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Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Explore the region
About Old Dragon's Head
The wall projects into the Bohai Sea beside a rebuilt fort and viewing buildings, creating a very different impression from inland Great Wall ridges. Much of what visitors see is reconstruction following earlier destruction, including restoration in the 1980s. The value is in reading how the stone projection, shore and defensive compound work together, with the sea-facing view explaining the site's name better than a distant photograph of the wall alone.
Old Dragon's Head was completed in 1381 (Hongwu 14, Ming dynasty). It marks both the eastern starting point of the Ming Great Wall and its only point of entry into the sea, giving rise to the name 'Great Wall over the Sea' (海上长城). During the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion, the wall here was destroyed; it was restored in 1984.
The site lies in the Shanhaiguan district of Qinhuangdao, bordered on the north by Longhai Avenue and Wanghai Road, on the west by the mouth of the Shi River (石河), and on the south and east by the Bohai Sea. It holds the Great Wall's first sea-viewing pavilion and its best-preserved Ming-dynasty coastal defense barracks, and is now a park and tourist scenic area operating as a subsidiary of the Shanhaiguan scenic zone.
What to look for
- The reconstructed stone wall projecting into the Bohai Sea.
- The adjoining rebuilt defensive compound and sea-facing wall views.
Location & getting there
Getting to Old Dragon's Head
Use 老龙头景区 on the Shanhaiguan coast, south of Longhai Avenue and Wanghaidao. It is separate from the First Pass gate in the old town.
- Follow the official shore-side visitor approach; do not use the sea wall or breakwater outside authorised visitor areas.
Combine your visit
Suggested order within this visit:
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Defensive compound
Understand the landward organisation of the site.
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Sea-ending wall
See how the fortification meets the coast.
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Shore-side view
Compare the wall's projection with the surrounding sea.
This sequence is an editorial suggestion based on the features described in the sources. Access to individual buildings or areas should be checked locally; no travel time or shared admission is implied.
Find Old Dragon's Head
老龙头 · 秦皇岛市
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Shanhaiguan 山海关
7 km awayShanhaiguan controls the narrow corridor between the Yanshan Mountains and the Bohai Sea. The old town's eastern gate, Zhendong Tower, carries the famous First Pass under Heaven inscription and is the clearest place to…
View guide →Jiaoshan Great Wall 角山长城
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View guide →Beidaihe District 北戴河
32 km awayBeidaihe developed as a seaside retreat in the late nineteenth century, and its identity still rests on the meeting of beach, leafy resort streets and coastal bird habitat. Laohushi provides a familiar seafront anchor, while…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93896477.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "老龍頭", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93896477.