CHINA 5A TRAVEL
The most celebrated stretch of the Great Wall of China — Badaling's restored ramparts ride the ridgelines of the Jundu Mountains northwest of Beijing, paired in one 5A-rated area with the greener, quieter Mutianyu section.
Badaling — 'the pass where eight roads converge' — is the best-preserved and most visited section of the Ming-dynasty Great Wall, opened to visitors in 1958 as the first restored stretch of the wall anywhere in China. Standing up to 1,015 metres above sea level as the strategic outpost of Juyong Pass, its granite-and-brick ramparts were inscribed by UNESCO as part of the Great Wall World Heritage Site in 1987.
The wall splits into two arms above the entrance basin: the North Line climbs through twelve watchtowers to its crest at Tower 8 beside the storied 'Hero Slope', while the shorter South Line strings together seven towers with a fraction of the crowds. More than 300 state guests, from Richard Nixon to Margaret Thatcher, have climbed here, and on a clear day the wall can be seen ribboning over the mountains toward the horizon.
The same 5A scenic area also embraces Mutianyu, two hours east in Huairou District — a densely forested stretch famous for its double-sided battlements, cable cars and toboggan run, favoured by families and hikers seeking a greener alternative.
Highlights
North Line & Tower 8
Twelve watchtowers climb to the highest open point at Tower 8, beside the 'Hero Slope' stele — the classic photograph.
The Quieter South Line
Seven towers with far fewer visitors and equally grand ridge views — locals' pick for a peaceful walk.
Cable Car & Toboggan
A gondola to the upper towers and a wheeled toboggan run back down add family-friendly fun to the North Line.
Great Wall Museum & Zhan Tianyou Memorial
600 m from the entrance: the wall's two-millennium story, and the engineer who threaded China's first railway through these mountains.
Autumn at Hongye Ridge
Come mid-October and the slopes beside the wall blaze with red maple — one of Beijing's favourite autumn scenes.
Mutianyu's Green Ramparts
The same 5A area's eastern arm: double battlements wrapped in forest, with cable car and toboggan descent.
Photo Gallery
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