Huangyaguan Great Wall

The Huangyaguan section of the Great Wall lies within Tianjin municipality.

This section was first built in the Sui Dynasty (556) and was renovated by the famous Ming Dynasty military general Qijiguang. Huangyaguan Great Wall joins the Malanyu Great Wall of Zunhua county in Hebei province to the east and Jiangjunguan Great Wall of Pinggu district in Beijing to the west.
Huangyaguan Great Wall has total length of 42 km with 52 watch towers and 14 beacon towers.
This section is the longest restored section of the Great Wall with a length of 3052 meters. The Huangyaguan Great Wall was named one of the top ten places to visit in Tianjin in 1990.
The Huangyaguan Great Wall has two sections: Huangyaguan and Taipingzhai.
Guancheng (Pass City) is the center of the Huangyaguan section. Guancheng was itself a perfect defensive project and it is also where Bagua Village (Eight Trigram Village) is situated. It is easy enough to get in, but getting out is another matter as you can easily find yourself at a dead end or just circling around with no obvious way out.
Taipingzhai is located to the southeast of Huangyaguan. Guafu Tower (Widow Tower) is seated in the west of it. Guafu Tower is a square watchtower. It was said that during the Ming Dynasty 12 widows of frontier soldiers donated their pension and built this tower. People named it Widow Tower in memory of the widows.
In the reparation during the 1980s, more tourist sites were built at the foot of the Huangyaguan Great Wall in Bagua Village, including Huangyaguan Great Wall Museum and the Stele Forest. Huangyaguan Great Wall Museum is the first Great Wall museum in China. In the showroom, tourists can learn about the historical development of the Great Wall. Also, the arms and everyday objects of Qi Jiguang (a general of the Ming Dynasty and also a Chinese national hero) and his soldiers are displayed. The Stele Forest is the biggest in northern China. Stele inscriptions show the calligraphy of Chairman Mao, modern generals and modern calligraphers.

Guide map and main sights:
Huangyaguan Pass
Archway
Great Wall museum
Water Pass
Huangya Tianti (Huangya Ladder to Sky)
Widow Tower
Qijiguang statue
Taipingzhai

Travel tips:
1. Recommended route: Drive to the east end (east entrance) of Huangyaguan Great Wall (or take the electric car to the east gate which costs extra RMB20 per person) and walk from east to west.
2. 4-hour hiking which includes many steep slopes and narrow stone paths could be very challenging to many people. For those who intend to hike along this section of the Great Wall should be prepared both physically and mentally. Horse-riding service down the hill is offered to tourists at the middle section of the Great Wall.
3. No water is offered on the wall.
4. There are no toilets on the Great Wall.
5. Local restaurants and snack shops are located at the entrance of the Great Wall.

Tours Including Huangyaguan Great Wall:
One Day Great Wall Hiking Tour to Huangyaguan in Tianjin
Two Days Great Wall Package Tour to Huangyaguan-Old Dragon's Head-Shanhaiguan-Jiaoshan
Five Day Great Wall Tour to Shanhaiguan, Laolongtou, Jiaoshan, Jiumenkou, Xiaoheikou, Huangyaguan, Simatai, Jinshanling, Mutianyu

For photos of Huangyaguan, click here!