Shanhai Pass

Shanhai Pass (Shanhaiguan) is the historic eastern terminus of the Ming Great Wall in Hebei province, where the wall reaches the Bohai Sea and a fortified pass controlled coastal access.

The site includes the prominent seaside section known as Laolongtou or Old Dragon’s Head, where masonry fortifications project into the water, and a large gate-and-tower complex that formed a multi-layered defensive pass. Visitors commonly view the wall’s end meeting the sea and walk sections of the surviving ramparts and gate structures.

Major surviving works at Shanhai Pass date to the early Ming dynasty, when coastal fortifications were built and expanded to guard the northeastern approaches to the empire.

The pass sits on the coast of Hebei province at the point where the Peiho/Bohai coastline meets the Great Wall.

• 'First Pass Under Heaven': Often called the 'First Pass Under Heaven' in Chinese tradition, it forms the eastern terminus of the Ming Great Wall where the wall meets the sea.
• Ming-era fortifications: Major surviving structures at the site date to the early Ming dynasty; the pass functioned as a coastal military strongpoint.

What to See #

• Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head): Laolongtou or "Old Dragon's Head" is the section of wall that projects into the Bohai Sea where the Great Wall reaches the waterline.
• Gate complex: The Shanhai Pass gate complex is a fortified Ming-era pass with multiple gates and towers that controlled access along the eastern frontier of China.