please choose your country
http://www.shg.com.cn/english.php
The Old Dragon Head. The Old Dragon Head of the Ming great wall is at an estuary of the Bohai Sea, and 4 kilometers to the south of Shanhaiguan. When Xu Da, a famous general and one of the founders of the Ming Dynasty began the construction of the Great Wall, he chose the place as the starting point in the east. Since the Great Wall is like a crouching dragon climbing over mountains and finally extending its head into the sea, the end has been called ‘the Old Dragon Head’. In 1579 at the Old Dragon Head Qi Jiguang directed the construction of a 23 meter long stone city extending into the sea, called Ninghai City. In Ninghai City the first pass of Hebei Great Wall ‘Nanhaikouguan’ and the first watch tower ‘Jinglutai’ were built, and later the lofty building named ‘Chenghailou’ was constructed on the rampart.
The strategic topography of the Old Dragon Head and an amphibious defensive network of mountains, sea, passes and cities together formed an important strategic pass that could clutch the gorge of Ji Town and Liaodong Town. The Old Dragon Head is composed of the stone city, Jinglutai, Nanhaikouguan, Chenghailou, Ninghai City, the Seaside Great Wall, etc. Chenghailou was the tallest building in the Old Dragon Head. It was a battlement in its initial construction. When the Qing Regime had unified the Central Plains, it gradually became a famous resort for literati to watch the sea and express emotions. Many emperors of the Qing Dynasty had their rounds there, ascending buildings and enjoying beautiful scenery, drinking and improvising poems, among them Kang Xi, Yong Zheng, Qian Long, Jia Qing and Dao Guang left their writings and paintings there.
