Simatai Great Wall
Simatai(Terrace of Sima; Sima, a surname, also an official title of the Minister of Defense), a section of the Great Wall of China located in the north of Miyun County, 120 km northeast of Beijing, located on the boundary between Luanping County in Hebei and Miyun County in Beijing, at the foot of Wangjinglou Watchtower, south of Caozhazi Village in Luanping County.
It holds the access to Gubeikou, a strategic pass in the eastern part of the Great Wall. Originally built during the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) and rebuilt in the Hongwu years of the Ming dynasty by Qi Jiguang, this section of Great Wall is one of the few to retain the original features of the Ming dynasty Great Wall.
According to historical records, the Simatai Pass, together with its fortress town, was first built in the Hongwu reign period (1368-1398) of the Ming Dynasty. Constructed on sharp ridges, the Simatai Great Wall makes full use of the local inaccessible terrain. The wall is built of bricks and rocks, strong and firm. The outer edge of the top of the wall has crenels for keeping a lookout and deep embrasures for shooting. On perpendicular cliffs only a one-edge wall is built, which is about 0.4 m thick.
What’s more, it is 5.4 km long with 35 beacon towers. This section of the Great Wall incorporated the different characteristics of each section of the Great Wall. A specialist on the Great Wall, Professor Luo Zhewen, has said “The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese buildings, and Simatai is the best of the Great Wall.” UNESCO has designated Simatai Great Wall as one of the World Cultural Heritage sites.
The Simatai Pass town is in a rough oblong shape, with two gates. In 1977 Simatai Pass was submerged as a result of the construction of the Simatai Reservoir, leaving only two hollow watchtowers on the slopes at its left and right sides. To the west of the pass there used to be a hot spring. Simatai (Si, pronounced in the first tone) was originally named Simatai (si, pronounced in the third tone, meaning dead), denoting Terrace of the Dead Horse. Legend has it that a general garrisoned at the Great Wall died in a battle, as did his horse. The local people buried his horse here to commemorate him, and the place was thus called Terrace of the Dead Horse. As time went by, the name was changed to Terrace of the Minister of Defense.
Hanging precariously onto the Yanshan Mountain, Simatai Great Wall is known for its steepness.
Simatai Great Wall is separated by a valley into eastern and western parts. The western part appears gentle with 20 well-preserved watchtowers dotting along the wall. The eastern part is much steeper, following more rugged terrain that includes cliff edges and kilometer-high peaks. The 15 watchtowers are relatively closely spaced and provide spectacular views. Main attractions in the eastern part include Watching Beijing Tower, Fairy Tower, Heavenly Ladder and Sky Bridge, though they are currently closed to the public for safety reasons.
Simatai attracts numerous visitors every year with its spectacular concentration of watchtowers in a variety of shapes on the top of the wall, which rises and falls precipitously.
Simatai Great Wall Pictures
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