Beijing is surrounded by some of the most beautiful, treacherous, highest, oldest, and most dilapidated sections of the Great Wall. No matter the season or angle, the Great Wall always presents a magnificent sight that lingers in the mind’s eye.
1.Huangtaizi Great Wall
The Huangtaizi remnant section is the highest part of the Great Wall near Beijing, requiring quite a bit of sweat to climb. Walking along the Huangtaizi Great Wall is a strenuous task, but remembering that it was once part of the famous “Nankou Battle” during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression provides renewed strength.
The highest point, “Gaolou,” is covered with bullet holes left by the Japanese army’s attack on this place.
Location: Huangtaizi, Huailai County, Hebei Province
2.Wangquanyu Great Wall
If the Jiankou section of the Great Wall gives an impression of grandeur and vastness, then the Wangquanyu Great Wall leaves an impression of elegance and grace, forming a sharp contrast between boldness and gentleness.
The Wangquanyu Great Wall is not very long, with a total of 8 enemy towers distributed along it. Using the Wangquanyu Pass at the bottom of the valley as a boundary, there are 2 enemy towers on the west peak and 6 on the east peak. Although the total length is only 2 kilometers, the elevation drop reaches 390 meters, making it feel quite tiring to walk.
Location: Bohai Town, Huairou District, Beijing
Self-driving route: Take the Beijing-Chengde Expressway and merge onto the Daqing-Guangzhou Expressway at the Shuiyuan Jiuchang Bridge towards Daqing/Huairou/Chengde/G45. Exit at the Daliushuying Bridge from the Beitai Road/Kuangou/Qiaozi exit. Follow Beitai Road → X005 → Huaihuang Road to reach Wangquanyu Village at the foot of the mountain.
3.Caishikou Great Wall
Since its construction during the Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty, the Caishikou Great Wall has been a famous strategic pass. Along this not-so-long 3-kilometer route, there are 8 enemy towers dotting the landscape.
During the Ming Dynasty, aside from defending against foreign invasions, it also served to protect the imperial tombs, so it was built particularly tall and sturdy. Modern people conventionally name it after the largest village at the foot of the mountain, calling it the “Zhuanghu Great Wall.”
Location: Bohai Town, Huairou District, Beijing
4.Jiuyan Tower Great Wall
If someone asks which is the tallest enemy tower among the Great Wall sections in Beijing, few people can probably give an answer. The enemy tower mentioned above is called “Jiuyan Tower,” built during the Ming Dynasty with a history of over 460 years.
It is the tallest of all the Great Wall enemy towers in Beijing, standing at an elevation of 1,141 meters on Huoyan Mountain at the border of Yanqi Town in Huairou and Sihai Town in Yanqing.
Location: Sihai Town, Yanqing District, Beijing
Self-driving route: Take the Beijing-Tibet Expressway to Yanqing County and follow Yansi Road (Yanqing-Sihai) to reach the Jiuyan Tower Scenic Area.
5.Xidalou Great Wall
The mountain peak where Xidalou is located has a treacherous and towering terrain. The Great Wall rises straight up, with an elevation drop of 446 meters. In between, there are two sections of city walls at 80-degree angles, resembling a sky ladder shooting straight into the clouds.
To the north, one can see Sancha Village at the foot of the mountain. The Great Wall turns north, then west, and then south again, forming a large “几” shaped loop. In between, the mountain is steep, the walls are high, and the peaks are like cliffs, impossible to climb.
Location: West of Xiangshui Lake Great Wall, Huairou District, Beijing
6.Dazhenyu Great Wall
The Dazhenyu Great Wall undulates and changes, with picturesque scenery, offering a different view with every step. The best photography angles are at Niujiabian, with an elevation of 711 meters, and Xidalou, with an elevation of 915 meters.
Looking west, the Xidalou peak resembles a screen, towering into the clouds. Standing atop Xidalou, one can say, “The land stretches endlessly to the horizon, and I stand as the peak after climbing to the summit.” Gazing around, there are no higher points along the Great Wall, allowing one to fully take in the layered green peaks and the winding giant dragon.
Location: North of Bohai Town, Huairou District, Beijing, at the entrance of the Xiangshui Lake Scenic Area.
Self-driving route: Drive on Jingshun Road from Sanyuan Bridge, pass Huairou urban area, and head towards Mutianyu. Follow the road signs to reach Dazhenyu Folk Village at Xiangshui Lake.
7.Dalabianr Great Wall
Dalabianr is a very peculiar section of the Great Wall. Walking on the Caishikou Great Wall, one can see from afar a “half-cut Great Wall” extending from the northwest to the southeast. Because its direction goes from high to low, it looks like it’s drooping on the mountain ridge, so the locals commonly call it “Dalabianr.”
There has always been a saying that Dalabianr was built incorrectly. Therefore, this section of the Great Wall has also been dubbed “Wrong Great Wall” or “Wrongly Built Edge” by the locals. Dalabianr has become an unsolved mystery of the Great Wall.
Location: Bohai Town, Huairou District, Beijing
8.Shibadeng Great Wall
During the Ming Dynasty, there was a pass here called “Xiaochangyu Pass,” where a small pass city was built to defend the area. Now, the city gate of Xiaochangyu Pass remains, but the city tower was destroyed in the flames of war. To the east of Xiaochangyu, a stone mountain rises abruptly, with a long and high path, and scattered rocks. The Great Wall follows these scattered rocks up the mountain, reaching the summit. This is the Shibadeng Great Wall.
The so-called “Shibadeng” is a section of the Great Wall built along the peak, with 18 sawtooth-shaped battlements on both sides, each about 2 meters high. The locals call this place Shibadeng, and the most treacherous part is an almost 85-degree steep slope.
Location: Jiuduhe Town, Huairou District, Beijing
9.Zhuangdaokou Great Wall
The terrain of this section of the Great Wall at Zhuangdaokou is not as perilous as Jiankou, and the city walls are preserved in a natural state, not as new as Badaling. The hiking route is not very long, making it an excellent choice for light outdoor activities.
Location: Zhuangdaokou Village, Huairou District, Beijing
Self-driving route: Take the Beijing-Chengde Expressway to the “Beitai Road” exit in Huairou, turn left at the third traffic light and head west towards Jiuduhe. Follow the scenic area road signs along the way to reach the destination.
10.Xiangtun Great Wall
Xiangtun is located in the high mountains southeast of Dazhuangke Township, Yanqing, on the outskirts of Beijing. Behind the village, there is a dilapidated Great Wall extending eastward, reaching the Xiaoxi Lake and Huanghuacheng Great Wall areas in Huairou.
The remnant Great Wall here is not very high, and the path is not very difficult to walk, but because it crosses Tianshou Mountain to the north of the Thirteen Tombs, the elevation suddenly rises by more than 1,000 meters.
Location: Dazhuangke Township, Yanqing District, Beijing
Self-driving route: Take the Beijing-Tibet Expressway to the Changping Xiguan Roundabout exit, follow Changchi Road for 1.5 kilometers along the Jiezishan Village road signs to reach the destination.
11.Shixiaguan Great Wall
The Shixiaguan Great Wall, also known as the Remnant Great Wall, is located 5 kilometers southwest of the Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area in Yanqing, Beijing. Here, there are high mountains, deep valleys, and treacherous terrain, preserving the original state with broken walls and remnants.
The Shixiaguan Great Wall is where Li Zicheng took the route with weak defenses to attack and entered Beijing overnight during that year. In the history of the Ming Dynasty, it was a military fortress of equal importance to the Badaling Great Wall.
Location: Donggou Village, Badaling Town, Yanqing District, Beijing (southwest side of Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area)
Self-driving route: Take the Beijing-Tibet Expressway to the Badaling Great Wall exit and follow the scenic area signboards.
12.Chenjiabao Great Wall
The Great Wall stretches from the west through Dayingpan in Hebei to the east, entering Changping, Beijing. After passing the three border gates in western Beijing, it turns northeast, passes a steep “sky ladder,” and enters Huailai, Hebei. At the foot of the mountain, there are two villages called Upper Chenjiabao and Lower Chenjiabao, so people call this section of the Great Wall the Chenjiabao Great Wall.
Built on the top of the mountains, the walls are tall and wide, with relatively few enemy towers, giving it a majestic and continuous appearance, fully reflecting the magnificence of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall.
Location: Chenjiabao Village, Donghuayuan Town, Huailai County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province
13.Huanglouyuan Great Wall
The three passes in the northwest of Beijing: Baiyangcheng, Changyucheng, and Zhenbiancheng.
North of Baiyangcheng is the Huanglouyuan Remnant Great Wall, and the Huanglouwa Beacon Tower above it is the highest peak of all the Great Wall sections in Beijing, with an elevation of 1,439 meters.
Location: North of Huanglouyuan Village, Liucun Town, Changping District, Beijing
14.Juhuguan Great Wall
The Juhuguan Great Wall is located at the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, two miles north of Fangkou Village, Ruiyunguan Township, Huailai County, Hebei Province. It is a pass west of Juyongguan. The enemy tower is made of bricks on top and stones at the bottom. The gate is more than 2 meters wide and 3 meters high. The pass has been destroyed.
The Juhuguan Great Wall is the most broken and dilapidated Great Wall. It has been through about 500 years of wind and rain since its construction in the Ming Dynasty. Today, it still stands exposed on the top of the barren mountains, desolate, primitive, and silent.
Location: Fangkou Village, Ruiyunguan Township, Huailai County, Hebei Province
15.Dayingpan Great Wall
Dayingpan is located in Ruiyunguan Township, Huailai County, Hebei Province. The Great Wall near Dayingpan makes a turn of more than 90 degrees, changing from an east-west and slightly north direction to a north-south and slightly east direction.
The Dayingpan Great Wall is ancient and majestic, offering an unparalleled view from its high vantage point.
Location: Dayingpan Village, Huailai County, Hebei Province
16.Yangbian Great Wall
The Yangbian Great Wall (also known as the Miaogang Great Wall) is located east of Miaogang Village and west of Henglingcheng in Huailai, Hebei Province. It stretches from the Dayingpan Great Wall in the north to the Tangansou behind the mountain northwest of Zhenbiancheng in the south, with a total length of about 10 km.
The Yangbian Great Wall is the most well-preserved, highest-quality, and highest-standard section of the Great Wall in Huailai County. It is located east of Miaogang and west of Hengling, with a total length of about 3,000 meters. The city walls are all built with regular large stone slabs, hence the name Yangbian Great Wall.
Location: Miaogang Village, Huailai County, Hebei Province
17.Luowenyu Great Wall
Luowenyu, also known as Luowenyu Pass, is an important pass on the Jizhen section of the Great Wall.
Location: North of Houjia Town, Zunhua, Tangshan City, Hebei Province
