Located in northern downtown Zhangjiakou, Dajingmen is one of the four major junctions along the Great Wall. [Photo/Xinhua]

Located in northern downtown Zhangjiakou, Dajingmen is one of the four major junctions along the Great Wall. Known for precipitous terrain, it was first built with bricks in 1644, the first year of the reign of Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty. The rostrum stands in the valley of Mt. Taiping stretching from east to west. The inscription of four Chinese characters “大好河山” (Magnificent Rivers and Mountains") found over the mantel was mounted in traditional Han-style upon commission by Gao Weiyue, a lieutenant general of the former province of Chahar. As a thoroughfare guarding the capital in the north in ancient China, it witnessed the wind and rains of Zhangjiakou.