{"id":15541,"date":"2014-05-25T03:26:14","date_gmt":"2014-05-24T19:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/?p=15541"},"modified":"2017-05-17T09:11:11","modified_gmt":"2017-05-17T01:11:11","slug":"top-attractions-in-shanhaiguan-top-things-to-do-in-shanhaiguan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/hebei-travel\/qinhuangdao-travel\/top-attractions-in-shanhaiguan-top-things-to-do-in-shanhaiguan","title":{"rendered":"Top Attractions in Shanhaiguan, Top Things to Do in Shanhaiguan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plan your Qinhuangdao Tou<\/span><\/a>r<\/strong>? \u00a0The city of Qinhuangdao mainly comprises three districts – Shanhaiguan, Beidaihe and Haigang. A \u00a0trip to Shanhaiguan<\/span><\/a><\/strong> is much sought after by foreign travelers who want to visit the old Ming garrison town and the eastern tip of the Great Wall.<\/p>\n

The walled Shanhaiguan town was built in Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) \u00a0to seal off the narrow passage leading to the northeastern Manchu. The garrison town succeeded in safeguarding the country until 1644 the Chinese rebels seized Beijing and the General Wu Shangui opened the town and let the Manchurian troops to enter the country to suppress the uprising. Later the Manchu army seized the whole country and established the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911).<\/p>\n

Over 10 daily bullet trains go from Beijing ( Beijing Railway Station ) to Shanhaiguan, a 2 and half hours’ train ride. People may make a round trip to Shanhaiguan from Beijing or stay overnight in Shanhaiguan and return to Beijing next day.<\/p>\n

I’ve compiled a list of top attractions in Shanhaiguan or the top things to do in Shanhaiguan. Hopefully this short list will be useful planning your own trip to Shanhaiguan.<\/p>\n

1. Shanhaiguan Old Town \u5c71\u6d77\u5173\u53e4\u57ce<\/strong>
\nShanhaiguan Garrison Town occupies an area of 1.5 million square meters originally built in 1583 in Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644). \u00a0It has a\u00a0perimeter of 2040 meters with three gates – North Gate, East Gate and South Gate. A two-storey building atop the East Gate while a one-storey building atop the North Gate and the South Gate respectively. Two turrets are built atop the northeast and southeast corners. \u00a0A city moat circles the old town on its east, south and north.<\/p>\n

Some of the traditional buildings \u00a0are recent restoration of the rundown buildings, but many faux traditional building have replaced the old or rebuilt. Though the present town is a reproduction of the old to large extent, it is still a pleasant place to walk around and feel the historical town.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB120 (through ticket with Old Dragon Head and First Pass Under Heaven)
\nOpening Time: All day
\nLocation: \u00a0North of Qinhuangdao
\nHow to get there:
\nTake bullet train from Beijing or buses from downtown Qinhuangdao<\/p>\n

\"Shanhaiguan<\/a>
Shanhaiguan Old Town<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. First Pass Under Heaven \u5929\u4e0b\u7b2c\u4e00\u5173
\n<\/strong>The First Pass Under Heaven is the first Pass on the Great Wall of China from its eastern tip. \u00a0Actually the Pass is atop the East Gate of the old garrison town of Shanhaiguan.<\/p>\n

On the second floor of the Pass Tower, you can have a bird’s-eye view of the whole town and far beyond. On the north, you can see Jiaoshan Great Wall and the sea on \u00a0the south. The calligraphy of \u5929\u4e0b\u7b2c\u4e00\u5173 (The First Pass Under Heaven ) was written by the scholar Xiao Xian.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB50 ( \u00a0 or through ticket with Old Dragon Head…)
\nOpening Time: 08:00-17:00
\nLocation: \u00a0in the old town of Shanhaiguan
\nHow to get there:
\nTake bus 25 and 33<\/p>\n

\"First<\/a>
First Pass Under Heaven<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Great Wall Museum \u957f\u57ce\u535a\u7269\u9986<\/strong>
\nShanhaiguan Great Wall Museum is one of the three \u00a0Great Wall themed museums in China with other two being Badaling Great Wall Museum in Beijing and Jiayuguan Great Wall Museum.<\/p>\n

The museum is located about 200 meters south of the First Pass Under the Heaven in the old town. \u00a0It has an exhibition area of 1247 square meters. It is divided into 6 exhibition halls – Preface Hall, History Hall, Construction Hall, Military Hall, Culture Hall and \u00a0Shanhaiguan Hall. It provides a comprehensive history of the Wall evolution.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB5
\nOpening Time: 08:00-17:00 ( closed on Mon)
\nLocation: \u00a0in the old town of Shanhaiguan
\nHow to get there:
\nTake bus 25 and 33<\/p>\n

\"Great<\/a>
Great Wall Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Wang Family Courtyard \u738b\u5bb6\u5927\u9662
\n<\/strong>Wang Family Courtyard House was a former wealthy family’s house with the surname of Wang. Wang’s family developed and prospered in Qing Dynasty nicknamed “Half Shanhaiguan”, indicating Wang’s family owned a large courtyard house. \u00a0The courtyard house is built in the Ming and Qing style.<\/p>\n

The Wang Family Courtyard House has been turned into a \u00a0museum known as Shanhaiguan Folklore Museum. The courtyard turned museum has 6 exhibition zones, 18 exhibition halls and 59 rooms. Its exhibits range from needles, threads to large piece of furniture, gold and silver\u00a0jewelry and the list could be much longer.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB25
\nOpening Time: 08:00-17:00 ( closed on Mon)
\nLocation: \u00a0in the old town of Shanhaiguan
\nHow to get there:
\nTake bus 25 and 33<\/p>\n

\"Wang<\/a>
Wang Family Courtyard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Old Dragon Head \u8001\u9f99\u5934<\/strong>
\nOld Dragon Head is the eastern tip of the Great Wall of China. The eastern tip of \u00a0the Great Wall extends about 20 meters into the Bohai Sea like a dragon drinking water, hence the name of Old Dragon Head.<\/p>\n

The Old Dragon Head lies 4 km south of the Old Shanhaiguan Town. \u00a0This is the most important sight in Shanhaiguan. It is built with \u00a0blocks and consists of seven parts, namely, \u00a0Chenghai Pavilion, Joining the Sea Block City, the Sea God Temple, Jinglu Platform, Chenghai Pavilion, Ninghai City and Seashore Great Wall.<\/p>\n

In the Old Dragon area, \u00a0Chenghai Pavilion is said to be the highest point around \u00a0Old Dragon Head, an ideal place to appreciate the vastness and grandness of the sea. In Qing Dynasty, the emperor Kangxi and Qianlong had been to this pavilion for many times to worship their ancestors.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB60 ( RMB120 through ticket with the First Pass Under Heaven)
\nOpening Time: all day
\nLocation: \u00a04km south of \u00a0the old town of Shanhaiguan
\nHow to get there:
\nTake buses 25 and 21 from the south gate of the old town to the sight of \u00a0Old Dragon Head<\/p>\n

6. Jiaoshan Great Wall \u89d2\u5c71\u957f\u57ce<\/strong>
\nJiaoshan Great Wall is named after the same name Mountain – Jiaoshan Mountain, the first peak \u00a0of the Great Wall from the east. “Jiaoshan” literally means “Horn’s Mountain” \u00a0with its shape like the horn of a dragon, hence the name.<\/p>\n

Jiaoshan is about 3km north of Shanhaiguan Town. You either can have a \u00a0half \u00a0hour’s hike up to the wall at the top or take the cable up to the wall. \u00a0On the top of \u00a0the wall, \u00a0people have a\u00a0panoramic view of the Great Wall.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB30
\nOpening Time: 05:00 pm — 18:30
\nLocation: \u00a03km south of \u00a0the old town of Shanhaiguan
\nHow to get there:
\nTake buses
\nHire a local taxi, or \u00a0local buses.<\/p>\n

7. MengjiangnuTemple \u5b5f\u59dc\u5973\u5e99
\n<\/strong>Mengjiangnu Temple is dedicated to Lady Mengjiang. The story of Lady Mengjiang is one of \u00a0the \u00a0four classic \u00a0folk tales in China. \u00a0It tells \u00a0the tragic story of the separation of the loving couple due to the building of the Great Wall.<\/p>\n

The story happened in Qin Dynasty when Qinshuhang the first emperor in China ordered the construction of the Wall. Lady Mengjiang’ s husband was caught by imperial officials and sent to the Northern China to build \u00a0the Great Wall.<\/p>\n

After years’ absence from her husband, Lady Mengjiang set out to walk a long long distance to the north trying to find her husband. But unfortunately, when she got to the Wall, she discovered that her husband had already died in the course of forced labor. Lady Mengjiang cried hard for \u00a0the loss of her husband. Her howling caused the fall of \u00a0a stretch of the Great Wall. \u00a0This legendary story tells us that<\/p>\n

The story is set during the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC). It tells of how Meng Jiangn\u00fc’s bitter weeping made a section of the Great Wall collapse. Meng Jiangn\u00fc’s husband Fan Qiliang (Chinese: \u8303\u675e\u826f; pinyin: F\u00e0n Q\u01d0li\u00e1ng) was caught by imperial officials and sent as Corvee labor to build the Great Wall. Meng Jiangn\u00fc heard nothing from him after his departure, so she set out to look for him.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, by the time she reached the Great Wall, she discovered that her husband had already died. Hearing the bad news, she cried her heart out. Her howling caused the collapse of a part of the Great Wall. This story indicates that the Great Wall was the result of the hard labor of tens of thousands of Chinese commoners.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB30
\nOpening Time: 08:00 pm — 18:00
\nLocation: \u00a06.5km north of \u00a0the old town of Shanhaiguan
\nHow to get there:
\nTake buses
\nBus No.02 from the Old Town to Mengjiangnu Temple<\/p>\n

\"MengjiangnuTemple<\/a>
Mengjiangnu Temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8. Yansai Lake\u00a0\u71d5\u585e\u6e56
\n<\/strong>Yansai Lake, \u00a0also known as \u00a0the Shihe Reservoir, is located on the foot of Yanshan Mountains, about 3.5km northwest of the old town of \u00a0Shanhaiguan. It is a man-made lake with \u00a0clear and clean water just like a bright pearl in Mt. Yan.<\/p>\n

Along Yansai Lake stands various-shaped cliffs, natural scenery, green pines and wild apricot trees, which is usually called \u201cSmall Guilin\u201d, \u201cSmall Three Gorges\u201d. On Yansai Lake there is \u00a0a Bird Sing Forest holding more than 2,000 kinds of birds, an Eden to appreciate the performance of birds. The best season to visit here is from May to October, the season for migratory birds to migrate.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d better go to the mountain by cable car and then take pulleys to the lakeside. After that, you can have a taste of the beauty and majesty of lake and mountain by pleasure-boat.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB90 (Peak); RMB40(low)
\nOpening Time: 08:00 pm — 18:00
\nLocation: \u00a03.5km north of \u00a0the old town of Shanhaiguan
\nHow to get there:
\nTake buses
\nBus No.25 from the Old Town to Yansai Lake<\/p>\n

\"Yansai<\/a>
Yansai Lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Longevity Hill \u957f\u5bff\u5c71
\n<\/strong>Longevity Hill is located 9km to the \u00a0northeast of the old town of Shanhaiguan. Just as its name suggests, this landscape is a national forest park that gives much importance o the theme of \u00a0“Longevity’ with many forms including carving, architecture, calligraphy and so on.<\/p>\n

The highlight of Longevity Hill is the 117-meter long Xuanyang Cave which is considered the No.01 Attraction in Shanhaiguan. The cave is the rare and largest and marble cave in China.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: Through ticket with Old Dragon Head and The Pass (RMB120)
\nOpening Time: 08:00 pm — 18:00
\nLocation: \u00a09km north of \u00a0the old town of Shanhaiguan
\nHow to get there:
\nTake buses
\nBus No.25 from the Old Town to Yansai Lake<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0Ledao Ocean Park\u00a0\u4e50\u5c9b\u6d77\u6d0b\u516c\u56ed
\n<\/strong>Laodao Ocean Park \u00a0is located 8km from Qinhuangdao airport and 2km to the south of \u00a0Old Dragon\u2019s Head Great Wall. The park provides rich and colorful entertainment items, which all bring happiness on your tour.<\/p>\n

The park has numerous sea animals and the sea-lion, dolphins, and beluga will play brilliant performance. \u00a0At the bottom of the sea, you can get zero-distance contact with wild animal of ocean.<\/p>\n

The polar region exhibition hall takes you to the romantic world of ice and snow, and hope you will have a good time with the cute polar bear and penguin.<\/p>\n

Entrance fee: RMB100
\nOpening Time: 08:00 – 18:00
\nLocation: 148 Longhai Avenue, Shanhaiguan, Qinhuangdao\u6cb3\u5317\u7701\u79e6\u7687\u5c9b\u5c71\u6d77\u5173\u533a\u9f99\u6d77\u5927\u9053148\u53f7<\/span>
\nHow to get there:
\nTake buses
\nBus No.25 from the Old Town to Ledao Ocean Park<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"06611\"Tip:\u00a0 Hassle-free Shanhaiguan Guided Tours
\n<\/strong>If you don\u2019t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,\u00a0 here are some options for guided tours to Shanhaiguan:<\/p>\n

Beijing Shanhaiguan Great Wall Culture One Day Tour<\/a>
\nBeijing Shanhaiguan Great Wall Culture 2-Day Tour<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Further Reading<\/strong>
\nShanhaiguan Trip<\/a>
\nJiaoshan Great Wall<\/a>
\nBeidaihe Trip<\/a>
Sunrise at Beidaihe<\/a>
Birding Beidaihe<\/a>
\nQinhuangdao Trip<\/a><\/p>\n

Any questions, just drop a line.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plan your Qinhuangdao Tour? \u00a0The city of Qinhuangdao mainly comprises three districts – Shanhaiguan, Beidaihe and Haigang. A \u00a0trip to Shanhaiguan is much sought after by foreign travelers who want to visit the old Ming garrison town and the eastern tip of the Great Wall. The walled Shanhaiguan town was built in Ming Dynasty (1368…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1908,485,2526],"tags":[2527,2529,2530,2528],"class_list":["post-15541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hebei-travel","category-qinhuangdao-travel","category-shanhaiguan","tag-things-to-do-in-shanhaiguan","tag-top-10-attractions-in-shanhaiguan","tag-top-10-things-to-do-in-shanhaiguan","tag-what-to-see-in-shanhaiguan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15541"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15541"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22428,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15541\/revisions\/22428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}