6 | DISCOVER SHANXI Friday, June 12, 2020 CHINA DAILY

Various sections of the Great Wall in Shanxi province stand as silent witnesses to a history of more than two millennia, although they are not as complete as they were in their former glory days. PHOTOS BY YANG JIANMIN / FOR CHINA DAILY Ancient barrier brings people new horizon

By YUAN SHENGGAO Discoveries spark interest among tourists along the famed ancient defense project Its importance is further enhanced by a famous quote from late Chinese Rome was not built in a day and leader Mao Zedong: “He who doesn’t neither was the Great Wall of China. reach the Great Wall is not a true The country’s most iconic defen­ man.” sive structure was built in a period Capitalizing on the enthusiasm spanning some two millennia from for the wall, many regions in Shanxi the Warring States Period (475­221 are using the historic site as an BC) to the Ming Dynasty (1368­ opportunity to boost local economic 1644). growth. Called “the Great Wall Museum”, Datong city in northern Shanxi, for Shanxi province is one of the best pla­ instance, boasts 263 km of Great Wall ces to see the ancient wonder with sections in its five counties and dis­ characteristics of various periods. tricts. With a total length of more than Wu Hongwen, mayor of Datong, 3,500 kilometers in Shanxi, the Great said the city is promoting a Great Wall runs through nine cities and Wall sightseeing route for tourists. about 40 counties. More than 1,500 “Just like the famed Yungang Grot­ km of walls and other relics remain toes, one of the top three Buddhist relatively intact. grottoes in China, the Great Wall is Yang Jianmin, a resident in likely to become another calling card Datong city in northern Shanxi, is a for Datong’s tourism,” Wu said. professional photographer and Weathered by the wind and rain researcher of the Great Wall. in over millennia and challenged by Over the course of his explorations, booming tourism in modern times, Yang has discovered in Shanxi relics protecting the Great Wall has of Great Wall sections built in the The Guangwu section of the Great Wall in Shanyin county is a complete defense system consisting of walls, watchtowers, fortresses and become a pressing concern in Warring States, Qin Dynasty (221­ other facilities. regions along the Great Wall. 206 BC), Northern Dynasties (386­ Pianguan county in the northwest 581), as well as Song (960­1279) and Dynasty (916­1125) but they don’t “When I was a child, I was told the the Great Wall and related to the of Shanxi, for instance, has priori­ Ming dynasties. believe the relics illustrate the town’s ancient town and the Great Wall ancient frontier.” tized protecting its precious Great “Seen from the maps of China, the origins. The city wall, 1,652 meters in were built 1,000 years ago. But The Great Wall is regarded as an Wall resources, including 126 km of Great Wall is basically a long line length and 8.3 m in height, was built recent discoveries show the history important symbol of the nation and wall, 36 fortresses and more than from Hebei province in the east to during the Ming Dynasty. of the relics should be at least 1,000 in ancient China, it was closely relat­ 300 watchtowers. Gansu province in the west,” Yang The residences inside the town are years older than that,” said Ma ed to the fate of the nation. According to Wang Yuan, Party said. “But in Shanxi, the Great Wall mostly houses in Ming Dynasty style. Yufang, Party secretary of Old In times of peace, the Great Wall secretary of Pianguan, the county has many sections distributed in a Researchers believe the houses Guangwu village. passes became venues of exchange has invested more than 100 million broad area spreading about 800 km The ancient town is composed of used to offer accommodation to mili­ With more discoveries published, between the Han people and nomads yuan ($14.14 million) in protecting from north to south.” two villages — Old Guangwu and tary forces. Ma said the Great Wall, the ancient in the north. the Great Wall over the past 10 The researcher said the Great Wall New Guangwu, which used to be two Neighboring the ancient town is a town and Han tombs have sparked When wars took place, the wall years. is a comprehensive defense system fortresses along the Great Wall built 32­square­kilometer site of about great interest among both research­ provided defense against invaders. If “Protection is the prerequisite for consisting of walls, fortresses and in the Ming Dynasty. There are no 300 Han Dynasty (202 BC­AD 220) ers and tourists. the wall was captured by the ene­ using the Great Wall as a resource other military facilities. historical records showing when the tombs. Researchers speculate the site “We receive hundreds of visitors mies, it was disastrous for the nation. for tourism development,” Wang Such a complete system can be ancient town was first built. was a burial ground for generals and every day,” Ma said. “Many of them Because of its historical signifi­ said. found in the ancient town of Guang­ Archaeologists found a number of soldiers who died in battles against are excited to be on this site to cance, the Great Wall is a must­see wu in Shanyin county. structural relics left by the Liao invaders about 2,000 years ago. explore the storied history related to attraction for many tourists. Li Yali contributed to this story. Pianguan county’s section of the Great Wall an ode to its rich history

By YUAN SHENGGAO There are also 22 fortresses and restored sections of the Great Wall strongholds built during various across the city. The construction of the Great periods. “Our research shows that about Wall, the greatest defense project of Gao said the most renowned two­thirds of the materials used to ancient China, is said to have begun stronghold along the walls is the build the walls in ancient times in the Warring States Period (475­ Pianguan Pass. are stones unique to Pianguan. 221 BC) and ended some 400 years The stronghold is located in the Fortunately, we still have enough ago during the Ming Dynasty (1368­ north of the county seat. It can be reserves of the materials that can 1644). easily recognized even miles away be used for the restoration,” Wang However, construction of the because of its tall, imposing gate explained. wall is still underway in Pianguan tower. “The remaining one­third of the The former barren mountains near the Great Wall in Shanyin county are now covered in lush county in the northwest of Shanxi The tower is a Ming­style struc­ materials are bricks fired from vegetation. WANG JINFEI / FOR CHINA DAILY province. But the purpose of this ture. It’s so similar in style to its local earth so we can also use simi­ stretch of the project is not for neighboring structures that visitors lar bricks made according to defense. Rather, it’s to protect the may not be aware it was actually ancient techniques.” “Our forestry workers carried Great Wall as cultural heritage of built only nine years ago. The official said in ancient times Efforts made to restore soil onto the slopes of the moun­ the nation and a major attraction to Before the construction of the when soldiers arrived in Pianguan, tains and hills, where the soil had tourists. gate tower began in 2011, the design­ their first mission was to repair been washed away after centuries “Pianguan is a prominent county ers and civil engineers had visited and enhance the Great Wall, creat­ of water erosion,” the official said. in China in terms of the Great Wall,” other sections of the Great Wall for ing a strong defense against invad­ ecology near landmark “Tree­planting tools, saplings and said Gao Yongsheng, head of the several years to study, measure and ers. water were also transported by county’s publicity office. survey the remaining structures on “We are still renovating the walls By YUAN SHENGGAO Trees and grasses have been hand.” The county boasts six sections of the walls to ensure the new tower today, with the hope of better pre­ planted along the Great Wall over To collect more rainfall, saplings wall built during the Ming Dynasty could retain the original style, serving the precious historical lega­ Serving as a barrier between the past decades. As a result, more were planted in deep holes. The and several others built in earlier according to Wang Yuan, Party sec­ cies of our nation,” Wang said. farmers and nomads in ancient than 3,000 hectares of deserts along soil near the trees was covered by periods dating back to Qing Dynasty retary of the county. China, the Great Wall was once a the wall are now covered in vegeta­ polyethylene sheets to prevent (221­206 BC). The county has also repaired and Li Yali contributed to this story. site of conflict between the farming tion, according to local officials. evaporation. Han people to its south and the “To further improve the environ­ In Datong, a city boasting more nomads to the north. ment, we have planted 5,400 hec­ than 260 kilometers of the Great The frequent skirmishes led to a tares of trees in Shanyin in recent Wall, breakthroughs were also deteriorating ecological environ­ years, expanding the county’s for­ made in its greening campaign. ment in the areas adjacent to the est coverage to nearly 15,000 hec­ According to the forestry and walls for thousands of years. tares,” said Lan Yechun, deputy grassland bureau of Datong, the In Shanxi, authorities of counties chief at the county’s forestry and city invested more than 260 mil­ and cities along the Great Wall grassland bureau. lion yuan ($36.77 million) in have made great efforts to repair Lan said another 400 hectares of planting 2,900 hectares of trees in the ecological system, exploring a forests were added to Shanyin dur­ 2019. path of green growth and making ing the first five months of this Guo Qing, an official at the the areas along the walls more year. Datong planning and natural attractive to tourists. “As the mountains become green­ resources bureau, said the city’s At the Guangwu section of the er, the water becomes clean and the greening campaigns have taken Great Wall in Shanyin county, the sky becomes blue, the sightseeing the local topography, climate, soil deteriorating environment featur­ areas along the Great Wall have conditions and ecosystem into con­ ing gradual desertification, frequent attracted more visitors in recent sideration. sandstorms and severe soil erosion years, bringing more revenue to “We have planted trees, bushes used to be a big threat to the lives of local residents,” the official said. and grasses according to various locals and the Great Wall itself. When reflecting on the 13­year conditions to ensure the survival Authorities in the county began greening campaign, Lan said the rate of the vegetation,” the official a campaign to improve the envi­ achievement was the result of said. ronment in 2007 that aimed to painstaking efforts, especially on curb desertification and prevent steep and craggy mountains and Wang Jinfei contributed to A section of the Great Wall is restored according to its original style. YANG JIANMIN / FOR CHINA DAILY sandstorms. slopes. this story.

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