Like other sections of the Great Wall, Mutianyu has a superstructure in the form of a rampart, or a protected parapet with crenellated walls that reach about 5 feet above the height of the parapet (a crenellated wall consists of solid sections (merlons) that alternate with gaps (crenelles) for firing a weapon). The usual crenelle is rectangular, while some of the crenelles of the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall are of a saw-toothed shape. Mutianyu Great Wall averages an own-height of 78 meters, with a width of some 45 meters.
Unlike many other sections of the Great Wall, most parts of the Mutianyu section are constructed of granite, making the wall here extremely robust, though the parapet and the crenellations are of brick. The towers of the Mutianyu section are not so much towers as squat, mini-fortresses dotted along the length of the wall.
As an added measure of security, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is crenellated on the inner side as well as on the outer side, and same applies to the embrasures of the watchtowers. This meant that the wall's defenders could protect their rear guard in the event of a breach of the wall at any given point (the fact that the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is so well-preserved suggests that would-be attackers chose to mount their attacks on less-impregnable sections of the Great Wall). Another function of the watchtower, as the name implies, was as a sentry post for observing approaching invaders. In this connection, an integral part of the watchtower was its signalling platform, which was used to light a fire of special material that would smoke profusely, as a way of warning adjacent watchtowers of the impending danger, and of summoning help (the more watchtowers that sent up smoke, the larger the attacking force).
The Gateway of the Mutianyu Pass is located about 2 kilometers northeast of Mutianyu Village. The gateway consists of 3 towers - one large and two small - though, in essence, this is one large fortress building whose center tower is wider and longer than the two side towers, though they are all three interconnected on multiple levels, and capped with small house-like structures with traditionally sloping, A-shaped, slightly swaying roofs whose non-upturned eaves only extend far enough beyond the "house's" walls to shed rainwater (which would thus fall inside the tower's widened rampart).
There is a dauntingly steep, 454-step, jackknifed staircase located at Mutianyu Pass, which may help to explain the existence of an adjacent cable car for those whose constitution is not up to such an arduous climb, though critics have slammed the cable car as a disfigurement of the Great Wall. In further defense of the cable car, the walk along the 22 kilometer wall is not just along the parapet itself, since there are many special features at certain sites where one descends a winding staircase in order to inspect the features properly, only to return to the parapet, and this can be gruelling enough, so the easy beginning seems, on balance, entirely justified, in spite of its aesthetic detractions.
How to Get There: Take bus No. 916 at the Dongzhimen Long-Distance Bus Station to the city of Huairou, then rent a taxi to reach the Great Wall. The cost for the taxi should be about 25 Yuan, or take bus No. 6 (from April to October only) at Xuanwumen, Qianmen and Dongsishitiao.
Source: chinatravel.com
