Whilst in Beijing we just had to take the opportunity to visit the Great Wall of China. The Mutianyu Section is one of 4 places that the Great Wall of China is accessible to tourists. Mutianyu is the furthermost section from Beijing and therefore less crowded. We chose to visit the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall as it is one of the best preserved sections of wall.
One of the 22 watchtowers at Mutianyu
Built mainly of granite, the Mutianyu Great Wall is 8 mtrs high and at the top is 5 mtrs wide. Another reason we chose Mutianyu is that there are 22 watchtowers to explore, all within a 3 klms distance. If you can chose your time, try and not go on a weekend as the Great Wall of China can get crowded as the locals also like to visit the wall.
Mutianyu Great Wall
First built in the mid 6th century during the Northern Qi, the Great Wall at Mutianyu is older than the Badaling section of the 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 1569, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China was rebuilt and 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.
Mutianyu Great Wall
The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is much harder to climb than Badaling as there are many steep sections, steep stairs and several areas where you need to use your hands to climb. Most areas do not have hand rails so you have to be careful and take your time. If you have any difficulties walking, the wall between tower 6 and tower 14 is quite level and this still gives you an excellent Great Wall experience, awesome views and avoids the more difficult areas.
Great Wall of China
To access the wall you can climb the 454 very steep stairs, or alternatively for an additional fee (above the admission price) you can ride a cable car up to the Great Wall. Very few climb the stairs and we were thankful that we did choose the cablecar as the views were awesome and there is plenty of walking to do once on top.
Entrance at Mutianyu - Cable car and Great Wall can be seen in the distance
Some parts of the Great Wall of China have a reputation of very pushy hawkers that follow you everywhere harassing you until you buy something from them. We had one hawker that followed us quite a distance along the wall and became quite annoying.
Map of Mutianyu Great Wall
Have you been to the Great Wall of China? Comment with your own favorites or insights below!
