SHANHAIGUAN, China , "The Pass Between the Mountains and the Sea", a town at the northern tip of the Bohai Gulf, was originally built as a fortress in the Ming dynasty, to defend the eastern end of the Great Wall . The wall crosses the Yanshan Mountains to the north, forms the east wall of the town and meets the sea a few kilometres to the south. It's a sleepy, dusty little place of low buildings and quiet streets, still arranged along its original plan of straight boulevards following the compass points, intersected with a web of alleys. Dominating the town is a fortified gatehouse in the east wall, which for centuries was the entrance to the Middle Kingdom from the barbarian lands beyond. Far from being a solitary castle, Shanhaiguan originally formed the centre of a network of defences, and smaller forts, now nothing but ruins, existed to the north, south and east, and beacon towers were dotted around the mountains.

 

Shanhaiguan is a popular tourist destination with the Chinese, but doesn't seem to be much on the traveller circuit, which is odd, as it's well worth a visit. The town, small enough to walk around, is peaceful and pretty and has two good hotels, and the surrounding countryside contains some fine sturdy fortifications and remnants of the wall. Even buying a train ticket out is pretty stress-free. The best thing to do here is to rent a bike and spend a few days exploring