Brief / profile
With the total length of roughly 11 kilometers, the Jinshanling Great Wall is the best-preserved section of the Great Wall stretching from the Wangjinglou Tower in the east to the Longyukou in the west. This section covers an area of 32 square kilometers. The walls with the height of 7 to 8 meters and width of 5 to 6 meters are made up of bricks and stones.

Location
The Jinshanling Great Wall lies about 8 kilometers southeast of the Bakeshiying Township in Luanping County, Heibei Province and 140 kilometers from the center of Beijing.

Why got its this name
It got this name since it’s located on the Big and Small Jinshan Mountains.

Function or value in the past
In the ancient times, this section of Great Wall was used as a vital military garrison.

Construction
With an elevation of 700 meters, the Jinshanling Great Wall made of huge bricks owns more than 100 watchtowers. Every ten meters, there’s a watch tower. Some were used to store weapons and provender while some were used as soldiers’ bedrooms. Among them, the Big Jinshan Watchtower and Small Jinshan Watchtower are well-known in particular. Besides, the Wall for Preventing the Horses, the Kylin Screen and the Retaining Wall are also worth visiting.

History
The Jinshanling Great Wall was originally constructed in 1368 and was supervised by Xu Da a famous general in the early Ming Dynasty. It was completed in 1389. During the period between 1567 and 1570, the section was renovated under the supervision of the General Qi Jiguang in the Ming Dynasty.

Legend and Story
Moreover, there’s a legend about the Big Jinshan and Small Jinshan Mountains. It was said that these 2 towers were constructed by 3,000 soldiers who came from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The 2 towers were named Big Jinshan Mountain and Small Jinshan Mountain respectively to remind those soldiers of their hometown.

Present condition
The beginning of Jinshanling Great Wall is in a good condition, but the Great Wall begins to deteriorate and becomes rather unsteady.

Transportation
Tourists can get there by tourist bus No. 12 at Xuanwumen and Dongsishitiao in Beijing. In addition, you can also take a train at Beijing North and East Train Station to Gubeikou and then transfer to Jinshanling Great Wall.

Admission fee
The admission fee for this scenic spot is RMB 50 during the high seasons and RMB 40 in the low seasons.

Note
It’s open to the public from 8:30 to 16:50 and the recommended time for a visit is 2 hours. We highly advise those with a fear of height should avoid visiting this attraction. Besides, visitors should wear sports clothes and sneakers for an easy trek.