Xifengkou Gateway And Xifengkou Great Wall

There are one section of famous Great wall and a Gateway named Xifengkou in Qianxi County, Hebei province. The Xifengkou Gateway was an important stronghold west of Shanhaiguan pass. It is a rough section of the wall comparable to Simatai and featuring a connected three-gateway passway. It’s not the only place where the Great Wall can be visited – the Wall makes up the entire Northern Border of Tangshan. Xifengkou Great Wall is one of the 32 important passes built by General Xu Da during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it is located 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of Qianxi County.

The present name, which means "Peak of happiness," has developed from an earlier one which means "Site for a Happy Reunion". Legend has it that a young man yearned to see his father, who had gone to build the Great Wall. He traveled a long distance and finally found his father working at this site. Overjoyed after a separation of years, both father and son died on the spot.

Owing to its position at the joint place of Nuan River valley and the Great Wall, Xifengkou Gateway, surrounded by mountains on both sides was since ancient times the key spot for all strategists. It has a unique structure which includes three gateways connected by walls. Southeast of Xifengkou Gateway, a 20-meter stone-built Xifeng City was installed with a gate respectively on west and south directions.

In terms of military considerations, Xifengkou Great Wall is divided into two parts: Guan Cheng (frontier pass city) and a citadel. Guan Cheng is the pass where it is said one solider could guard against ten thousand invaders. It is the most concentrated stronghold along the defense line of the Great Wall. The architectural structure of Guan Cheng in Xifengkou is peculiar in that the three Guan Cheng are linked together by an array of strong stone walls.The strongly fortified walls together with the watch towers strengthen the defensive capability of the Xifengkou Great Wall.

Now, due to the construction of the Panjiakou Reservoir, the main part of the wall has been submerged by the rising water but it is still dimly visible, which makes it a unique sight. Look down at the Xifengkou Great Wall from the top of the mountain and you will see that it looks like a giant dragon zigzagging through the water.

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