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| Mutianyu Great Wall Map |
Chinese Name: 慕田峪长城 (mù tián yù cháng chéng)
Admission Fee: CNY 25 (children); CNY 45 (adults)
Cable Car:
Children: CNY 35 (round-trip); CNY 25 (single trip);
Adults: CNY 65 (round trip); CNY 45 (single trip)
Slideway:
Children: CNY 40 (round-trip);
Adults: CNY 65 (round trip); CNY 50 (single trip)
Opening Hours: 07:00 - 18:30 (Apr. 1 to Oct.31); 7:30 - 17:30 (Nov.1 to Mar.31)
Best Traveling Time: Spring and autumn especially in May, September, and October
Location: Mutianyu Great Wall is located in the Huairou District, 73km northeast of Beijing City.
Introduction: With a length of 2,250 meters (1.397 miles) opened to the public, Mutianyu Great Wall is one of the sixteen top attractions in Beijing. It is a gorgeous section of the Great Wall which connects Juyongguan Great Wall in its west and Gubeikou Great Wall in its east. Due to its geographic location, Mutianyu Great Wall was once the northern fort that protects the capital, Beijing and the imperial tombs of ancient China. It was awarded the National 5-Star Tourism Scenic Spot in 2011.
History: According to historical documents, Mutianyu Great Wall was built on the foundation of the Great Wall of Northern Qi (550 - 577) by Xu Da (the general of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in the Ming Dynasty). Mutianyu Pass was built in the wall in 1404 and this section of the Great Wall was rebuilt in 1569. Today, Mutianyu Great Wall is one of the most well-preserved Great Wall from the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644).
Overview of Mutianyu: Mutianyu Great Wall has unique characters in its construction, with densely placed watchtowers and crucial passes. There are in total 25 watchtowers along the stretch of the 3,000-meter wall. Among them, the 'Zhengguantai' in the northeast is the most typical, having 3 watchtowers standing on the same terrace. The doors are set up in the small tower on both sides.
Mutianyu Great Wall has battlements on both the outer and inner parapets, while most other walls have battlements only on the outer parapet. This directly indicates the strategic location of Mutianyu Great Wall in history. Moreover, this section of the Great Wall consists of supporting side wall with both the outer and inner sides attached to the mountains.
Mutianyu Great Wall is magnificent as it undulates acutely from 486 meters to 1039 meters and snaking its way along the mountains. In addition, the vegetation coverage (96 percent) of Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Spot ranks No.1 among all the other sections of the Great Wall.
Scenic Spots in Mutianyu: Besides the charming natural landscape, extensive tourism facilities are offered in Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Spot. For example, the cable car system is fully automatic and is regarded as the 'No.1 cable car of the Great Wall'.
There is also the China Dream Stone City nearby, where rare stones from all over China are exhibited. It is now the biggest stone museum in Asia, where visitors can learn about Chinese culture where stones are concerned.
Taking the cable cars that runs along the Shibide Slideway is exciting. One should not miss the 'gallop' experience of sliding down from the Muzhihao Tower to the bottom of the Great Wall. The 1,580-meter slides is made of stainless steel and the locals called it the 'dry-land sledge'.
Mutianyu Transportation:
A. Tourism Special Line No.867 departs at 07:00 and 08:30 from Dongzhimen Long-distance Bus Station, and departs at Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Spot at 14:00 and 16:00 daily.
B. Visitors can also take public bus No. 916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou District and then by taxi to reach Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Spot.
C. Visitors from Beijing International Airport can take buses heading north via Jingmi Road to Huairou District, and then go westward from Roundabout of North Yingbin Road.
Dining: There are various restaurants and eateries along the route both to and from Mutianyu Great Wall. Following are some which are favored by locals and tourists: Chang Cheng Shan Zhuang (Mutianyu Great Wall Hotel), Man Xing Agriculture Courtyard Resort, Mutianyu Fishing Village, Red Chestnut Mountain Villa, Qing Shan Ju (Yan Jing Studio Mutianyu Branch), Xiaolongpu Restaurant and Xinshuangquan Restaurant.
Accommodation: Mutianyu Great Wall Hotel at the foot of the mountain would be a good choice. Called 'Chang Cheng Shan Zhuang' in Chinese, the hotel has a group of classical and elegant Chinese buildings. It can accommodate up to 200 people at any one time. A standard room, including breakfast, costs only CNY220.
Mutianyu Nearby attractions
It takes about three hours to tour Mutianyu Great Wall, afterwhich visitors can take a bus (from its parking lot) to Hongluo Temple (also called Red Snail Temple). Being the largest temple in northern China, it is a national 4-star tourism scenic spot within Huairou District.
There are buses back to Beijing city from Hongluo Temple.
There are many other attractions around Mutianyu Great Wall, such as: Yanqi Lake Amusement Park, Qinglong Gorge Tourism Resort, Beijing Lakeview Water Park, Baiquan Mountain, Huairou Survival Island Tourism New Concept Base, Xiangshui Lake Scenic Spot, Huanghuacheng Great Wall, Huairou Shengquan Temple Scenic Spot and Huaibei International Ski Resort.
