Huangyaguan Great Wall is located 28km north of Ji County, Tianjin, and it is about 100 kilometers from Beijing. The entire section of Huangyaguan Great Wall is built on an abrupt yellow cliff, so it was so named.
Originally built in Tianbao 7th of Beiqi (557 AD), Huangyanguan was repaired for the first time in Ming Dynasty by Qi Qiguang with bricks and for the second time in 1985. When appointed as the chief commanding officer in the Ji Garrison (one of the eleven garrisons of the Ming Dynasty), Qi Jiguang added watch towers and other defensive works. Watch towers, frontier cities, drain holes, emplacements, barracks and other indispensable military facilities are arranged orderly along the wall. With various forms of water towers presented along the walls, and the largest tower of the Great Wall 'Phoenix Tower' and the most unique 'Baguaguan Labyrinth', Huangyaguan is considered to be a miniature of the Great Wall.
With its walls and towers built on mountain ridge with an average altitude of 738 meters, the Huangyaguan is really overwhelming. To the east there is the cliff, and to the west crags. It winds its way across mountains like a dragon. Guarding a stronghold, it has been the north entrance of Jinxian. On the mountains with peaks rising one higher than another, the Great wall jumps its way up and down as a linkage between the cliff and crags. Since the mountain is sloppy, the steps are very high. In some sections, it looks like that the wall is running straight up or down. When you look down, you will feel dizzy at the sight.
As this section of the Great Wall is built on mountain ridge, steep but spectacular, which make it a good choice for mountaineering exercise and enjoy the majestic view of Great Wall. In addition, it is less known to foreigners then another section of the Great Wall, and also has a Museum, the Beiji Temple, and Bagua City with the Bagua Labyrinth. So it would be a more comfortable place to visit. There are many simple peasant families to stay or have meals. It is a good place for a short relaxing holiday at weekends in Beijing and Tianjin areas.
There are two entrance to Huangyaguan Great Wall. In the east is Taiping Village, in the west is the main entrance- Huangya Pass. The length of Great Wall between the two entrances is 2.2 km. One can walk from one entrance to the other to hiking along the Great Wall. The hiking takes about 1-2 hours. Generally, visitors will be dropped off at the main entrance of the Great Wall, but it is not recommended to enter the scenic spot here. You can take the electromobile to reach to Taiping Village first (15 km, about 30 minutes’ driving), then enter Huangyaguan Great Wall scenic spot from here. By this way, all the way while hiking along the wall is downhill, which helps save energy and no need to backtrack at the end of the tour, and most of peasant families are sited near the main entrance, you can enjoy a simple meal before heading back to town.
Travel Guide
【Chinese name】: 黄崖关长城
【Recommended time to stay】: 2 to 3 hours
【How to get to there】: If you want to visit Huanghuacheng Great Wall, 2 directions can be chosen - rom Tianjin to Huangyaguan or from Beijing to Huangyaguang. From Tianjin: First, take a bus to Jixian County at TianJin Hebei Bus Station. When arriving in Jixian County, take a taxi to the Great Wall, the whole trip will take about 1 hour to the Great Wall.
From Beijing: you can take a bus to Jixian County at the Sihui long distance bus station in Beijing. When arriving in the Jixian County, you can take a taxi or a minibus to the Great Wall.