This independently protruding section of the Great Wall, perpendicular to the main line of the Mutianyu Great Wall, has an unknown purpose for its construction. There is a Chinese saying: "One who does not reach the Great Wall is not a hero." Perhaps taking away some souvenirs of the Great Wall will help you remember this special experience better. The structure of the Great Wall is so intricate; every facility is a crystallization of the wisdom of the people over thousands of years. The Great Wall starts from Jiayuguan in Gansu, passing through Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi to Shanhaiguan in Hebei. This vast project began in the Spring and Autumn Warring States period when the feudal lords started building their own sections of the Great Wall. After Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, he ordered the existing walls to be rebuilt into a more robust wall, stretching from the Tao River region of Gansu in the upper reaches of the Yellow River all the way to Liaodong, spanning over ten thousand li! The initial form of the Ten-Thousand-Li Great Wall was thus created.
You can descend the mountain from the cable car station below the Zhengguan Tower and take in the vibrant trees on the hillside... Throughout history, except for the Tang Dynasty, each dynasty continuously improved and repaired the Great Wall in various ways. Until the mid-Qing Dynasty, no further repairs were made as the agrarian culture inside the pass assimilated the nomadic culture outside the pass, forming a unified national culture. The Great Wall lost its original military strategic significance, and Emperor Kangxi once wrote a poem stating, "Only with united resolve can a city be built, greatness does not solely rely on dangerous passes."
This happy foreign family, with four very adorable children, had me, their translator, take a commemorative photo while I also pressed the shutter. The commercial street at the foot of the mountain remains bustling. Picture books introducing the Forbidden City of Beijing and the Great Wall, straw hats woven with the words 'Great Wall', clothes and accessories printed with the pattern "I have climbed the Great Wall" and more, are available in abundance.
The walls around the Zhengguan Tower are very high, actually it's a three-tiered platform structure. Walking eastward past two enemy towers brings you to Dajiaolou where three sections of the Great Wall converge.
The interior of the beacon tower is also meticulously designed. A little girl running through the beacon tower creates an interesting moment - it not only highlights the spaciousness inside the beacon tower but also evokes sincere admiration for what was once a crucial military defense project now turned into a place for sightseeing and reminiscing about ancient times.
In front of this beacon tower, wild grass grows abundantly on the top. Steps lead up to the wall, with parapets parallel to the crenels on both sides. Below the beacon tower, there is an archway leading to the outer wall on the inner side of the Great Wall. Here, the inner side refers naturally to the south side of the Great Wall, making the defensive direction self-evident.
Looking at the equally beautiful scenery inside and outside the Great Wall, one cannot help but feel proud of our country's magnificent landscapes! Regardless of how many battles the Great Wall has endured, and regardless of how many unrecoverable ruins remain, it always represents an indelible symbol of Chinese culture.
To be continued, more pictures are stored in the space album...