Introducing the Great Wall at Simatai
The Simatai Great Wall is located in the
Gubeikou town northeast of Miyun County, 140 km away from Beijing. It stretches
5.4 kilometers from the Wangjinglou Tower in the east and connects to the
Jinshanling Great Wall in the west with 35 beacon towers. Constructed under the
supervision of famous Ming general Qi Jiguang, Simaitai Great Wall is the only
part of the Wall that still has the original appearance of the Ming Dynasty
Great Wall. This section of the Great Wall incorporated the different
characteristics of each section of the Great Wall. A specialist on the Great
Wall, Professor Luo Zhewen, has said “The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese
buildings, and Simatai is the best of the Great Wall”.
History & Feature
Simatai Great Wall was originally built
during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550–577) and rebuilt in the Hongwu years of the
Ming dynasty (1368-1644) by a famous general Qi Jiguang and official Tanlun. It
was originally called “死马台” , “死” means
death in Chinese. Because it is said that someone riding a horse fell off the
Great Wall and died due to its steepness. Hanging precariously onto the Yanshan
Mountain, Simatai Great Wall is known for its steepness. Simatai Great Wall is
separated by a lake into the eastern and western parts. The lake is called
“Mandarin Duck Lake”, which is fed by two springs, one is warm and the other is
cold. The two sections of the Wall are linked up by a suspension bridge. The
western part appears gentle with 20 well-preserved watchtowers dotting along
the wall. The eastern part is much steeper, following more rugged terrain that
includes cliff edges and kilometer-high peaks. The 15 watchtowers are
relatively closely spaced and provide spectacular views.