A new section of the ancient Great Wall built in the early Han Dynasty has just been found at Jinta County, in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The finding comes from a field research program on the pre-Ming Dynasty Great Wall. So far, the Han Great Wall ruins discovered in the remote western parts of the country span 320 kilometers.

The section was found in a desert in Jinta, near Yumen City, said Tao Yule, deputy curator of the Jinta Museum. Judging from the ruins, the fortification was built of pounded sand and desert shrub branches. A clear shape and winding direction are still visible after more than 2,000 years. Half of the section is in fair condition.

Jinta County is located in the mid section of the Hexi corridor in western Gansu Province. Hexi refers to the region west of the Yellow River to the West Lake in Dunhuang, over 500 km from the Jiayuguan Pass.

Field research on the early Great Wall kicked off this March and recently concluded. In addition to the 24-km Han Great Wall, new findings also include 18 balefire stages and 4 military defenses.