Ming Great Wall

Timeline

1. 1368–1424Mountainous areas north of Beiping (Beijing) · YanqingIn the early Ming, earthen walls and passes were rebuilt on the basis of old frontier walls north of the Yuan capital; after the Yongle relocation to Beijing, the line from Juyong Pass to Shanhaiguan was further reinforced, establishing the main axis of the capital's northern defense.
2. 1465–1487Xuanfu, Datong, Liaodong · ZhangjiakouDuring the Chenghua emperor's reign in the 1470s, the court allocated huge sums to upgrade the frontier walls at Xuanfu, Datong, Liaodong and elsewhere to brick and stone structures, adding hollow watchtowers and beacon masts, forming an integrated 'wall-fort-tower' defense network and constituting one of the main sources of the surviving Ming Great Wall brick sections.
3. 1548–1615Jizhen region (Shanhaiguan to Juyong Pass) · QinhuangdaoQi Jiguang oversaw reinforcement of the Great Wall in the Jizhen region, building hollow watchtowers and perfecting the beacon system; famous sections such as Badaling and Mutianyu near Beijing largely took shape at this time.
4. 1628–1644Shanhaiguan · QinhuangdaoIn the late Ming, finances were strained and military preparedness declined; the Liaodong defensive line was breached by the Later Jin, and in 1644 Wu Sangui admitted Qing forces through the pass, ending the Ming Great Wall's military function as the dynasty's frontier defense system fell with the Ming.