Did the Great Wall of China ever have a head? It did, and you’re standing before it at Laolongtou, the Old Dragon’s Head. Laolongtou isn’t just a fanciful name. The wall juts out into the Bohai Sea, resembling a dragon dipping its head for a drink. Laolongtou marks the easternmost point where the Ming Dynasty Great Wall meets the sea. It’s a unique spot, the only place where the Great Wall actually touches the ocean. Constructed in 1381 under the watchful eye of General Qi Jiguang, Laolongtou was more than a symbolic endpoint. It served as a crucial defense against invaders from both land and sea. Originally, a simple earthen wall, Qi Jiguang fortified Laolongtou in 1579, extending the wall further into the sea with a sturdy stone structure, the Estuary Stone City. This extension, built upon natural reefs and boulders, juts 24.5 yards into the sea. It is made of nine layers of granite blocks, some 30 feet high. You can almost picture Ming soldiers patrolling those battlements, waves crashing against the stone. Imagine the scene in 1900, when the Eight-Power Allied Forces stormed Laolongtou, causing significant damage to the stone city and nearby structures. Decades of neglect followed, leaving Laolongtou buried under sand and forgotten. But Laolongtou’s story doesn’t end there. In the 1980s, a rediscovery led to a meticulous restoration. The Estuary Stone City was painstakingly rebuilt. Some of the original granite blocks, salvaged from the sea, were even reincorporated into the structure. Today, Laolongtou stands as a testament to Ming Dynasty engineering. It is a powerful symbol of China’s enduring strength. Take a moment to imagine the dragon’s head cleaving through the waves, a guardian against the tides of time and invasion.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to