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Discover Inner Mongolia

Laoniuwan Yellow River Grand Canyon

老牛湾黄河大峡谷

Where the Great Wall meets the Yellow River: the river makes a tight hairpin through a gorge on the Inner Mongolia-Shanxi border, with Ming watchtowers on the cliffs above. A 5A site and the most dramatic landscape within day-trip range of Hohhot.

¥40≈ US$5.96Half a day on site, a full day with the driveClosed None reportedPassport needed
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Laoniuwan Yellow River Grand Canyon (老牛湾黄河大峡谷), Inner Mongolia
Photo: Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

What makes this place special

Laoniuwan is in the southwest of Qingshuihe County, under Hohhot, on the Shanxi-Inner Mongolia border, with a planned scenic area of about 9.6 square kilometres and a national 5A rating. The Yellow River makes an omega-shaped bend here, which has given it the local titles of the first bend of the Yellow River and the Taiji Bend; the name comes from the ox-head shape of the land where the Yangjiachuan River meets the Yellow River. It is also the point where the Ming Great Wall, running west from Badaling, meets the Yellow River and continues along the clifftop of the gorge. Laoniuwan Fort was built in 1467, in the Ming Chenghua reign, as a garrison position for about 200 men and is described as the first fort of the Yellow River defensive wall; the lower part of the complex has been drowned by the river and what survives is largely the hilltop section. A well-preserved brick hollow watchtower, the Wanghe Lou or river-watching tower, stands on the cliff immediately above the water and dates from the same year.

What you’ll discover

A deep, bare loess-and-rock gorge with the Yellow River making a tight hairpin below you, the Ming wall running along the clifftop and the square brick watchtower standing on the very edge above the bend, which is the one image of the place. Paths and viewing platforms follow the rim; boats run on the river through the gorge, which is the way to see the wall from below. On the opposite bank is Shanxi, with its own entrance and viewpoints.

A little local insight

Good to know before you go

  • The reason to come is a single fact made visible: this is where the Great Wall and the Yellow River meet, which is the frontier of imperial China in one view. The watchtower on the cliff edge is the spot.
  • Take the boat. The gorge from the water, looking up at the wall on the rim, is a completely different thing from the clifftop view and most day visitors only do the latter.
  • There are two sides and two separate scenic areas. The Inner Mongolia side is in Qingshuihe County under Hohhot; the Shanxi side at Pianguan has its own gate. Check which one your ticket and your driver mean.
  • It is around three hours by road from Hohhot with little in between, and public transport is not practical. Hire a car or join a tour, and do not plan to arrive late in the day.
  • Admission and vehicle arrangements have changed repeatedly, including periods of free vehicle entry in the winter season. Check the current position with the scenic area rather than relying on an older listing.
  • The rim is exposed with long drops and no continuous railing in places, and the wind is constant. Keep children close and do not go near the edge in a gale.

When to come

Late spring and autumn, April to June and September to October, for comfortable weather and clear air on the rim. Summer is hot and the loess hazy. Winter visits are cold and windy, though the river running with ice floes is a local spectacle; conditions in this stretch vary by year, so check before travelling for it.

Getting around

Limited. The scenic area's main viewing platforms are reached by road and some are close to vehicle parking, so a wheelchair user can get at least one good view of the bend. Reaching the Ming fort and the river-watching tower involves rough, stepped paths on steep ground with drops, and the boat landing is down a slope to a floating jetty. A bad knee can manage the nearer platforms and should not attempt the fort.

Worth knowing before you go

The best viewpoint is from the Shanxi side of the bend - if the view matters more to you than the province, check which side your tour enters from.

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