the nearby Taipingzhai Wall were fully renovated, making it one of the longest restored sections of the Great Wall. It consists of a military fortress, a gatehouse and 20 watchtowers. 

The Huangyaguan fortress is nestled in a valley between Banlagang Mountain to the east and Wangmaoding Mountain to the west. It is connected to Taipingzhai Wall to the east by a bridge. During wartime the five arches beneath the bridge were closed, blocking access via the river. On the bridge’s battlements, soldiers would set up cannons to fire at enemies approaching on the river. 

Taipingzhai Wall is just over half a mile long and built on the mountain ridge. It begins at the bridge and ends at Banlagang Mountain where the steep, rocky terrain takes over as a natural barrier. Part way along the wall is a barbican used as an alternative entrance and near it is a 28ft (8.5m) tall statue of Qi Jiguang. The statue was built by the local people who wanted to honour the general’s contribution to defending the borders against the northern enemies. 

At the western end of Taipingzhai Wall is a square stone tower known as Widow Tower. Measuring 43ft (13m) high, the two-storey building was donated by 12 women whose husbands died building the Great Wall. 

Huangyaguan and Taipingzhai are perhaps a little too perfectly restored. The essence of the Wall’s history, the ability to touch and feel its original stones or bricks are lost here. What remains though are those insane 85-degree angle stairs and the steep climbs.