The village where peach blossoms grow in the cracks of the Great Wall, guarding a troop that recognizes its ancestors
Xigou Village: The secret of the Qi family army at the foot of the Great Wall, a septuagenarian guards three dragons every day
A 5-hour drive from Beijing, passing through the mountain passes of Suizhong County, you suddenly encounter a cluster of stone houses—the roof tiles are carved with cloud patterns, the old locust tree at the village entrance is wrapped in red cloth, and Grandpa Jin, wearing a blue cloth jacket, squats beside a grinding stone, tapping his pipe on the brick ground: “These bricks are from the Great Wall. When my ancestors came from Yiwu, they used them to fend off the Tatars.”
This is Xigou Village, where the descendants of the Qi family army soldiers from Yiwu have lived for 400 years. On top of the village’s Zhuizi Mountain, the eastern, southern, and western lines of the Ming Great Wall twist into a “T” shape like three dragons meeting at the mountain peak—this “Three Dragons Gathering” spectacle is unique in all of China. Even more hardcore, the villagers have been guarding this free Great Wall for 400 years. Grandpa Jin, now 70, still carries steamed buns every day to patrol the mountain: “Not a single brick or tile can be moved; this is the military order from our ancestors.”
🐉 Three Great Wall lines “knot” at the mountain top
In the morning mist of Zhuizi Mountain hides the wildest side of the Great Wall. A one-hour hike from the village, the mountain path suddenly steepens. When climbing by grabbing the wall bricks, the grass in the cracks scratches your wrists. On one brick, the characters “Yiwu Ye” are worn shallow by wind and rain. Grandpa Jin says, “My ancestor carved this. He was a soldier under Qi Jiguang, guarding this tower until his hair turned white.”
The “Three Dragons Gathering” at the summit is a breathtaking sight measured by foot. Standing on the peak looking down, the eastern line of the Great Wall looks like a gray dragon clinging to the ridge and heading toward Bohai Bay; the southern line hides in a peach blossom forest, with last year’s petals still stuck in the brick cracks; the western line is the most dangerous, with some sections almost vertical, and the enemy watchtower only half standing. “That was struck by lightning during the Wanli era and never repaired, left as is to show future generations the bones of the Great Wall.” A young man wearing hiking shoes suddenly shouts while holding binoculars, “Look! There’s a horse pattern on the lintel of the western line’s enemy tower!”—a Ming dynasty craftsman carved a horse with all four hooves in the air, its mane flowing as if running.
🏠 Stone houses with Yiwu accents
The old locust tree at the village entrance has heard the local dialect for 400 years. Grandma Ye sits under the tree sewing shoe soles, the sound of the needle passing through fabric matches her words: “We speak with a Zhejiang accent. ‘Eat’ is ‘shifan,’ ‘sleep’ is ‘kunjiao,’ all brought from Yiwu by our ancestors.” The foundation of her stone house is made from Great Wall bricks. “When we built the house, there were no bricks, so we picked them up from the mountain. You can still see ‘Wanli tenth year’ clearly on the bricks.”
The clan genealogy in the ancestral hall records the names of soldiers. The five surnames in Xigou Village—Ye, Cao, Hu, Jin, Wang—are all descendants of Yiwu soldiers. Grandpa Jin flips through the yellowed genealogy book; on one page, the characters “Jin Dayong” are eaten by insects. “That’s my great-grandfather. He was wounded in the leg by a stray arrow while guarding the Great Wall but still finished patrolling the last section with a crutch.” On the altar table in the ancestral hall are three old items: a rusty waist token, a chipped porcelain bowl, and a worn arrowhead. “These are our ancestors’ belongings, telling stories even better than the genealogy.”
🛡 A septuagenarian patrolling the wall, carrying steamed buns to guard his ancestors
Grandpa Jin’s patrol bag is sturdier than a military backpack. Every morning, he stuffs two steamed buns, a bottle of water, and a sickle into his canvas bag. “The sickle cuts the grass on the path, the buns are lunch, and the water must be rationed because there’s only one spring on the mountain.” In a crack in the wall, he built a small nest with stones. “This is for the weasel that protects the wall by catching mice that gnaw on the bricks.”
The most dangerous part is the “Heavenly Ladder” on the western line. The wall there is almost vertical, and the soil in the cracks can cover your ankles, but Grandpa Jin walks steadily. “Last year, a young man slipped down, and I pulled him up with my belt. My waist still hurts.” He points to scratches on the bricks. “These were made by tomb raiders with crowbars. I reported it as soon as I found out. No one can touch our ancestors’ things.” At sunset, he sits in the enemy tower, eating steamed buns with spring water. The distant Bohai Bay glimmers. “My grandfather said that if you guard the Great Wall well, you can see Yiwu across the sea.”
🌸 In spring, the Great Wall falls into peach blossoms
In April, the Great Wall in Xigou Village emerges from a sea of flowers. On the southern line, wild peach blossoms bloom wildly in the brick cracks, their pink and white petals falling on the wall like a floral cloak for the gray dragon. Grandma Ye carries a bamboo basket picking wild vegetables, brushing it against the wall and bringing down a few petals. “These flowers are edible, delicious when mixed with flour and steamed. Back then, soldiers guarding the wall relied on them as vegetables.”
Girls in Hanfu take photos on the Great Wall, their skirts sweeping through the flowers, startling a few butterflies. “There are far fewer people than at Badaling. You can take photos however you want; the grass in the cracks is all props.” When Grandpa Jin passes by, he reminds them, “Don’t step on the flowers. They protect the wall. The more flowers, the stronger the wall’s foundation.”
📍 Rules for visiting here: listen to the elders
Wear non-slip shoes; the Great Wall won’t deceive you. The rocky path on the eastern line can twist your ankle, and the “Heavenly Ladder” on the western line is terrifyingly steep. Grandpa Jin’s Liberation shoes have iron soles. “You can wear hiking shoes, but don’t imitate internet celebrities wearing skirts. If you fall, no one will help you.”
Don’t take bricks from the wall; it’s “taboo.” Once, a tourist took a brick down the mountain, and the car had a flat tire before leaving the village. “This isn’t superstition; it’s an ancestral rule—the Great Wall is our bone, and we must protect it.”
When leaving, Grandpa Jin is stuffing stones into the wall cracks. The sunset casts his shadow on the wall like a silhouette. Passing the village entrance, you see the ancestral hall’s flagpole flying the five-star red flag alongside a replica of the Qi family army flag. The wind blows, and the shadows of two eras overlap.
It turns out some free sights are heavier than paid ones—400 years of guarding have already built the Great Wall bricks into the bones of the Xigou people.
Do you dare to come to this “Three Dragons Gathering” place and walk a patrol route with Grandpa Jin? Share in the comments if you know other wild Great Wall spots full of stories!
Practical Guide
· Transportation: 5-hour drive from Beijing (Jingha Expressway → Xingjian Expressway, exit at Suizhong, navigate to “Xigou Village,” last 5 km is a stone and dirt road, SUV recommended); 4-hour drive from Shenyang, taxi from Suizhong County town about 1 hour, 80 RMB.
· Cost: Completely free! No tickets for the Great Wall or village. Villagers’ wild vegetable dumplings cost 15 RMB per bowl, very filling.
· Accommodation: Village homestays 100 RMB/night (stone house kang room with shared bathroom). Recommended to stay at Grandma Ye’s house to pick wild vegetables with her in the morning.
· Must-do list: 1. Take photos of the “Three Dragons Gathering” at Zhuizi Mountain peak: reach before 10 a.m. when the morning mist hasn’t cleared, the three Great Wall lines appear faintly in the sea of clouds. Use a wide-angle lens to capture the full panorama.
2. Patrol the wall with Grandpa Jin: notify in advance, follow him on the gentle eastern line, capture authentic scenes of him cutting grass with a sickle and stacking stones.
3. Take photos with the peach blossom Great Wall: in April by the southern line, wear light-colored clothes and stand in the flower sea to create a layered contrast of gray wall, pink blossoms, and blue sky.
- Friendly reminders: Best seasons are spring and autumn (April-May, September-October); bring sunscreen and insect repellent as UV rays are strong and mosquitoes are many on the mountain; respect villagers, don’t take photos of genealogies or old items without permission.