China Report - Map of the Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty
Satellite image of China and North-East Asia, with a super-imposed schematic Map of the location and Path of the Great Wall as constructed during the Reign of the Ming Dynasty. Included for reference are City names, geographical features of landscape, Names and locations of Passes on the Great Wall of China.
China Report - Map of the Gobi Desert & Yellow River Flow
A Satellite Image Map of the Entire Gobi Desert Region. Map overviews North-West Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and North and North-Eastern China giving a Full Overview of the Gobi Deserts. Clearly visible details of geographical features such as mountain ranges, rivers, valleys and lakes.
Map includes country borders, name and location details of Cities and Villages (clearly visible).
Mouse over Image to Reveal more information and follow the flow and path of the yellow river from Xining in Qinghai Province to the Bohai Sea. Details of old / former Yellow River flow (south of new) and new trajectory to the Bohai Sea.
Long before the dawn of the Ming Dynasty Era (1368 AD - 1644 AD), the Yellow Plain was already being contested by the nomadic peoples of the north, and the sedentery Han peoples from the south and south-west. The nomads found these regions attractive grazing and hunting grounds, whereas the Han eyed for the same reasons, and as a base for their sedentary lifestyle and agriculture.
Google Earth Supported Map of Shuidongou Great Wall Tourist Site by DrBen.Net.
Map Great Wall China - Layers of Dynasties and Era's
A Schematic Map of China and East-Asia, with a super-imposed schematic of the various layers of the Great Wall of China.
Features Pre-Qin Dynasty Wall, Qin Dynasty Wall, Western Han Great Wall of China, the (Northern) Jin Dynasty Great Wall and finally the Ming Dynasty Great Wall as mainly remains today.
Main Features are Names and locations location of Passes on the Great Wall of China, outer layer and inner layer. Includes Shanhai Pass, Huangya Guan (Yellow Cliff) Pass, JiYunGuan Pass, Ningwu Guan Pass, Pingxin Guan, YaMen Guan Pass, Pian Guan Pass, JiaYuGuan pass, YuMen Guan Pass (Jade Gate) and Yang Guan Pass.
Further included for reference are City names, geographical features of landscape and main mountain ranges. Updates occur several times a year adding new pass locations and photo-virtual tours of Passes throughout China.
Soundbonus - Theme 'Enter the Ordos', from the Game Dune 2000.
A Full Google Earth Supported Map Overview of All Structures of the Great Wall of China from East to West, by DrBen.Net (c) ChinaReport.com and Google.com.
The Shuidonggou Great Wall is a part of the Great Wall situated in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region guarding the southern rim of the Ordos Desert. The current wall is a mud built wall that was erected during the rule of the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD). Its name (Water Gully Cave) is derived from the name of a small river which runs along this section of the wall, eventually cutting through and emptying into the Yellow River as a tributary, someways due north-west of Yinchuan City. In the time of its operation during the Ming Era, the main garrison reinforcing this wall was stationed at Yinchuan, whereas several Castles (or Block Cities) can be found along the line extending eastward towards Yanchi (Ningxia).
Although severly eroded and threatened by the advancing of the Ordos Desert, the Shuidonggou Wall is worthwhile exploring. It is a wall with some interesting history attached, and features a number of scenes not found elsewhere. To name but one; the "un-official" Great Wall Sections of Shuidonggou start at the Yellow River and thus the Shuidonggou features a Watchtower that actually overlooks the river. It is one of only two watchtowers that do so, the other one is famous and is found at the Old Ox Bend (Liaonuwan) of the Yellow River on the Eastern Bank, within Shanxi Province. Another unique feature is provided by a hidden Fortress known as as Hongshan, which together with its caves of Cangbing (Hiding Soldier) Hole are reportedly the only secret military installation found along the Great Wall of China that makes use of caves and more notably cave tunnels. Local tourist agencies make a point of it that this is the site that makes proof of tunnel warfare in China, some 500 years before the now famous Red Army guerilla's of Mao Zedong made use of it in their battle(s) against the Japanese in these regions.
Recently in 2009, a paleolithic (2.6 million years ago - roughly 100.000 B.C.) site which was earlier unearthed underneath the Shuidonggou Great Wall (in 1923), has been turned into a new tourist venue complete with hypermodern museum
My Great Web page
The main and official Shuidonggou Wall can easily be found by following the G20 express way from Yinchuan to the Airport. As the Great Wall stands a short distance north of the expressway one has to turn of the expressway at the exit of Yinchuan Airport. From the airport exit go north and head up county road (Xian Dao) 102 which lies parallel to the express way. Following county road 102 eastward for some distance one comes to the official visitors point created at Shuidonggou Wall, which extends in both eastern and western directions from this point.
The official Shuidonggou Tourist site is situated at 11 kilometers from Hedong Airport and 19 kilometers from the old city center of Yinchuan.
It is possible to Travel to Shuidonggou Great Wall either by Taxi, your own car, or via an organized tour. Technically, one might also take the bus to Yinchuan Hedong Airport and then attempt to walk to Linhezhen village and from there to the Wall, but that would be complicated and wasteful of time and energy. Travel Time by Car or Taxi is slightly more than 30 minutes from Yinchuan Old City Center.
Today the Shuidonggou Wall is totally unrestored and thus a mostly eroded and crumpling section. All of the visible wall sections and ruined buildings date to the Ming Dynasty Era (1368 A.D. - 1644 A.D.).
Its very long length as well as the small river running along the wall for a short stretch makes it
Overview Map of Shuidongou Great Wall between Yinchuan and Yanchi by DrBen.Net.
Mind you, when taking a Taxi, the driver may take your Shuidonggou for the local Shuidonggou Relic Site (a recenlty discovered paleolithical site which has been built into a substantial tourist venue) and drop you off at its main entrance. In this case, there is no need for panic. Simply walk up the road (North-East of- or to the right of the Paleolithical Site Museum) and find the Great Wall of Shuidonggou passing there. The Wall passes at but a few hundred meters from the Museum.
To find the "un-official" section along the Yellow River at the former Yellow River port of Hengcheng Town, one has to take another shorter but slightly more complicated route. Once, again, follow the expressway eastward out of Yinchuan and cross the Yellow River (Huang He) Bridge. On the other side of the river lies Linhezhen Village due North of the Expressway and Yinchuan Airport at some distance due South of the Expressway.
To get into Linhezhen however, one cannot simply take a northern exit. Instead, take the airport exit of the G20 Qingying Expressway. Turning right and off G20 brings one onto a short stretch of S203 Provincial Road (which leads to 211 toll-road). Pay extra attention here. After only some few hundred meters after exiting the G20 expressway, turn right once more (towards the river) and enter Shibacun Village. The road you are now on passes through Shiba (Cun = smallest size of village) and connects back with a road that is also designated as S203 Provincial Road (Sheng Dao). Turn right onto S203 and follow this road to pass underneath the G20 Expressway that you exited just minutes ago.
After passing this bottle-neck the road to Shuidonggou Great Wall is fairly simply explained. The Wall runs along the north end of Linhezhen Village and adjacent Hengcheng Cun, and it extends for miles and miles eastward.
The shortest route is simply to keep following S203, ignore the turn off (right and East into) Changqing Amusement Park and drive on through HengCheng Village - formerly the Yellow River port serving Yinchuan - for about two more blocks.
The ruined Wall can be found at the north end of this urban sprawl, just beyond a block of newly built luxury holiday villa's and some orchards . Beyond the Wall lie rural lands.
interesting for explorations. Among things, the Shuidonggou Great Wall features the unique feature of a watchtower overlooking the Yellow River, a river that streams along it, at least three ruined beacon towers, a double layered section and a Castle or Block City. The Castle, constructed miles away in the direction of Yanchi was the home of an additional garrison in defense of this notorious wall section in the plain. Today it (roughly) marks the border between the Shuidonggou Great Wall and the adjacent Yanchi (County) Great Wall of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Eventhough the Shuidonggou Wall is growing in popularity not too many people venture outthere in the desert. Most visitors come to the official tourist site situated at 11 kilometers distance from Yinchuan Hedong Airport and 19 kilometers from city center. A new addition to the official Shuidonggou great wall tourist spot is a gleaming new museum building constructed in the desert just south of the Wall. The Museum is dedicated to a recently unearthed paleolithic site and exhibits its found relics and explanations of truly ancient cultures which cannot even be dubbed Chinese yet. The Museum has an interesting named
Red Hill Fortress, a collection of cave dwellings which is purported to be a secret military installation supporting the military guarding the Great Wall of China, of the Qin Dynasty or of the Ming Dynasty. It is unclear in which era the cave fortress is supposed to have functioned as no available sources make any mention of it.
Anyone who wants to Stay- or Get away from the tourist buses and tour-groups and walk the Great Wall in the desert all by themselves can fairly easily do so, especially out of season. Obviously, in the harsh winter no one ventures out to the wall in the desert. Likewise in the hot summer months of June, July and August.
Even if it is full tourist season one might just instruct ones driver to make a little more distance. Get out of your ride beyond the Tourist Venue point and hike along from there.
Be advized: Come prepared. Eventhough it seems impossible to get lost in the desert, unforeseen circumstances may occur. At the very least, bring enough to drink, there is no drinkable water
out in the desert. Good footwear, sunglasses and perhaps sunblock cream might also come in
handy depending on season and month.
Keep an eye on the weather forecast if you can. Dust storms are the most frequent in spring and
can really ruin the day.
building and some newly created outdoor exhibitions. This archeological site and its museum are situated just a short distance south of what has been designed as the Shuidonggou Great Wall official tourists site, creating a completely new experience. Apart from the lone crumpling wall in the desert there is now the museum, a collection of loess caves hailed as the "Red Mountain (Hongshan) Fortress" and a small park, as well as Camel rides in the desert and tourist boat rides on what has been dubbed "Red Lake", a dammed portion of the Shuidong River that flows along the Great Wall for a short distance.
Explore both sights, the Museum and the Stone Age site, in one go. It will take you a full day to explore all of the Shuidonggou Wall but its worth all of it.
Map of China and Bordering Nations of Asia - Detailed Topographical View
A Geographical overview Map of China and neighboring Nations of Central, East and South-East Asia with National Borders and Capitals. Nations are Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, India, parts of Pakistan, parts of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, parts of Kyrgystan, parts of Kazakhstan, Eastern parts of Russia (Russian Federation), Republic of Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, a small part of Japan, and further the South-East Asian Nations of the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, MyanMar (Burma) and Bangladesh.
Today it is known that starting from the beginning of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), fortifications were built in Ningxia and Inner-Mongolia, to defend Han settler-farmers against the invaders from the north. It is however unclear where exactly these fortifications existed.
The first Han settlers arrived during the rule of the notorious Emperor Qin with attempts to colonize the Yellow River valley in today's Inner-Mongolia Autonomous Region and at locations around Yinchuan in the Ningxia Plain. Although the Qin's (221 B.C. - 207 B.C.) initial attempt at colonizing the Ningxia plain failed, in the following period of the Han Dynasty (207 B.C. - 220 A.D.) the
colonization succeeded and the first Chinese Farmers raised their crops and filled their granaries there. Unintentionally, this created an even more attractive situation for the nomads in the North. Where first they descended down to these regions to graze their herds during especially harsh winters, in the same situation they now found Chinese farms in their paths. As a result, the Chinese settlers suffered from continuous raids, especially during and after the harvest season. They needed protection and they needed more than just their own military garrison.
Find out more about the History of Shuidonggou and its Great Wall Sections in:
