Hunan Province

Chinese: 湖南
Pinyin: Hú nán
English: South of the lake
Coordinates: 27°55'60"N 109°27'48"E

Southern Great Wall in Hunan

In the western central part of Hunan province in southern China, over 200 kilometers (124 miles) of Great Wall were discovered in April 2000. This wall has been named the Southern Great Wall, and since its recent discovery has since been the subject of extensive research.

The Southern Great Wall was built in 1554 during the Ming Dynasty to defend against the Miao people of the south. The Southern Wall starts at Xiqueying of Guzhang County in western Hunan Province and ends at Huanghuiying of Tongren City in Guizhou Province. The wall in Huangsiqiao area is the greater part, and remains well-preserved.

The Southern Great Wall had over 800 forts, watchtowers and pass gates. The wall was built from stone and was about 380 meters (1247 feet) long, 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) tall, 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) wide at its base, and 1 meter (3 feet) wide on top. Many stones have been removed from the wall over the years.

About 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) west of Fenghuang city, a span of about 1.6 kilometers (one mile) of the wall was rebuilt recently. Unfortunately, the style of construction differs from the original wall, since the builders used bricks and even concrete in its construction instead of the rough stones of the original.

Location summary: The restored location is about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) west of Fenghuang city and about 8 kilometers (5 miles) east of Huangsiqiao village in western Hunan Province.

Driving directions: From Fenghuang city, take the S308 Tuqiao Provincial Road west for 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) to Lahao village. From Huangsiqiao, take the S308 Tuqiao Provincial Road east for 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) to Lahao village.