山海关 Shanhaiguan

     被誉为“天下第一关”，座落在河北省秦皇岛市东北15公里，是明代万里长城东部的一个重要关隘。明洪武十四年(1381年)，大将军徐达在此构筑长城，建关设卫，北依燕山，南临渤海，因关在山海之间得名。景点有山海关城、老龙头、孟姜女庙、悬阳洞、燕塞湖等。
山海关城是一座土筑砖包的雄伟关城，城高14米，厚7米，周长4公里，呈正方形。整个城池与万里长城相连，以城为关。城有四门：东曰镇东即天下第一关；西曰迎恩；南曰望洋；北曰威远。登上山海关城楼北望，万山重叠，长城蜿蜒，景色壮观。南望为“老龙头”的宁海城，内有澄海楼，稍北为南翼城。关城很坚固，东门除了建有瓮城外，东门箭楼两侧还筑有临闾楼、威远堂、牧营楼和靖边楼。城北还筑有北翼城，以驻兵防守和储备粮草。为防卫的需要，城关周围还筑有众多的城堡和星罗棋布的敌台、烽火台，这样就形成了以长城为骨干，以“天下第一关”为中心，主体两翼、左辅右弼、前防后卫的古代城防体系。老龙头位于关城南约4公里的渤海之滨，砌石为垒，高约10米，伸入海中约20余米，状似一条巨龙。老龙头上建有澄海楼，是清康熙、乾隆回奉天祭祖时，登楼观海、饮酒赋诗之处。孟姜女庙建在一座小山上。孟姜女哭长城的故事是说孟姜女的丈夫被抓去修长城，孟姜女为丈夫送寒衣，心里难过，就坐在长城边上大哭起来，一连哭了三天三夜，哭倒了长城800里，露出了她丈夫的尸体。燕塞湖是山海关北约10里处有一石河水库，湖面狭长曲折，长达30多华里。 

    Shanhaiguan is a holiday resort located between Mt Yanshan to the north and Bohai Sea to the south, enjoying the Great Wall running through, pleasant climate, convenient transportation, unique landscape and rich historical and cultural remains.
The construction of scenic areas brings visitors more fruitful and impressive experiences. A total of over 200 million yuan was spent on the reconstruction of the Dragon Head, Chenghai Tower, Ninghia City, Longwu Camp, Jingbian Tower, Linlv Tower, Muying Tower, the Lotus Park, Qixian Temple at Jiaoshan Hill, the great wood structure of Zhendong Tower, over 3000 meters of the Great Wall, the expansion of the First Pass Under Heaven Square, the environment upgrading along the Great Wall and the coast, and 2 million square meters of green land.
The improvement of tourist social service system makes Shanhaiguan visits easy and comfortable. Well organized and put in service are professional tour guides and social tour guide service center, tourist service centers and medical aid services set up in the scenic areas up to the standards of grade AAAA, over 20 selected restaurants, hotels, and shops that are satisfactory in service and good in quality.