Chinese Name: 水关长城 (shuǐ guān cháng chéng)
Admission Fee: CNY 26 (Apr. 1 to Oct.31); CNY 20 (Nov.1 to Mar.31)
Opening Hours: 06:00 - 17:00 (Apr. 1 to Oct.31); 07:30 - 16:30 (Nov.1 to Mar.31)
Best Traveling Time: April to October
Location: Shiguan Great Wall is located in Yanqing County, 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of Beijing city.
Introduction: Actually this section of Great Wall is the eastern part of the Badaling Great Wall. So, it is also called 'Badaling Shuiguan Great Wall'. Shuiguan Great Wall is intersected by the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, the first railway designed by Chinese engineer Jeme Tien Yow. First built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it was an indispensable section of the defense system along the Great Wall. Literally, it is called Water Pass because of its location at the mouth of a deep valley and mainly functioned to defend against invaders by water. At a length of about 6.8 kilometers (4.2 miles), Shuiguan Great Wall is one of the most well-preserved sections of the Great Wall of China. As a national 4-star tourist scenic spot, it was formally opened in 1995.
Overview of Shuiguan: Shaped like the character 'V', Shuiguan Great Wall stretches along the line of the mountains. The arrow tower, which served as both a watch tower and a sluice gate, is 15 meters (50 feet) high and 12 meters (40 feet) wide. Seven enemy towers are joined in the distance with proper views. Shuiguan Great Wall is famous for its precipitous cliffs. Hiking along this section of the Wall, tourists can enjoy flowers blooming in spring and maple leaves all around the mountain in autumn.
Shuiguan Transportation:
A. Take bus No. 877, 919, or 880 from Deshengmen to the Badaling Great Wall, then walk about 4 kilometers (2.48 miles) to Shuiguan Great Wall.
B. If driving, visitors can go along the Beijing-Tibet highway, and take the Shuiguan Great Wall Exit.
Nearby attractions: Many famous attractions are around Shuiguan Great Wall, including Music-playing Gorge, Goldfish Pond, Stone Buddha Temple, Luotuo Peak (Camel Peak) and Genghis Khan Palace. At the same time, it only takes about 10 minutes by bus from Shuiguan Great Wall to Badaling Great Wall, so visitors can continue their travel to Badaling Great Wall and tourist spots around it such as: Longqing Gorge, Kangxi Plain, Pine Mountain, Baihe River Canyon, Badaling Wild Animal Park, Beijing Badaling Skiing Field, Yudu Mountain, and Badaling Ruins of the Great Wall.
Accommodation: Badaling Hot-spring Hotel is recommended since it is located at the center of the nearby attractions listed above. It is a 3-star hotel which supplies lodging, dining, entertainment, conference and tourism facilities. Rates vary from CNY 300 to CNY1488 according to room category.
Travel Tips:
A. In the past few years, some foreign tourists have been guided wrongly to Shuiguan Great Wall instead of their real destination-Badaling Great Wall, for the benefits of the entrance fee difference. So, be very careful of that.
B. Along Shuiguan Great Wall, there are dangerous places that visitors should pay more attention to. It is not suitable for people with acrophobia, heart disease, hypertension or cervical vertebra disease.
C. Some of the stone steps of Shuiguan Great Wall are high and steep, so, it is not recommended to travel with children.
