Shanhaiguan Travel Guide

 chewy3326 Says:  You want to escape the crowds at the First Pass under Heaven? It's not as hard as you think. Though legal areas of the wall that you can walk on are few, you can still head just a few hundred meters out of your way to interesting places where you'll be accompanied by only a... 

 chewy3326 Says:  Walking up the Great Wall to the Arrow Tower is included in your 50 yuan admission fee, but entering and climbing the Tower is not; fortunately, it's only 2 yuan more. The tower provides a good view of the area, but that's not saying much; Shanhaiguan is an industrialized... 

 chewy3326 Says:  Okay, it may be pricey (about Y50 a person), and crowded, and commercial, and not really that beautiful, but the experience of walking the last section of the hall, where the wall protudes into the Bohai, is a must. Beware that on just about any given day, you'll be sharing... 

 chewy3326 Says:  First Pass Under Heaven is the first major pass on the Great Wall of China, and it has a commanding presence on the area. The Tower of the pass rises high above everything, and is just totally immense. For a view of the industrial (and not very pretty) city of Shanhaiguan,... 

 wenzhi_travels Says:  Southwest of Laolongtou - west of the beach and impossible to miss - is a high brick pedastel honoring the builders of Laolongtou with three large statues. I honestly would like to give some interesting historical information here, but I have to revert into my immature 20... 

 wenzhi_travels Says:  Located maybe a 100 meters south of the Laolongtou Fort, also on the beach, is a Temple to the Goddess of the Sea. I'll be honest: my memory fails me, but I think it -is- Godess, instead of God, and I think it's a Buddhist temple. Pardon my lack of expertise, but the inside... 

 wenzhi_travels Says:  Laolongtou is the fortress at the point where the Great Wall meets the sea. It's name means "Old Dragon Head" - apparently a spectacular gigantic dragon head dramatically marked the end of the Great Wall and overlooked the sea, but fair warning, it's gone and all that's... 

 nepalgoods Says:  Not far from the city on the ocean are little fisher villages. I think they mainly go for lobsters. The boats looked very ancient. I wonder, whether they still use them today. I visited Shanhaiguan in 1993. 

 nepalgoods Says:  In Shanhaiguan the Great Wall comes down from the mountains and dives into the Chinese Sea. It builds part of the ancient city wall of Shanhaiguan, which still exists. The city gate under the Great Wall is called "The last Gate under the Heaven" = "Tian xia Guan".A walk on... 

 Yso Says:  Just wander around the lanes inside the walled city. Its not too big and you can just soak up the life of the people. Lanes vary from mud to cobbles, some ae very narrow. The city is small so you can just wander - you won't get lost! 

 Yso Says:  Jiao Shan is about 3km north of Shanhaiguan. It is where the Great Wall goes over it's first high peak.The wall here has been rebuilt for tourism, but if you cimb up you can keep climbing after the reconstructed bit on the 'real' wall. This is fantastic but a little... 

 Yso Says:  A few km out of Shanhaiguan is where the great wall meets the sea. It's called the Old Dragons head (Laolongtou). The wall has been entirely rebuilt so it's a long way from being authentic but it's worth a trip anyway. The wall goes into the sea and even at low tide it's not... 

 nepalgoods Says:  Here you can see (when you enlarge this photo) the Great Wall on top of the mountains, winding its way around the peaks. In front is the City Wall of Shanhaiguan. 

 wenzhi_travels Says:  This hotel has two Chinese names, 天下第一关宾馆 and 锦山宾馆, (tian xia di yi bin guan and jin shan bin guan). It is probably the best place to stay in Shanhaiguan. Don't be scared off when you enter the... 

 nepalgoods Says:  Shanhanguan is by itself "Off The Beaten Path". Not many people come to this town on the Chinese Sea. Here the Great Wall has its Eastern End.