The Coiled Dragon

I mentioned in the photo essay from last week, that after visiting several sections of the Great Wall of China, the unrestored, or “wild” sections of the wall were the ones I preferred. Not only because they are much MUCH less crowded, but also because they have that ancient ruins feel to them.

Of the sections I’ve had the privilege to visit, one stands out to me as the most picturesque. The section of the wall known as Panlongshan –the coiled dragon. Located in the area known as Gubeikou, Panlongshan is stunning. The wall seems to go this way and that; definitely deserving of it’s “coiled dragon” name. From several vantage points along the way, you can see the wall stretching off into the distance for miles. If you check out the image below, the wall climbs up over the tall peaks in the distance on the right-hand side of the image. It really makes you sit back and ponder, “why did they choose THAT route? It would have definitely been interesting to be privy to those conversations!

Special thanks to my friend and colleague Teddy Miller. He hung in with me on this section of the wall for hours as we waited for the light to change and conditions to improve! Well worth the time I think. 🙂

I’m making a bit of a concession this week. Usually I post my pictures with no regard for the devices that people will be viewing it on. This week, however, I’m doing things a little different. If you’re looking at this from a phone or small tablet, you’ll probably want to stick with the top image. If you’re looking at this from a larger screen, I’ve included the second image just for you. The scene is just so large, it’s a little hard to comprehend and fully appreciate on a smaller screen.

–Dan Thompson