Starting Point of the China Great Wall---Laolongtou

Written by Mr. DANIEL Sep 25, 2010 00:04
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After visiting Badaling and Mutianyu Great Wall in Beijing, I have planned to visit the starting point of the Great Wall for a long time, which is Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head in English) in Qinghuangdao, Hebei Province. This summer holiday, I finally made it.

Get up early that morning and take the train D5 from Beijing to Shanhaiguan as planned. It took about 2 hours on the journey. After, I went to the scenic point by a taxi from Shanhaiguan Railway Station, about 10 or more minutes. But I didn't see the wall at all after getting off and the driver just pointed at 'Shanhaiguan Great Wall Park'  and told me that was it. I found it strange but followed it and only found out that the Laolongtou was just next to it.

Buy ticket, and then go through the ticket checker, I headed directly for the Estuary Stone City. I was too excited and couldn't wait seeing the starting point at that time. Finally, I got there and it was so amazing. Look far into the distance, I could even see the ships traveling on the sea; close my eyes, I just felt the waves lashing against the wall. Compared with the Badaling and Mutianyu, I experienced more powerful emotions here. It was so unique. I stood there for about half an hour just to treasure the feeling up in my memory. Then, I had a walk around it and got to know that the present Laolongtou was the rebuilt one while the original one was destroyed and only several giant stones left. No wonder it looked so new. Regretful!

Go down from the wall, I took some photos of Laolongtou from that point. When I was standing on one of those seaside rocks and taking photos, a wave came and beat against the rock, wet my clothes and shoes, rolled me to right and left and made the tourists around have a good laugh. It seemed the sea want to play with me. So I took off the shoes, rolled up trousers and run to embrace the sea. I really had a good time there.
Laolongtou


Finally I want to tell a brief interlude. A family asked me to take a photo for them in front of the stele which said: 'Lao Long Tou' and I did it. After I found the character 'Long' disappeared and was covered by the kid's beautiful smile on the photo. I was so embarrassed because the words 'Lao' and 'Tou' meant old man in Chinese when they were put together. But the father was not old at all. Then the mother told me that the girl was born in the year of dragon (meaning 'Long') and she could better represent the word. Such a coincidence and then it comforted me.

Time passed quickly when one was having fun. By now when I close my eyes, I can hear the sound of waves beating the wall. Although the wall there is not as grand as those in Badaling and Mutianyu, it has its own characters and uniqueness.

 More Great Wall Travel Reviews
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2. Are There Two Overhanging Great Walls? BL2022 from China Sep 15, 2010 22:15
3. Huanghuacheng Great Wall---A Good Place for Refreshing BAKUI from China Sep 9, 2010 01:05
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