Datong Great Wall at Zhenchuankou (Tips, Photos & Map)

The rammed earth Great Wall at Zhenchuan （镇川口长城）is an important section of****Datong Great Wallbuilt in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Zhenchuankou literally means "Control Mountain Pass" and the wall that was built to guide the pass linking Datong and Inner Mongolia. In Ming Dynasty, the Mongol nomads often raided Datong through the pass at Zhenchuankou.

Zhenchuankou Great Wall was made of earth, tamped earth wall, still very firm despite of the rain and wind in the past 500 years. The earth wall at Zhenchuankou is over 5 metes high, dotted with guide-towers and beacon-towers at a short interval.

The Wall at Zhenchuankou extends to Hongcibu Fortress and Deshengbu Fortress in the west direction and to Zhenbianbu Fortressin the east direction.

2.5 km south of Zhenchuankou Great Wall is the ancient Zhenchuanbu Fortress **(镇川堡)**where the soldiers stationed for defending the Wall and the border.

An ancient village for the same name ofZhenchuankou Village (镇川 村) is perched near the Wall. It is a laid-back scrubby village with many young people having left for the cities to make a better living. Many houses are either abandoned or dilapidated.

Zhenchuankou Great Wall, some give way to the roads, ruined and overgrown.

Guide-Towers and Beacon-Towers are dotted at short intervals atop or near the Wall.

Hike on the overgrown Wall snaking on the flat plain.

The earth Wall is sandwiched by the fields on the both sides.

More dilapidated guide towers and beacon towers

Some sections are still firm and relatively well kept despite of the 500 years' rain and wind.

Local villagers are harvesting corns in the corn fields.

Keep on hiking to Zhuanchuankou Village

The scrubby and timeless Zhenchuankou Village

Senior villagers are seen chatting and sunshine bathing.

The door frame at one of the houses by the only one street village