The Great Wall of China is one of the most iconic and notable architectural wonders in the world. Stretching more than 13,000 miles, it is the longest structure ever built by man. Construction of the Great Wall began more than 2,000 years ago during the Qin Dynasty and continued through several dynasties, with each dynasty adding its own sections and fortifications.
The main purpose of the Great Wall was to protect China from invasions and attacks by various nomadic tribes and armies. It served as a formidable defense system, with watchtowers, signal towers and fortresses strategically placed along its length. The wall was built with various materials, such as stone, brick, wood and earth. It is estimated that millions of workers, including soldiers, peasants and prisoners, participated in its construction.
The Great Wall not only served as a military defense but also played an important role in the transportation and communication system of ancient China. It facilitated trade and cultural exchanges between different regions and acted as a symbol of unity and national pride.
Today, the Great Wall of China is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts millions of visitors from around the world. It is a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of the ancient Chinese people and is a symbol of China's rich history and cultural heritage. Walking along the Great Wall, visitors can marvel at its grandeur, admire the stunning views, and immerse themselves in the fascinating history of this magnificent structure.
The Great Wall of Badaling
Badaling Great Wall is located in Yanqing District, Beijing. Wind and jump over the high mountains of Yanshan. It is the section with the longest history, the richest culture, the most magnificent architecture, the most spectacular scenery, the most famous and the best preserved among the thousands of famous and dangerous passes of the Great Wall. It is a prominent representative of the Great Wall and the most important section of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty.
The Badaling Great Wall is known as one of the nine fortresses of the world in history. It is an important part of the Great Wall, a great defense work in ancient China. It is a pass of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty and an outpost of Juyongguan, an important pass of the Great Wall. In ancient times, it was said that "the dangerous thing about Juyong is not in the Pass, but in Badaling." It is a major barrier to the capital, Beijing, and has always been a strategic location for armies to compete over. The Badaling Great Wall is the best preserved and most representative of the Ming Great Wall, so it was the first section to be opened to tourists. The Badaling Great Wall is majestic, steep, beautiful and green. Being one of the eight scenic spots of Juyongguan in the Ming Dynasty, "Yuguan Tianqian" became famous for the vast scenery and the motto of "you won't be a hero until you climb the Great Wall".
The Badaling Great Wall Pass is trapezoidal in shape, narrow in the east and wide in the west, with east and west gates. The inscription on the east gate is "Ju Yong Wai Zhen", and the inscription on the west gate is "Bei Men Suo Yue". The section of the Great Wall that extends north from the Pass has 12 watchtowers, and the section that extends south from the Pass has 7 watchtowers. In addition to climbing the Great Wall from the Pass, there are also tickets to climb the Great Wall at Tower No. 4 in the south, Tower No. 4 in the north, Tower No. 8 in the north and Tower No. 11 in the north . Among them, Tower No. 4 in the south is an excellent place to observe the Badaling Great Wall; Tower No. 8 in the north is the tallest watchtower of the Badaling Great Wall, also known as "Sun Viewing Platform". Tower No. 8 in the north is more than 1,500 meters from the Pass. What is often said, "you won't be a hero until you climb the Great Wall," refers to this place. Cable cars will be found at Tower No. 4 in the south and Tower No. 8 in the north. Visitors who don't want to walk too much can take the cable car to go directly to the watchtower and then return the same way, so they can save energy and have fun without getting tired.
In addition, Badaling Great Wall will also launch Great Wall night tours from time to time to enrich the sightseeing options and in-depth experience of tourists. When night falls, the lights turn on, you see mountains in the distance and trees up close. The Great Wall flies between the mountains like a dragon, which is very magnificent. Visitors can stand at the foot of the Great Wall and feel the unique charm of the Great Wall, which is majestic, ancient and elegant.
Address: Badaling Town, Yanqing District, Beijing
The Great Wall of Juyongguan
Juyongguan is one of the essences of the Great Wall. The first notable aspect of the Juyongguan Great Wall is how dangerous it is. As an important pass of the Great Wall, the terrain here is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is an important line of defense in the northwest of the capital, and a strategic place for which armies compete.
The Juyongguan Great Wall is located on a unique terrain. Here there are majestic natural mountains and deep stream ditches, which provide a natural barrier for military defense. On this basis, the ancients built city walls and towers, and adapted the measurements to local conditions to create a magnificent and grandiose view of the Great Wall.
The second highlight of the Juyongguan Great Wall lies in its cultural charm. Compared with the other sections of the Great Wall, Juyongguan has a stronger cultural atmosphere and deeper cultural connotations.
Throughout the Juyongguan scenic spot, there are temples, ancient roads and furrows, winding city walls... Records and witnesses of history from ancient times to the present are found everywhere.
Furthermore, the carvings on the Juyongguan Cloud Platform are truly wonderful. The Cloud Platform is said to have been the base of the Lama Tower of the Yuan Dynasty, which is made of marble. The exquisite sculptures in it combine many cultural values such as religion, sculpture, history, language and writing, and everyone who sees them is amazed.
Another advantage of Juyongguan is that there are relatively few tourists here. The natural and vast landscape here is so beautiful that everyone can take very nice photos. The circular Great Wall is sinuous, allowing people to experience a deep and complete journey. Since there is no way back during the process, you can see all the beautiful landscapes at once.
Every year in late March and early April, the peach and apricot flowers at the foot of the Juyongguan Great Wall are in full bloom. The ancient Great Wall and the mountain pink peach blossoms complement each other, forming an image of hardness and softness in which ancient and modern are intertwined.
The S2 line train of the Beijing Suburban Railway passes through a sea of flowers, raising countless petals, which is extremely romantic. The Juyongguan Great Wall is like a giant dragon snaking on the top of the mountain, dancing with the CRH (China Railways High-speed) train at the foot of the mountain.
Address: Juyongguan Great Wall, S216 (G6 Auxiliary Road), Changping District, Beijing
The Great Wall of Mutianyu
The Mutianyu Great Wall has a long history and unique landscapes. It is the essence of the Great Wall and is known as "Of all the sections of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu Great Wall is the most beautiful." With a total length of 5,400 meters, the Mutianyu Great Wall is currently the longest section of the Great Wall in China. It is also one of the sixteen famous scenic spots in Beijing and a AAAAA level national tourist area.
The construction of the Mutianyu Great Wall has a unique style: three watchtowers are located side by side on the Zhengguantai Tower, which is rare for the Great Wall. In the northwest, there are Great Wall landscapes commonly known as "the horns of the bull", "the arrow ready to shoot" and "the eagle flying upside down". It is steep and majestic, with continuous ups and downs, like a giant dragon flying.
Zhengguantai Tower, also known as Mutianyu Pass and Three Towers, was built in the second year of the reign of Emperor Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1404 BC). The three watchtowers are located next to each other. Each one has two floors and are connected to each other. The tower in the middle is the largest while the two towers on both sides are the smallest, forming the pattern of the main hall and side rooms, which is very rare in the entire Great Wall.
Watchtower: The Mutianyu Great Wall has dense watchtowers. From Tower No. 1 (Dajiaolou) to Tower No. 4 (Zhengguantai), there are 4 watchtowers within less than 500 meters; from Tower No. 1 to Tower No. 20, the distance is only 3,000 meters, but with 25 watchtowers. It is rare to see a section of the Great Wall where there is a watchtower every 100 meters away.
Battlements on both sides: The Mutianyu Great Wall has battlements on both sides. Most other sections of the Great Wall are built with crenellated walls on the outer side of the Great Wall, while the Mutianyu section has crenellated walls on both sides. The crenellated walls are bunkers for defenders to fight the enemy. The two crenellated walls signify fighting against the enemy on both sides, showing the important strategic position of the Mutianyu section in history.
Secondary walls: The Mutianyu Great Wall has inner and outer secondary walls. The secondary wall refers to the section of the Great Wall built outside the main Great Wall along the mountain according to the needs of war. The outer secondary wall of the Mutianyu Great Wall is the wall that connects Tower No. 11 to the outer side of the main wall; The inner secondary wall is the wall extending south from Dajiaolou, known as the "bald tail side".
"The Horns of the Bull": The Great Wall of Mutianyu extends to the northwest. Pass by the watchtower No. 20, and climb the top of the 1,000-meter-high northern cliff from the gentle southern slope, to the top of the 1,039-meter-high mountain, where a watchtower is built. Then it turned and went straight down the edge of the cliff, circled around the valley, curved along the ridge of the opposite mountain and meandered west. After rising and falling, the Great Wall is shaped like a pair of horns, vigorous and majestic, people call it "the horns of the bull".
"The Eagle Flying Upside Down": One side of the Great Wall is a cliff, while the other side is a steep slope with an angle of more than 70 degrees. Climbing the summit from one steep side, and then descending vertically from the other side, the height difference reaches ten meters. Each step is only a few centimeters wide and can barely fit a foot. Therefore, it is said that even an eagle has to fly upside down to pass here. So it received the name "the eagle flying upside down", which is extremely dangerous.
Currently, the part open to the public is only 3,000 meters long. Its characteristic is that there are battlements on both sides of the Great Wall, and the wall is completely preserved, better reflecting the ancient charm of the Great Wall.
The China Stone Museum, located at the foot of the Great Wall, covers an area of 33,000 square meters. It has collected numerous exquisite stones from all over the country, such as "the first stone in the world", "galloping horses", "lion welcomes guests", "Dapeng spreads its wings", "jade peak stands on the cloud", "the Peak of Five Elders" among other strange stones.
On the Mutianyu Great Wall, the four seasons are distinct, and seasonal tourism activities can be carried out in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Surrounded by mountains, the vegetation coverage rate here exceeds 96%, the average annual temperature is 11.9 degrees, and the climate is hot and humid, creating rich vegetation coverage. Located between the green mountains and crystal clear waters, the Great Wall is ancient and beautiful, and enjoys the reputation "Of the entire Great Wall, Mutianyu is the most beautiful." There are more than a thousand ancient trees. Starting in March, mountain flowers such as peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, Malus baccata blossoms and azaleas bloom successively. All the mountains and the countryside are decorated with flowers. In summer, all the mountains are dressed in green and streams run between them. In autumn, there are green pines and cypresses, red maples and oaks, yellow chestnuts and apricots, golden persimmons and sugar pears, purple pears and plums. Together with the white branches of the bare poplars, they form a natural image of the forest. In winter, the white snow-capped mountains look like silver snakes dancing among the mountains, presenting a very beautiful scenery.
Address: Mutianyu Village, Bohai Village, Huairou District, Beijing
The Great Wall of Simatai
The Simatai Great Wall is the only section of the ancient Great Wall that retains the original appearance of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. It is also the only section that is open to evening visits throughout the year. It is famous all over the world for its five characteristics of being dangerous, dense, wonderful, witty and complete. It was included in the World Heritage List in 1987. Mr. Luo Zhewen, an expert in ancient architecture, praised the Simatai Great Wall: "The Great Wall of China is the most famous in the world, and the Simatai Great Wall can considered the most characteristic of the Great Wall of China". In 2012, the Simatai Great Wall was rated "the first of the world's 25 scenic spots not to be missed" by The Times of the United Kingdom.
The Simatai Great Wall is a section of the Great Wall in the Jizhen town in the Ming Dynasty. Qi Jiguang, as the chief soldier of Jizhen, required each team of soldiers to sculpt the army name and year on the mold before firing the bricks in order to ensure the quality of the Great Wall. In this way, he baked the brick of text. The text bricks have important cultural research value in the history of the construction of the Great Wall of China.
The No. 3 East Tower section was built by the Shitangying army in the sixth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the No. 5 East Tower section was built by the Ningxiaying army in the fifth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, and the No. 5 East Tower section was built by the Ningxiaying army in the fifth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign. The west side of the Great Wall was built by the Wuying army in the sixth year of Emperor Wanli's reign. As bridges to convey historical information, they not only ensure that the Ming Great Wall still retains its original appearance, but also confirm the Simatai Great Wall.
In the early morning, you can walk up the Simatai Great Wall, along with the sunrise, to welcome the new day on the continuous and undulating Great Wall. If you are tired of walking, you can rest comfortably on the Great Wall or go to the watchtower for a morning exercise. As you breathe, you can smell the cultural heritage of the more than 600-year-old Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty.
Various activities convey new ways of visiting the Great Wall. A fun visit to the Simatai Great Wall cannot be without a variety of activities. Whether listening to a concert on the Simatai Great Wall, participating in a summer camp, having a picnic on the Great Wall, or watching a show related to the Simatai Great Wall, you can experience the vitality of the Simatai Great Wall. The magnificent and grand Simatai Great Wall becomes vivid and palpable in a variety of activities.
At night, the lights of the Great Wall turn on and the Simatai Great Wall turns into a spectacular, shiny golden dragon. And the night tour officially begins along with the lights.
Being the first section of the Great Wall to launch night tours, Simatai Great Wall has many characteristic activities, and one of them is the flashlight night tour. In Gubei Water Town, a small river town at the foot of the Simatai Great Wall, there is a lantern shop called Jiankuntang, which specializes in making and selling lanterns. You can make a palace lantern there, walk on the bricks and stones of the Great Wall with the made lantern, and see the dim lights at the foot of the mountain.
Through a series of cultural experience centers, hotels of various styles bringing together delicious dishes from all over the world, and more complete supporting facilities, deep experiential dissemination of Simatai Great Wall culture has been carried out. Thanks to Gubei Water Town, the Great Wall in Simatai has become even more popular.
Here are the beautiful Simatai Great Wall, the night view of the town full of lights and the lively water carnival. Amidst the beautiful scenery, you can slowly feel the cultural pulse of Gubei Water Town and get a detailed taste of the exquisite life at the foot of the Great Wall.
Address: North of Simatai Village, Gubei Water Town, Miyun District, Beijing
