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Huanghuacheng Great Wall

Huanghuacheng (Yellow Flower City) Great Wall, 60 km north of Beijing, is the latest section to become popular with hikers. During summer, the countryside around Huanghuacheng Great Wall is swathed in yellow, as masses of wild flowers come into bloom.

It is almost 11 kilometers long and joins with Mutianyu Great Wall in the east, and Juyongguan Pass and Badaling in the west. Huanghuacheng provides a challenge as it has no stone steps or no single smooth path like the ones found at Badaling and other sections of the Great Wall.

Early in the Yuan Dynasty, the area was dotted with prosperous villages, then during the Ming Dynasty, a town was established at the strategically important Benzhenguan Pass.

Construction of Huanghuacheng Great Wall began in 1575, during the Ming Dynasty, under the supervision of General Cai Kai. It took the fastidious Cai many years to finish the project, but when he returned to the capital to report the completion of his task, he was promptly beheaded. Scheming ministers had told Emperor Wanli that the workmanship Cai oversaw was slipshod and lackadaisical. The emperor was so enraged by these scurrilous reports, he ordered Cai’s immediate execution. It later occurred to the emperor that an investigation might be in order, so he sent a trusted aid to survey Cai’s wall. The aid reported back that Huanghuaheng Great Wall was solid, steep and exemplified the finest workmanship. Realizing he had been perhaps a little hasty in condemning Cai to death, Wanli ordered a tomb and memorial stele to be erected in honor of the loyal general.

He also had the characters “Jin Tang” , meaning firm, stable, inscribed on the face of a huge rock below the wall, so there should be no further doubt, which explains why the wall is also known as Jintang Great Wall.

There is a lake and a reservoir nearby. The crescent shaped reservoir is called Huanghuacheng Reservoir, while the name of the lake is Jintang. The water of the lake is cold and clear, and it is fed by numerous springs. A sluice gate has been built on Jintang Lake, over which water flows in the summer.

Parts of Huanghuacheng Great Wall were destroyed and fell into Jintang Lake after being bombed during the Japanese invasion of China half a century ago.

The entire section of wall comprises of six forts, six passes, twelve beacon-towers, and thirty-two guard towers. Among them, Yaoziyu Fort is the best preserved. Covering an area of 7,000 square meters, it was built in 1592. There is a scholar tree standing in the castle courtyard that was planted in that same year.

The steepest section of Huanghuacheng Great Wall is known as Shibadeng , and requires special care when climbing, especially after rain.

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