Great Wall Maps by Dynasty

The Great Wall is not one line but many overlapping systems, built over two thousand years. These static maps are drawn from the same dataset as the interactive map above — the 42,073 located records of China's 2012 national survey — with each dynasty's walls and trenches rendered in the same colors the live map uses. Click a dynasty for its full guide, or scroll the live map above to explore every individual segment, tower, and pass.

Static map of China showing every located Great Wall line of all dynasties, colored by dynasty from dark early-era browns to bright Ming gold — All dynasties 历代长城 · 7th century BC – AD 1644. Every located wall and trench line of the 2012 national survey on one map, colored by dynasty. The bright gold main line is the Ming wall; the copper lines arcing across the northeast are the Jin border trenches; the darker browns are the earlier Qin, Han, and Northern-dynasty systems. 42,073 located records of 43,809 surveyed

Static map of the Ming dynasty Great Wall in gold, running from Jiayuguan in Gansu to the sea at Shanhaiguan and on to Hushan — Ming dynasty wall 明长城 · 1368 – 1644. The wall of the postcards: the Ming system runs from the Jiayuguan fortress in the Gobi to the sea at Shanhaiguan, officially measured at 8,851.8 km in 2009. Everything brick-clad and restored that visitors climb today belongs to this line. 8,011 km of located, measured wall · 23,119 survey records Dynasty guide →

Static map of the Jin dynasty border trench lines sweeping across northeastern China and the eastern steppe — Jin dynasty trenches 金界壕 · 1115 – 1234. The Jurchen-founded Jin dynasty dug border trenches (jièháo) across grasslands where rammed-earth walls were impractical — the arcs sweeping through Inner Mongolia and the northeast. They are why Inner Mongolia holds nearly a third of all Great Wall resources. 3,971 km of located, measured wall · 9,015 survey records Dynasty guide →

Static map of the Han dynasty Great Wall reaching west along the Hexi Corridor toward Xinjiang — Han dynasty wall 汉长城 · 206 BC – AD 220. The Han pushed the wall far west along the Hexi Corridor to shield the young Silk Road — the westernmost beacon lines reach into present-day Xinjiang, further west than any later dynasty would build. 2,247 km of located, measured wall · 3,391 survey records Dynasty guide →

Static map of the Qin dynasty Great Wall arcing across the northern loop of the Yellow River — Qin dynasty wall 秦长城 · 221 – 206 BC. After unifying China in 221 BC, the First Emperor joined and extended the northern walls of the conquered states into one frontier system — the first wall that can properly be called the Great Wall. 947 km of located, measured wall · 1,431 survey records Dynasty guide →

Static map of the Northern Qi dynasty Great Wall across Shanxi and Hebei — Northern Qi wall 北齐长城 · 550 – 577. The short-lived Northern Qi was one of the busiest builders of the divided centuries, walling the mountain passes of Shanxi and Hebei — lines the Ming would later trace and rebuild in stone. 617 km of located, measured wall · 413 survey records Dynasty guide →

How to read these maps

Each line is a located wall or trench record from the survey, drawn in its dynasty's color — from the dark browns of the Qin and Han systems to the bright gold of the Ming. The maps show constructed lines only; the interactive map above adds every tower, pass, and relic, and encodes each segment's preservation grade in its line style, from solid (well preserved) to dotted (vanished).

For the story behind the lines, see the history of the Great Wall dynasty by dynasty, the full answer to how long the Great Wall really is, or what each structure type means.

Great Wall map questions, answered

Four questions people ask alongside “great wall of china map” — answered from the same 43,809-record 2012 national survey behind this map.

How long is the Great Wall on a map?

The official surveyed length is 21,196.18 km (13,170.70 mi), announced by China's National Cultural Heritage Administration in 2012. This map plots 42,073 located records from that survey; the Ming wall alone — the brick wall of the postcards — measures 8,851.8 km. Full length breakdown →

Where does the Great Wall start and end?

Not at Shanhaiguan and Jiayuguan, as is often said: surveyed remains reach roughly 2,000 km west of Jiayuguan into Xinjiang and 1,000 km east of Shanhaiguan to the Yalu River. For the Ming wall only, Jiayuguan is the rough western terminus and Hushan near Dandong is the easternmost point. Start and end, stop by stop →

Which province has the most Great Wall?

Inner Mongolia — its Great Wall resources account for nearly one-third of the national total, much of it the Jin dynasty's border trenches (jièháo) rather than brick wall. The Jin trench system →

Which part of the Great Wall is best preserved?

The most-visited, best-restored sections cluster near Beijing: Badaling is the most visited and easiest to reach; Mutianyu is fully restored with 22 watchtowers; and Jinshanling is among the best-preserved and ideal for hiking. Farther out, Shanhaiguan meets the sea in the east and Jiayuguan fortress stands in the west. Visit the sections →

Interactive Map of the Great Wall of China

Great Wall heritage data summary