Naziyu

Chinese: 拿子峪
Pinyin: Ná zǐ yù
English: Na zi valley
Coordinates: 40°10'38"N 119°31'58"E

Like Banchangyu, Naziyu is a supporting pass of the Yiyuankou Great Wall. Naziyu was an arsenal; many weapons have been found here including over one hundred cannons. Naziyu's terrain is even more precipitous than that of Banchangyu, with several especially steep areas.

Fighting platform at Naziyu
Photo by Kim Siefert

Naziyu has some good examples of early Ming Dynasty fighting platforms. It also has some interesting examples of stone carvings on doorways of towers.

Doorway carvings at Naziyu
Photo by Kim Siefert

Most of the towers at Naziyu, except for the highest ones, are not very well preserved.

The tenth tower at Naziyu is known as Xifulou (wife's tower). This is an excellent tower to see. It has intricate and well-preserved doorway carvings. And it has a top house structure in very good condition. Xifulou is located at 40°10'6"N 119°31'20"E.

Xifulou, with Yiyuankou and Banchangyu in the background
Photo by Kim Siefert

Naziyu is an excellent place to see the autumn colors.

Location summary: Naziyu is about 269 kilometers (167 miles) east of downtown Beijing. It is about 26 kilometers (16 miles) northwest of Shanhaiguan and about 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) southwest of Yiyuankou. The path of the Great Wall from Yiyuankou to Naziyu is about 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles). The path of the Great Wall from Naziyu to Huachangyu is about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles).

Driving directions: From Beijing, drive east on the G1 Jinghua Expressway for 271 kilometers (168 miles). Exit at S251 and drive north for 28 kilometers (17 miles). Turn left at Cuijiawa and drive for 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) to Naziyucun.