Mutianyu Great Wall

Location: Mutianyu Road, Huairou District, Beijing, China

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

Our Ratings: ★★★★★

Opening Hours: 7:00 – 18:30 in summer

                           7:30 – 17:30 in winter

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.

Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou District, 73 kilometers away from downtown Beijing. It has a long history and a splendid culture. It enjoys the reputation of 'the best section of the Great Wall' in both China and abroad. Mutianyu Great Wall was first built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi, making it older than the Badaling section. In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt and till today most parts of it are well preserved. The Mutianyu Great Wall has the largest construction scale and best quality among all sections of Great Wall.

History of Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall was first built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi (A.D. 550- A.D. 577), older than the Badaling section of the Great Wall.

It was extended and restore in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The reconstruction took place under the supervision of General Xu Da, who was one of the founding generals of the Ming Dynasty. In 1404, a pass was built in the wall. During the reconstruction, he was responsible for construct a wall from Shanhaiguan in the east to as far as Mutianyu. The construction of it was to serve as a vital symbol of protection from marauding nomads to the north. 

In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt on 1000 km of the wall. Qi Jiguang, who is an also one of the founding generals of the Ming Dynasty, was responsible for the project. He had built credentials fighting Japanese pirates. In addition, he took his responsibility as a builder quite seriously and he built the wall based on great military defense according to his experience. The construction took years to finish. As a fortification for many years, the wall was built up with solid granite blocks, as well as some of the larger defensive towers. After that, that wall is used to be military defense for many years, and there are soldiers guided on the wall. 

The latest restoration of Mutianyu Great Wall took place from 1982 to 1986 by the Beijing government. But the reconstruction is not for defensive fortification, but was designated to be a national tourist attraction. It was great to show the world heritage to the world. The Great Wall is the crystallization of human wisdom. This great project should be present to the public. The Mutianyu Great Wall has the largest construction scale and best quality among all sections of Great Wall. Since then, Mutianyu Great Wall has attraction thousands of travelers every year.

What to Expect ?

High vegetarian coverage

The plant species in the scenic area are extremely diverse, and the vegetation coverage rate is more than 96%. Such a large area of vegetation is not comparable to any section of the Great Wall sections. When the spring comes, the great wall is surrounded by green plants and colorful flowers, which looks amazing. Or if you want to see the large area of red leaves, you can go there in autumn.

The Mutianyu Pass

The Mutianyu Pass consists of 3 watchtowers, one big in the center and two smaller on both sides. Standing on the same terrace, the three watchtowers are connected to each other inside and compose a rarely seen structure among all sections of Great Wall.
 

Watchtowers

There are a lot of watchtower. Watchtowers are densely placed along this section of the Great Wall - 22 watchtowers on this 2,250-meter-long stretch.
 

Three-dimensional sense

Mutianyu Great Wall has the lowest elevation of the Great Wall which make it rich in three-dimensional sense. Mutianyu has the lowest altitude of only 486 meters.

 When is the Best Time to Visit Mutianyu 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 Mutianyu Great Wall ?

-By Subway. Subway line 2, 13, Airport Express Train can take you there.

-By Bus. Bus line 3, 106, 107, 123, 131, 132, 401, 416, 418, 852, 866, 915(express), 918, 980, or 980 (express) can take you there.