Great Wall, Jinshanling

This guide to the Jinshanling stretch of the Great Wall follows the Ming general Qi Jiguang, who in the 1560s marched battle-hardened troops hundreds of miles north from Zhejiang and Jiangsu to rebuild this crumbling section. It traces the homesickness those southern soldiers carried with them, from the twin watchtower they named Small Jinshan after a spot back home to the stone chamber they called their retiring room. Look inside the tower beside you for the staircase and chamber the guide describes.