The Great Wall is a military defense project in ancient China, with the continuous city wall as the main body, and the city, barriers, pavilions, standards and other ancient military buildings. The Great Wall was first built in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and most of the Great Wall we see today was built during the Ming Dynasty. No matter in terms of construction difficulty, construction scale and historical significance, the Great Wall is the most brilliant pearl in the history of Chinese architecture, and it is also one of China's business cards in the world, attracting countless Chinese and foreign tourists to visit here.

The scale of the Great Wall is huge, and not every section of the Great Wall is open to the public, among which the Badaling Great Wall is a national 5A-level scenic spot and one of the eight scenic spots of Juyongguan. As an outpost of Juyong Pass, the Badaling Great Wall has always had the saying that "the danger of Juyong Pass is not in the pass, but in Badaling". The Badaling Great Wall is the best preserved, the earliest developed, the most complete supporting facilities in the Ming Dynasty, and the section with the largest number of tourists. Therefore, when you come to Beijing to climb the Great Wall, you must not miss the Badaling Great Wall section.

The Badaling Great Wall is the barrier of Beijing, and its terrain is dangerous and complex, the city wall winds and circles in the mountains, twists and turns, undulates and rushes, and disappears in the farthest place as far as the eye can see, and disappears into the forests of the distant mountains. This section of the Great Wall gradually developed from the pass to the Great Wall at the earliest, and the main buildings include forks, ancient cannons, gates, enemy towers, platforms, etc. Guancheng was established in the eighteenth year of Ming Hongzhi, it is a trapezoidal shape that is narrow in the east and wide in the west, and the east and west gates are engraved with "Juyong Outer Town" and "North Gate Lock Key" respectively. Inside and outside the east gate of Guancheng, there are scenic spots such as the natural insurance inscription and the Wangjing Stone. There are five iron cannons at the entrance of the city in the Badaling Guancheng, and the cannon body has "the great general of the gods", which is the cultural relics of the Ming Chongzhen period. There are a total of 43 enemy towers on the Badaling Great Wall, and now there are 16 enemy towers such as the north and south fourth floors, the north fifth floor, the north sixth floor, and the north eighth floor. These towers are much the same, mainly where ancient patrols and guards stayed. In addition, there is a pier on the east and west hills outside the Badaling Great Wall, that is, a beacon tower used to transmit information in ancient times, and it is also equipped with a certain amount of firepower and a nearby castle to form a defensive network.

Of course, the most important thing for visitors to climb the Great Wall is the sense of accomplishment of climbing the highest part of the Great Wall, and when climbing up the Great Wall, the distant scenery is also very magnificent, the forests in the mountains are endless, and the emerald spring and golden autumn are the best seasons to visit the Great Wall. In addition, the average annual temperature in Badaling is more than 3°C lower than that in Beijing, so it is recommended to prepare appropriate clothing when visiting.

The Badaling Great Wall is 6 to 9 meters high, the bottom width is about 7 meters, and the top of the wall is between 4.5 meters and 5.8 meters, and the plane is roughly trapezoidal. This width can well meet the military needs of ancient times, and there is a saying of "five horse weapons, ten people in parallel". However, it must be pointed out that the Badaling Great Wall, as a scenic spot, is neither as open as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, nor as accessible as the 798 Art District and the National Museum of China.

The Badaling Great Wall is far from the city center, so in addition to self-driving tours, you can also take buses 877 and 917 to get there. But we must be vigilant that the black cars and black tour guides in the Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area have been repeatedly banned for several years, and there have been more "fake 877" bus stops, and many unknown tourists have been taken to the area of the Shuiguan Great Wall. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the regular bus stops and official staff, and beware of undocumented personnel who take the initiative to solicit customers.

Fare:

April 1 - October 31: Adult 40 RMB

November 1 - March 31 of the following year: $35 for adults

Children under 1.2 meters are free of charge

Opening Hours:

Summer 6:30-19:00

Winter 7:00-18:00