All things must end, even the Great Wall: Old Dragon's Head (老龙头 Lǎolóngtóu) marks the spot where the wall meets the Bohai Sea, and the fortification abruptly stops on a scenic beach. True to its name, the final watchtower and stone protrusion do look like a reptilian head facing the water. The wall also makes a victory lap around the adjacent Ninghai Fortress, a former barracks and training ground for Ming dynasty soldiers. You can visit the Sea God Temple, a reconstructed house of worship that stands directly on the water. Admission to the scenic area is ¥60.
Old Dragon’s Head lies just east of Qinhuangdao, a port city on the edge of Hebei province. Just north of the city, the Great Wall once protected Shanhai Pass, a historic hot zone between Chinese emperors and the Manchu warlords directly to the east. It was here, in 1644, that the Manchus defeated Ming forces and continued their march on Beijing. So began the 300-year rule of the Qing dynasty, and so ended the glory days of the Great Wall.
