Sandaoguan Great Wall

Located five miles northeast of Shanhaiguan Pass, Sandaoguan Great Wall (meaning "Three Passes Great Wall") was built to defend against enemy intrusions in the ancient wars. The wall was strategically important and gives the appearance of a giant dragon surging forward to the top of the cliffs and then suddenly rushing down to the bottom of the valley.

The wall was built by layering stones. It is over fifteen feet high, 6.5 feet wide and over 500 yards long. The first pass is a gully surrounded by steep cliffs; the second lies between two precipices standing face-to-face and the third pass is located high on the mountain.

It is no exaggeration to say Sandaoguan Great Wall is one of the most wondrous segments of the Great Wall. Amazingly, some segments of the wall here were built on cliffs at a 90 degree incline. It appropriately earned the nickname "The Wall Hanging Upside Down.

The mountain on the west is 398 meters above sea level while the one on the east is 292 meters. With an incline of 70 degrees at the steepest, the Great Wall at this section seems to be hanging down from the sky, known as " Changcheng Daogua ". Standing on the wall at the peak of the mountain on the east, one beholds a view of " floating clouds rising around and lively birds flying below. "

This section of the Great Wall has three branches. The first one, with a narrow opening, guards the entrance of the ravine while the second, midway on the ravine, forms part of the main line of the Great Wall. There used to bea watch tower on the second branch, the fourteenth tower on the original Sandaoguan Pass. There was an opening at the base and a building above. The third one, also with a narrow opening, is at the upper part of the ravine. Because of the three lines of walls, the place is named Sandaoguan ( a pass with three lines of walls ).

Lovers of adventures may take the way into the valley in the north, called Duanmuchong, where the sites of HouTemple, TuanyuanTemple and NuanQuan Spring relics are. There are also stones of various shapes. Blocked by Yansai Lake, the place is unfrequented. When one is there, one feels aloof from worldly affairs. As the traveler goes further westwards till he gets out of the mountain and reaches Baita Village, he can have a look at the site of Baita Temple. In Shahezhai Village, there are stones resembling the trunk of an elephant, Cave of Spirits and the old house that was once Zhang Xueliang’s headquarter during the War of Zhifeng. In the house, there used to be a wooden board inscribed " Half pond of autumn water and a house in the mountain ", which the young general presented to the landlord. The characters, to our pity, were scraped off during the Cultural Revolution. In Qianshuiying Village, travelers will find ginkgo trees that have been growing for more than a thousand years. The journey through the deserted valley takes a whole day, and it’s best if travelers have a guide with them since it’s easy to get lost and dangers may occur on the Way.

We are organizing the transportation to send you to this beautiful section of the Great Wall on daily basis. Each departure can be formed by 2-person-group, 3-person-group or 4-person-group.

Register your Sandaoguan Great Wall tour now.