河北承德：金山岭长城 Jinshanling Great Wall

金山岭长城位于河北省承德市滦平县境内，与北京市密云区相邻，距北京市区130公里。系明朝爱国将领戚继光担任蓟镇总兵官时期（1567－1586）主持修筑，是万里长城的精华地段，素有“万里长城，金山独秀”之美誉。

障墙、文字砖和挡马石是金山岭长城的三绝，素有“摄影爱好者的天堂”美誉。金山岭长城是全国重点文物保护单位、国家级风景名胜区、国家5A级旅游景区，并列入《世界文化遗产名录》。

金山岭长城横亘在河北省承德市滦平县与北京密云区交界地带的燕山支脉上，东接司马台长城，西连古北口长城，地处京、津、辽、蒙四省市交汇点。金山岭长城地处101国道133公里处，距北京市区130公里，承德避暑山庄90公里，木兰围场200公里，是京北黄金旅游线的重要组成部分。

金山岭长城始建于明洪武元年（公元1368年），为大将徐达主持修建。隆庆元年（公元1567年）抗倭名将蓟镇总兵官戚继光、蓟辽总督谭纶在徐达所建长城的基础上续建、改建。

这里的长城构筑复杂，敌楼密布，一般50-100米一座，墙体以巨石为基，高5-8米，形式多样，各具特色。有砖木结构的，也有砖石结构的，有单层的，也有双层的，既有平顶，也有穹窿顶、船蓬顶、四角钻天顶和八角藻井顶，可谓一楼一式，被誉为“万里长城，金山独秀”。

金山岭长城的军事防御体系极强，设有障墙、垛墙、战台、炮台、瞭望台、雷石孔、射孔、挡马墙、支墙、围战墙等，层层设防，可谓固若金汤。登上金山岭长城倾心感受古长城的壮美与雄浑，便可体会一个民族的伟大与豪迈。

金山岭长城依山势蜿蜒曲折，高低隐现，气势磅礴。由于这里地势低缓，易攻难守，城墙修筑得十分厚实坚固，烽火台巍峨高大，城关要塞星罗棋布，楼台密集，共有一百五十八座之多。这些楼台形式各有不同，楼墩有方形、扁形、圆形等，楼顶有船篷、穹窿、四角和八角钻天等形状，此外还不多孔眼的了望台，以及长城沿线少见的库房楼等。在金山岭长城内外，有司马台堡、龙玉峪堡、炼军五营等烽火台和营地。登上金山顶的望京楼，可见京城城廓。

Jinshanling, Great Wall of China

Jinshanling is a section of the Great Wall of China located in the mountainous area in Luanping County, Hebei Province, 125 km northeast of Beijing. This section of the wall is connected with the Simatai section to the east. Some distance to the west lies the Mutianyu section. Jinshanling section of the wall was built from 1570 CE during the Ming Dynasty.

The Jinshanling Great Wall was first built in the sixth century during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589). Along it are 67 watchtowers, all in different styles, at average intervals of 150 meters.

During the Ming Dynasty, General Qi Jiguang improved the structure of the Jinshanling Great Wall by making it higher and denser and by building double walls at strategic sections. Its gentle gradient makes Jinshanling a vulnerable spot, easy to attack but difficult to defend. At the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, however, the walls are more solid, and the watchtowers taller, and more concentrated. Viewed from a distance, the Jinshanling Great Wall is like a giant dragon, curving its path over the mountain peaks whose line it follows.

Many Great Wall researchers and cultural relics experts, including Luo Zhewen and Zhu Xiyuan, have been coming to Jinshanling since 1980, and consider it to be of strategic importance, great aesthetic value, and to reflect the very essence of the Great Wall.