The Great Wall of China
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The Great Wall of China
Written by Matteo Updated Nov. 15, 2025
The Great Wall was a gigantic defensive project used in ancient times as early as the 7th century B.C. For self-protection, subsequent dynasties continued to strengthen and extend the wall. Over a history of more than 2,000 years, the Great Wall presently extends 21,196.8 km from its origin, at the seaside in Shanhaiguan (the Old Dragon Head), a seaport along the coast of Bohai Bay in the east, all the way to Jiayu Pass in Gansu Province.
Some of the Great Wall sections (Badaling, Mutianyu) have been restored and opened to tourists, while some are now still in ruins (Jiankou, Simatai), partially open to the public. There is a saying that He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a real man.
Great Wall of China Facts
Location: North China
Length: 21196.18km
Distribution: Extends from Shanhaiguan, east of Qinhuangdao city, to Jiayuguan, west of Gansu Province
History: Around 2000 years
Main Sections: Mutianyu, Badaling, Jiankou, Huanghuacheng, Simatai, Gubeikou, Juyongguan
Great Wall of China Feature
The Great Wall was built over different dynasties. There are 7 sections of the Great Wall in Beijing, and most of the sections are well-preserved: Badaling Great Wall, Juyongguan Great Wall, Huanghuacheng Great Wall, Jiankou Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall, Gubeikou Great Wall, and Simatai Great Wall.
Great Wall of China
Length
Feature
Mutianyu
5400 meters
Rich vegetation
Badaling
3741 meters
Steep slopes
Jinshanling
10500 meters
Dense watchtowers
Simatai
5400 meters
Restored
Jiankou
Unknown
Wild Great Wall
Gubeikou
Unknown
Rugged terrains
Juyonguan
4142 meters
A complete military defense system
Huanghuacheng
Unknown
Underwater Great Wall
Huangyaguan
42000 meter
A Bagua layout
Shanhaiguan
27600 meter
The first pass under heaven
Jiayu Pass
Unknown
A key point on the Silk Road
Overhanging Great Wall
15000 meters
Built against the mountain
Mutianyu Great Wall
Located in Huairou County, 70km northwest of Beijing, Mutianyu Great Wall is connected with Juyongguan Great Wall in the west and Gubeikou Great Wall in the east.
Mutianyu Great Wall was initially built in the Northern Qi Dynasty around 560 A.D. It was rebuilt and restored with solid granite during the Ming Dynasty, which makes the wall a stronghold to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs.
Mutianyu Great Wall Features
Mutianyu Great Wall is remarkably intact, which is built mainly with solid granite. It is 7-8 meters high, and the top is 4-5 meters wide. It snakes 2 kilometres through the hillside, which allows you time to explore the surrounding orchards, pines, trees, mountains, and the towers scattered along the route. Compared with other sections of the Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall possesses unique characteristics in its construction.
1. It has 22 watchtowers at 100-meter intervals, which signifies the importance of this stronghold in the past, as more towers are scattered here than at other sections of the Great Wall.
2. Both the outer and inner parapets are crenellated with merlons, so that shots could be fired at the enemy on both sides - a feature very rare on other parts of the Great Wall.
3. It has three connected watchtowers, with the central tower looming high over the structure. Each tower has its gate. The three watchtowers are connected inside and compose a rarely seen structure among all sections of the Great Wall.
4. Mutianyu is famous for the superb views as the area is surrounded by woodland and streams, and the views of the wall vary in four seasons.
Today, Mutianyu Great Wall is open to visitors. A cable car is available to help visitors. The slideway, which rushes down from the top of the mountain and goes through a slide of 1580 meters, allows you to experience exciting and breathtaking thrills while enjoying the beautiful views of the Great Wall.
Surrounding Villages
Settled beneath the mountain pass are the villages of Mutianyu, Beigou, Xinying, and Tianxianyu, which are so small. They are easily missed by passing tourists. The residents are largely direct descendants of the builders of the Great Wall of China during the Ming Dynasty, and little has changed in this rural part of China since then.
These are working villages, and the people farm the land. The main products from the area are pears, chestnuts, and apricots that you can see growing from the steep hills, and people live off the land and gather wild mushrooms and other plants for food.
Residents of Mutianyu, Beigou, Xinying, and Tianxianyu have become accustomed to visitors wandering around their villages and are happy to greet visitors with a smile, although don't expect much in the way of chit chat, unless you speak Chinese, of course.
In all fairness, the language barrier is slowly decreasing, as in 2007, the Mayor of the village signed an agreement with Shelburne Falls in Massachusetts. In 2010, talks began about the best way to get an exchange programme running between both places, so that students can experience firsthand the lifestyles, economy, and history of each village. This is a really exciting prospect for two very different places to experience a very different culture.
Locals are rightfully proud of their heritage and section of the Great Wall, and you may as well visit one or two of the villages when travelling to the wall from Beijing. This is a lovely part of the wall to visit for a stroll and some peace.
Mutianyu Great Wall Tour
Mutianyu Great Wall is 90km (56 miles) northwest, a 1.5-hour drive from downtown Beijing. Mutianyu Great Wall is a less-crowded section with a superb view due to its forest area. A car is available if you need.
Jinshanling Great Wall
Jinshanling Great Wall is about 150 kilometers away from Beijing and lies in the mountainous area in Ruanping county of Hebei province - a key military stronghold. The structure was mainly built in 1570 during the Ming dynasty.
The 20-kilometer-long structure is a little smaller and narrower when compared to Badaling and Mutianyu but features complicated and well-preserved fortification systems and fantastic natural scenery.
Jinshanling Great Wall Construction
Jinshanling Great Wall looks a bit old and ruinous, but much more natural, 7.8 meters high, 5-6 meters thick at the bottom. On top, slab pavements were 4 meters wide with 2-meter-high parapets on each side. On the side facing the enemy stood 7-foot (2-metre) high crenels called duo-kou.
On the upper part of the duo-kou were large openings used to watch and shoot at attackers, and on the lower part were small openings or loopholes through which defenders could also shoot.
Obstacle walls were also built perpendicular to the parapets. These walls-within-walls were used for continued defense against enemies who might have succeeded in scaling the wall.
Two-story watchtowers were built on the wall in some strategic places. The ground floor was used for living, storing food and weapons, and the top floor was used for defense. The watchtowers were in different shapes, some square, some oval, and others in strange shapes. Their roofs are flat, sloped, thatched, or even octagonal.
Pu-fang - simply structured huts were built to provide shelter for the guards during storms. Inside watchtowers, anfractuous walls and passages also reveal the wisdom and tenacity of ancient Chinese.
If you want to see the wall that maintains the features from the Ming Dynasty, but avoid the crowds of Badaling, this is the place to come, but be prepared for a walk from the car park up to the wall.