Changchengxiang Great Wall

Gansu


Running between fields near the village of Changchengxiang (itself named after the Great Wall), this section of Great Wall makes for an interesting excursion from Wuwei. The wall runs for around 600m, a brick-less, tamped-earth fortification that dates to the Ming dynasty. Jump on one of the buses (¥6, one hour) to Changcheng (长城) from the main bus station and ask to be dropped off at the Ming Great Wall (明长城, Míng Chángchéng).

The wall is protected behind a barbed wire fence and you must not climb on it, but it is possible to walk alongside the wall alongside the fields. At the far end from the drop-off the wall widens considerably, where larger structures (possibly former watchtowers) are evident. The official name of this section of wall is the Ming Great Wall – Liangzhou Section (明长城 – 凉州段; Míng Chángchéng – Liángzhōu Duàn).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Gansu attractions

1. Xixia Museum

15.79 MILES

This museum facing the Confucian Temple is dedicated to the Xixia (Western Xia; 1038–1277), the kingdom established by the Tangut people in a region…

2. Wuwei Confucius Temple

15.84 MILES

This large Ming-era temple complex divides into two sections: the Confucian Temple and the Wenchang Hall, both fine examples of traditional architecture…

3. Kumarajiva Pagoda

16.42 MILES

This elegant 12-storey brick pagoda dates from AD 488 and is surrounded by a tranquil complex of both unpainted and colourful wooden temple halls with old…

4. Leitai Tomb & Park

16.42 MILES

The pride and joy of the city, the bronze Flying Horse of Wuwei (飞马, Fēimǎ) was discovered here in 1969 and is the unofficial symbol of Gansu. It was…

5. Haizang Temple

17.63 MILES

A fascinating active monastery with a minute pavilion to the right of the entrance containing a well whose ‘magic waters’ (神水, shénshuǐ) are said to…

6. Tiantishan Grottoes

24.37 MILES

By the Huangyanghe Reservoir (黄羊河水库, Huángyánghé Shuǐkù), it's hard to appreciate how massive the 15m-high Shakyamuni Buddha statue at Tiantishan Grottoes…