National Parks of China
About
The Great Wall of China runs for thousands of kilometres across northern China from the Bohai Sea to the Gobi, built and rebuilt from the Warring States period to the Ming dynasty. The Ming wall of the sixteenth century, of brick and stone, is the one most visitors see; it was inscribed as World Heritage in 1987 and is one of the ten great scenic sights of China.
The best-known sections are near Beijing: Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai and Jinshanling. The wall meets the sea at Shanhaiguan in the east and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu in the west.
Main sections
Badaling: in Yanqing, Beijing, the best-known stretch of the Ming wall, the first to open and the busiest, restored and with gentler slopes.
Juyongguan: in Changping, Beijing, the pass south of Badaling, a key gap between the Taihang and Yan mountains.
Mutianyu: in Huairou, Beijing, with closely spaced watchtowers, battlements on both sides and wooded hills around.
Jinshanling and Simatai: on the Beijing–Hebei border, where the wall follows the ridges up and down and much of it keeps its original look.
Huangyaguan: in Jizhou, Tianjin, running along a ridge, with a pass fort and a water gate.
Shanhaiguan and Laolongtou: in Qinhuangdao, Hebei; Shanhaiguan is known as the "First Pass under Heaven", and Laolongtou is where the wall runs into the Bohai Sea.
Yanmenguan: in Dai County, Shanxi, a pass fought over through many dynasties.
Jiayuguan: in Jiayuguan city, Gansu, the well-preserved fort at the western end of the Ming wall.
Travel tips
Around Beijing: Badaling has its own station on the Beijing–Zhangjiakou high-speed railway and is also served by a suburban line; Juyongguan is on the way; Mutianyu, Jinshanling and Simatai are farther out and usually reached by car or on a tour.
Booking: the popular sections are crowded on holidays, and some require advance booking under your real name.
Choosing: for easy access and less climbing, Badaling or Juyongguan; for fewer people and a more original wall, Mutianyu or Jinshanling; Simatai is part of the Gubei Water Town complex and can be visited at night.
Safety: climbing unopened "wild wall" sections is forbidden; the wall there is in poor repair and dangerous.
Season: spring and autumn are best; summer is hot with strong sun; winter can bring snow scenes, but steps may be icy.