First Pass Under Heaven

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The Great Wall's main gate as it snaked down the mountains towards the sea, the First Pass served as Shanhaiguan's east gate and principal watchtower. Two storeys tall, with double eaves and 68 arrow-slit windows, it's a towering 13.7m high, with an enceinte extending east.

The ¥40 ticket allows you to walk along the wall, south to the Jingbian Watchtower (靖边楼; Jìngbiān Lóu), which also serves as an entrance for the First Pass. You can also walk a complete circuit of the town walls (¥120). A different combination ticket (¥50) also gets you into the Wang Family Courtyard as well as the renovated Drum and Bell Tower (钟鼓; Zhōng Gǔ) in the centre of the old town.

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Nearby attractions

1. Great Wall Museum

0.22 MILES

This impressive museum provides a thorough chronological history of the Wall, going into architectural features and including interesting scale models of…

2. Wang Family Courtyard House

0.25 MILES

The Wang Family Courtyard House is a large, 18th-century hútòng-style residence faced by a spirit wall. Inside is an amateur display of period furnishings.

3. Sanqing Temple

0.94 MILES

This simple Taoist temple is a 800m walk outside the town walls from the west gate. You might have to wake up the avuncular attendant to let you in; if…

4. Jiao Shan Great Wall

1.81 MILES

Although a heavily restored section of the Great Wall, Jiao Shan (角山, Jiǎo Shān) nevertheless offers an excellent opportunity to hike up the Wall’s first…

5. Old Dragon Head

3.56 MILES

Famous across China (although a little overhyped if we're being honest), Old Dragon Head, 4km south of Shanhaiguan, is where the Great Wall meets the sea…

6. Lady Mengjiang Temple

3.85 MILES

A well-known Ming reconstruction of the original Song-dynasty temple, this sight is dedicated to Lady Meng. Based on a famous Chinese folk tale, Meng…

7. Jiumenkou Great Wall

6.7 MILES

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