Badaling Great Wall

Location: Yanqing County, Beijing, China

Reasons to visit: World Cultural Heritage; The most essential part of the China Great Wall

Our Ratings: ★★★★★

Opening Hours: 6:30-19:00 from April to October

                            7:00-18:00 from November to next March

Stretching 6,350 kilometers on the mountains in Northern China, the Great Wall was first built in the 7th century B.C. and completed during the reign of the first Emperor of Qin. It was extended during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall is a symbol of ancient Chinese civilization and a world-renowned fortification. Being one of the "seven wonders of the world", it has been listed as a world cultural heritage.

Badaling Great Wall, also known as Ba Da Ling (八达岭) in Chinese spelling, is the most representative section of the Great Wall of China, as well as the most visited section, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of urban Beijing city in Yanqing District. The highest point of Badaling is Beibalou, approximately 1015 metres (3330 ft) above sea level. Badaling Great Wall was built in the Ming Dynasty (1505) to occupy a commanding and strategic position for protecting the Juyongguan Pass (Juyongguan section of the Great Wall) on its south, further protecting the city of Beijing.

History of Badaling Great Wall

The Great Wall at Badaling was built in the 18th year (1505) of the reign of Hong Zhi, an emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). It built barrier plug in each port, and each port on the hill built on both sides of the border town, shoot walls, retaining walls and other horses, as well as fortresses. It was renovated later in Jiajing and Wanli reign of the same Dynasty, with its strategic position; Badaling Section took tremendous labor and materials. It was a vital protective screen of Beijing city and the important military pass of Ming Dynasty in ancient times. Winding along the ridge of the mountain, Badaling Section of the Great Wall is vividly dragon like. Since Qing Dynasty, Badaling Great Wall had growingly fallen into ruin. The Key to the Northern Gate to the west of Juyong Pass was damaged by half. The Outer Town to the east of Juyong Pass was on the verge of collapse. In 1952, three years after the founding of New China, Guo Moruo, vice-premier and director of the Culture and Education Commission, proposed to repair Badaling Great Wall to receive Chinese and foreign tourists. Badaling Great Wall became the first section of the Great Wall that opened to the public in 1951. In 1961, the State Council approved to list Badaling passes and walls as a state-level major cultural relic preservation site. In 1984, comrade Deng Xiaoping advocated to "Love China and Repair Great Wall." Since then, the centuries-old Great Wall took on new scenes.

The Highlight in Badaling Great Wall

Wangjing Stone

It is located outside the east gate of Badaling. It is a natural granite with a height of 1 meter and a length of 15 meters. It is engraved with the words "Wangjing Stone".

Ancient Cannon

There are five iron cannons on display at the entrance. It is one of the advanced weapons at that time. One of the largest barrels is 2.85 meters long and has a diameter of 105mm. The range is more than a kilometer and the power is very large. It was made for the 11th year of Chongzhen (1638).

City Wall

The Badaling Great Wall is 6 to 9 meters high and has a trapezoidal plane with a bottom width of 6.5 to 7.5 meters and a top width of 4.5 to 5.8 meters. Most of the top of the wall is wide flat.

Watchtower

There are 43 watchtowers in the Badaling Great Wall. There are upper and lower layers of watchtowers. The lower layer is used for the accommodation and materiel storage room for the soldiers, while the upper layer is set with crenels and shooting holes. They are all built by bricks and stones.

Pass City

The entire ancient city is irregularly rectangular. Badaling Pass City has two gates: the East Gate and the West Gate. The west of it is over 20 meters wide, 17 meters thick and 7.8 meters tall. The base of it is built with 10 layers of granite stone and the top of it is a rectangular building, which is 19.8 meters long and 14.15 meters wide. There are watch towers and crenel by the four sides of it.

When is the Best Time to Visit Badaling Great Wall ?

The best time to visit China Great Wall is in Spring and Autumn, especially in April, May, September or October, when has good weather and moderate climate. Especially in autumn, the sky is clear and the air is crisp in Beijing. However, please try to avoid May Day Holiday (from May 1st to 3rd ) and National Day Holiday (from October 1st to 7th ) when there will be more tourists.

How to Get to Badaling Great Wall ?

-By Bus. Public Bus 919. Tourist bus No. 1 at Qianmen; Tourist bus No. 2 at Beijing Train Station; Tourist bus No. 3 at East Bridge; Tourist bus No. 4 at Xizhimen Gate;