Jinshanling Great Wall is one of the best preserved parts of the Great Wall which may shows its charms to the hiking fans at all times. With a distance about 140 kilometers (87 miles) northeast of Beijing city, Jinshanling Section connects to the Simatai Section of the wall in the east and Gubeikou section in the west. It is the most representative part of the Chinese brick-made dragon.
The dangerous geography and the vast view from the higher place make Jinshanling Section become the highlight part of the Great Wall. With the same fame of the other parts, Jinshanling Great Wall is also famous for the firm structure and the subtle design to prevent the ancient China.
The Jinshanling Great Wall was initially built from 1368 to 1389 in the Ming Dynasty, and in 1567 or 1570 rebuilding of the Wall was mainly directed by General Qi Jiguang. Poems and tablet writings can be found on the Jinshanling Great Wall left from the time Qi Jiguang directed building of this section of the Great Wall.
There are more than 100 enemy towers along the whole Jinshanling Great Wall. Built stably and elegantly, different towers have different structures and appearances. There are two significant watchtowers which are called the Big Jinshan and the Small Jinshan separately. The Big Jinshan Watchtower has two tiers which are connected by stone stairs. On the top of the tower is a small room used as the soldiers' retiring room. This small room has a unique structure. The rafters and eaves of the room are all made from polished bricks. The Small Jinshan Watchtower was constructed by soldiers from Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces led by Qi Jiguang. To remind themselves of their hometowns, the tower was named Jinshan which was a pavilion's name in the Jiangxin Island in Zhanjiang.
