Taolinkou

Chinese: 桃林口
Pinyin: Táo lín kǒu
English: Peach forest pass
Coordinates: 40°7'32"N 119°1'30"E

Taolinkou is an important Great Wall pass with beautiful scenery. With the Qinglong River flowing through the pass and a large reservoir to the north, the area is picturesque. Boating is a popular activity on the reservoir.

At an elevation of about 80 meters (260 feet), Taolinkou is the lowest Great Wall area in Qinhuangdao outside of the Shanhaiguan area.

To the east, the elevation reaches over 610 meters (2000 feet), while to the west, the terrain is relatively level.

The Taolinkou Great Wall and the Qinglong River
Photo by Kim Siefert

At least five attacks at Taolinkou were documented during the Ming Dynasty. This resulted in a highly reinforced defense system with both an inner and outer town. The outer town was submerged in 1979 when a reservoir was built by damming the river. The inner town still exists today.

With much effort, an arch bridge topped by a watchtower was built over the river. Unfortunately, the bridge no longer exists.

Location summary: Taolinkou is about 224 kilometers (141 miles) east of downtown Beijing. It is about 62 kilometers (39 miles) west of Shanhaiguan. The path of the Great Wall from Chengshan in the east to Taolinkou is about 21 kilometers (13 miles). The Great Wall's path from Taolinkou west to Liujiakou is about 11.6 kilometers (7.2 miles).

Driving directions: From Beijing, drive east on the G1 Jinghua Expressway for 194 kilometers (120 miles). Exit at S252 and drive north for 34.6 kilometers (21.5 miles). Turn right onto S363 at Jianchangyingzhen and drive east for 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) to Taolinkoucun.