Zhangjiakou
One city we've been looking forward to visiting since we moved to Bejing is Zhangjiakou. Once also known as Kalgan, this city is located in what is today Northern Hebei province. The changes of names and boundaries have corresponded to what Dynasty ruled China at the time. During the Ming Dynasty, the Outer Great Wall and the gate at Zhangjiakou represented the border with Mongolia. China now extends far north of this, but for centuries the person who approached Dajing Gate from this side was coming from Mongolia.
More pictures after the jump.
The construction of this part of Outer Great Wall flanking the gate is different from those found in and around Beijing. The core is still tamped-earth, but instead of bricks, the faces are covered in piled rocks. At the gate, there are the familiar grey bricks and defensive crenelations...
...but above it, stretching up the hillside, it looks more like this.
Every few hundred meters is a beacon tower. Yes, once again: The beacons are lit! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!
And Rohan will answer.
Just inside the outer-most gate are some of the remains of more gates and walls. These bits are incredibly fascinating to us, the tamped earth structures that have survived hundreds of years of weather and war.
There's a reconstruction project going on here as well. That same wall above with the tamped earth core visible is in process of new brick facing.
And the street leading south appears to have been rebuilt completely. It is not yet open, but it appears it will be soon. I expect this will possibly be full of restaurant and gift shops, much like Badaling.
The only regret about this day-trip for me was that we did not plan it to be longer. Randy had three days in a row off from work, so we easily could have stayed in Zhangjiakou overnight and then drove into Shanxi province and go to Datong. I did not think of it until we arrived at Zhangjiakou and saw several major hotels that have opened up recently. Had I planned better...well, next time. We were just so delighted that Zhangjiakou is an easy day trip from Changping that we did not even consider making it an overnight.
More pictures after the jump.
The construction of this part of Outer Great Wall flanking the gate is different from those found in and around Beijing. The core is still tamped-earth, but instead of bricks, the faces are covered in piled rocks. At the gate, there are the familiar grey bricks and defensive crenelations...
...but above it, stretching up the hillside, it looks more like this.
Every few hundred meters is a beacon tower. Yes, once again: The beacons are lit! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!
And Rohan will answer.
Just inside the outer-most gate are some of the remains of more gates and walls. These bits are incredibly fascinating to us, the tamped earth structures that have survived hundreds of years of weather and war.
There's a reconstruction project going on here as well. That same wall above with the tamped earth core visible is in process of new brick facing.
And the street leading south appears to have been rebuilt completely. It is not yet open, but it appears it will be soon. I expect this will possibly be full of restaurant and gift shops, much like Badaling.
The only regret about this day-trip for me was that we did not plan it to be longer. Randy had three days in a row off from work, so we easily could have stayed in Zhangjiakou overnight and then drove into Shanxi province and go to Datong. I did not think of it until we arrived at Zhangjiakou and saw several major hotels that have opened up recently. Had I planned better...well, next time. We were just so delighted that Zhangjiakou is an easy day trip from Changping that we did not even consider making it an overnight.
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