Jiankou Pass Great Wall (Arrow Nock)

Overview

Built in 1404, Jiankou Pass Great Wall is in a shape of the letter “W”, like arrow nock which is called “Jiankou” in Chinese. The section is centered by Huairou with its east to Mutianyu Great Wall and west to Dazhenyu Great Wall. With 47 watch towers, Jiankou Pass collects the inside and outside great walls from three directions. From east to northwest, it locates the diversified and metrical attractions including “arrow nock”, “The Sky Stair”, etc. With most of the parts built on the perilous peak of mountains, Jiankou Pass Great Wall overlooks spectacular. Famous for its steepness, this section of great wall is regarded as the preserved one with the brightest feature of great walls in Ming Dynasty. Jiankou Pass Great Wall has attracted numbers of famous photographers in and abroad and enthusiasts of Great Wall heading for its beauty.

Old Jiankou Pass Great Wall had seen many changes of Chinese history.	The sky stair is a horrible part of Jiankou Pass Great Wall, but a lure for hiking and climbing lovers.

Know More

There are many famous sections of Jiankou Great Wall, such as 'The Nine-Eye Tower', an important command post during the ancient wars. It has three layers, and there are nine holes which look like nine eyes on each side. “The Beijing Knot” is the meeting point for three walls coming from different directions. “The Sky Stair”, is a precipitous stair whose angle of elevation is 70 to 80 degrees. It leads to “The Eagle Flies Facing Upward”, a watch tower built on the lofty peaks. It is so dangerous that even eagles have to fly facing upward to reach the top. “Zhengbei Tower” is the right place to appreciate the beauty of the sunrise and the sunset.

Must-See

1.Nine-Eye Tower
Nine-Eye Tower of Jiankou Pass Great Wall lies in the dividing point of Huairou County and Yanqing County. It is a special tower of three floors with each wall has nine holes, making it so-called Nine-Eye. And the walls facing to three directions belong to Huairou County, and the rest one facing to north belongs to Yanqing County. Nine-Eye Tower served a very vital strategic importance in the past, hence the saying of “a man on guard is more than ten thousands men”, and now has become a lure for tourists.

2.The Sky Stair
The Sky Stair is one of dangerous parts of Jiankou Pass Great Wall with an angle of elevation of 70 to 80 degrees. It leads to “The Eagle Flies Facing Upward” part. Speaking of its danger, most of stairs were weathered badly and small rocks and detrituses scattered on narrow passages of The Sky Stair all round, and the narrowest one just has a width of less than 60cms (23.6 inchs), and you could hardly put your feet on, let alone a climb. Without question, Hands are also needed together with your feet to climb, and your extreme carefulness is necessary. Lots of people are scared and stop their steps in front of The Sky Stair, while this spot is the best choice for hiking and rock climbing lovers.

3.Arrow nock Part (Jiankou Part)
Jiankou Pass Great Wall is named after this famous “W” part. Arrow nock part is located on a rough place of two-side lofty versus central low. On this spot, you also can appreciate splendid sceneries. Many collapsed parts of Jiankou Great Wall are covered by sand and scrub grass, and unrepaired Arrow nock part preserves the stamp of time and reveals the vicissitudes of history.

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