Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall of China
Posted by: gapple
N 40° 26.141 E 116° 33.712
50T E 462839 N 4476207
Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall is less crowded than the Badaling Section.
Waymark Code: WM10X
Location: China
Date Posted: 09/07/2005
Views: 138
Located in Huairou County,70km northeast of Beijing, Mutianyu section of Great Wall is connected with Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou Gateway in the east. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, Mutianyu section of Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. First built in the mid-6th during the Northern Qi dynasty, Mutianyu Great Wall is older than Badaling Great Wall. In the Ming dynasty, under the supervision of General Xu Da, construction of the present wall began on the foundation of the wall of Northern Qi. In 1404, a pass was built in the wall. In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt and even 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. Built mainly with granite, the wall is 7-8 meters high and the top is 4-5 meters wide. Comparing with other sections of Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall possesses unique characteristics in its construction. This section of Great Wall is surrounded by woodland and streams. The Forest-coverage Rate is over 90 percent.
This section of the wall is where most dignitaries visit. I like it because it is less crowded than the Badaling Section. There are souvenir stands at the bottom, and there are some vendors on the wall itself. There is nothing better than a semi cold Tsingdao after climbing up the "MOST DANGROUS SECTION".
I have found that it is best to take the Cable car to the top and walk down (South) to the chair lift or slide. The slide down is worth the trip. Continue past the chair lift, you can walk up an almost vertical section of the wall. It ends at a signal tower where you can view other parts of the wall being reclaimed by nature.
If you are lucky, you will get Car 58 to the top. In fact, this is the Car that President Clinton took down and the Chinese are happy to point that out.
Afterwards, have your driver head to the Ming Tombs by crossing through the mountains. It is beautiful country.
Type: Site
Reference number: 438
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