Langfang
Langfang City is situated in the central part of Hebei Province, roughly equidistant from both Beijing and Tianjin. It is only 30 minutes’ drive from here to the Beijing Capital International Airport and the Tianjin Port. Langfang emerged as a settlement as far back as 6,000 years ago. During the spring and autumn (770-476 BC) and Warring States (475-221 BC) periods, it was a fief of the State of Yan, and came under the jurisdiction of Youzhou Prefecture (covering present northern Hebei and southern Liaoning provinces) in the Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang (618-907) dynasties. In 1897, Langfang became a railway hub on the Beijing-Shanhaiguan Rail-way Line. In 1981, Langfang City was established, covering 6,429 sq km and with a population of 3.9 million in two towns, six counties, two districts and one development zone. It boasts the site of the ancient plank road built along the face of cliffs in the Song (960- 1279) and Liao (916-1125) dynasties, the “No. 1 City under Heaven” modeled on ancient Beijing in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and Oriental University City housing over 30 institutions of higher learning.
The Great Wall in the territory of Langfang was built by the State of Yan, which was one of the seven major states during the Warring States Period. It renovated and expanded its embankment along the Yishui River to the south, turning it into a military defense fortification; hence the wall there was also called the “Yishui River Great Wall.” The southern Yan wall starts at present-day Zhangqingkou Village, Xiongxian County, crosses the Daqing River and enters the territory of Wen’an County, where it branches off toward the southeast and the southwest. The southeastern branch extends to Dacheng County and ends at Liuguxian Village; the southwest branch runs through the southeastern part of Wen’an County, crosses the eastern part of Dacheng County, and meets the southeastern branch at Liuguxian Village.
Then the wall extends southwest to Dongma Village, Dacheng County, where it terminates. Today, much of this part of the Great Wall is covered by embankments, roads and farmland. In Dacheng County, only ruins of part of the southeastern branch of the wall and of one beacon tower remain, while on the southwestern branch, only the ruins of three beacon towers, which are called yandun by the locals, remain.
