Shanhaiguan

Shanhaiguan takes its name from the mountains and the sea between which the pass squeezes, and it was long held to be the eastern terminus of the Ming Great Wall - the point where the main line reached the coast and the gateway between China proper and the northeast - though surveys since the late 1980s place the wall's true easternmost section at Hushan near Dandong, in Liaoning. The main gate tower carries a plaque reading First Pass Under Heaven, and the walled town behind it has been extensively restored with streets, gates and the wall walk. Six kilometres south, the Old Dragon's Head is where the wall runs into the Bohai Sea, rebuilt in the 1980s on the original alignment. The pass is remembered as the point where Ming general Wu Sangui admitted Qing forces in 1644.

History

Passes stood here under the Northern Qi, Sui and Tang dynasties; under the Tang the place was called Yuguan and had a garrison by 785, and the Liao, Jin and Yuan dynasties also kept garrisons in the area. In 1381 the Ming general Xu Da, ordered to repair older passes nearby, built the present pass and named it Shanhaiguan, "mountain-sea pass", for its position between the mountains and the sea. In the late 16th century Qi Jiguang built a military city around it, with forts and walled towns to the east, south and north, making it one of the most heavily fortified passes in China. Under the Qing, standing between Shenyang and Beijing, it was called the "Key to the Capitals", and many coastal forts were added in the late Qing period (Wikipedia, Shanhai Pass).

What you'll find

• The First Pass Under Heaven - the main gate tower and its plaque.
• The Old Dragon's Head - the wall running into the sea south of town.
• The walled town - restored streets, gates and the wall walk.
• Jiaoshan - the first mountain section of the wall, climbed above the pass.

When to go

May to October for comfortable weather; the coast is cold and windy in winter. Summer weekends bring beach crowds from Beidaihe nearby. Sites are several kilometres apart and each charges separately.

Good to know

The Old Dragon's Head is a 1980s reconstruction, since the original was destroyed. The walled town has been heavily rebuilt for tourism. Combined tickets cover multiple sites but the walking between them is substantial.

Nearby

Beidaihe lies southwest along the coast; Jiaoshan rises just north.

Key facts