Badaling Great Wall

Badaling Great Wall is located in Yanqing District, 60 kilometers to the northwest of downtown Beijing. To date, this 3,741-meter section of the Badaling Great Wall has been open to tourists, comprising of 21 city units and enemy units. Badaling Great Wall was built along the ridges of mountains, looking precipitous from the external wall but gently sloped from the internal wall. It is a year-round travel destination. Mr. Zhao Puchu, a famous poet, calligrapher and president of the Chinese Buddhists Association, unveiled the miraculous scene of Badaling Great Wall in all seasons: "We are impressed with the spectacular scenes of Great Wall, as beautiful as pictures. The centuries-old Great Wall has always been so charming in all ages. It is best loved in spring days of blossoming flowers, summer days of green trees, autumn days of sea of red leaves, and winter days of white snows. Looking into the distance, the Great Wall gives expression of infinite passions of old and new."
Badaling Great Wall was officially opened to tourists in 1958. It is a section of the Great Wall opened earliest to tourists and receives the largest number of tourists. In the five decades since it opened, Badaling Great Wall scenic spot, on behalf of the Great Wall of China, was conferred with the World Cultural Heritage license by UNESCO. It was listed among the first batch of important cultural relic sites under state-level protection by the Central Government, the best of the top 10 scenic spots in the country, the best of the top 40 tourism destinations in the country, and the country’s first group of 5A-class tourism scenic spots. In 2007, in the appraisal of the world’s new seven wonders, Great Wall maintained its top position because of its extensive and profound history and culture, and unprecedented prestige in the world.

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Beacon fire towers
The beacon fire towers, built at the top of the mountains beyond the Great Wall, were used as communication facilities in ancient times. Soldiers would burn smoke to report the arrival of enemies. What tourists ascend on the Great Wall are watchtowers, not beacon fire towers. The latter are piers largely constructed with gravels and loess in the very places. When discovering enemies, the soldiers would burn smoke during the day, known as Sui, and start a fire at night, known as Feng. They were joined as Fengsui or smoke piers. Beacon fire towers are even older than the Great Wall. The story of "King You of Zhou teases the nobles with beacon fires, winning Bao Si smile but losing the regime" has become widespread in the country.

Click here to see how to get to Badaling Great Wall: http://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/a1/a-XCX2LMF8D0C3E7C7FF88DB