Badaling Great Wall

Overview

Badaling

Badaling lies in Yanqing District, about 50 km north-west of central Beijing. It is the best-known section of the Great Wall: the open stretch runs for more than 3,700 m and its highest point is 1,015 m above sea level.

“Layered greenery at Juyong” (Juyong Diecui), one of the Eight Views of old Beijing, refers to the scenery around Badaling and the nearby Juyong Pass. The pass has the Cloud Platform, first built in the Yuan dynasty. At Qinglongqiao railway station near the pass stands a bronze statue of Zhan Tianyou, the father of China’s railways.

The Great Wall at Badaling is a section of “The Great Wall”, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987. Badaling and the Ming Tombs together form a first-batch national scenic area (1982); see Badaling–Ming Tombs Scenic Area.

Main sights

Badaling Pass: the gate on the wall, built in the Hongzhi era of the Ming; the wall runs north and south from it, and the outer face carries a plaque reading Juyong Waizhen.

North section: the wall running north from the pass, with steep steps; the highest point of the site lies on this section, near the stretch known as Hero's Slope.

South section: the wall running south from the pass, shorter and easier than the north section and less crowded.

Great Wall Museum: inside the Badaling site, with exhibits and film on the history, construction and defence system of the wall.

Qinglongqiao Station: a small station on the Beijing–Zhangjiakou railway, with a statue of Zhan Tianyou in front; the line here uses a switchback in the shape of the character for person.

Juyongguan: a pass formed by two fortified gates and linking walls, with the Yuan-dynasty Cloud Platform, whose base carries carved Buddhist figures and texts.

History and culture

The Badaling Great Wall seen today was built mainly in the Ming. The dynasty treated the wall as its main northern defence and strengthened the passes and walls in the hills north of Beijing; Juyongguan and Badaling were part of the line guarding the capital.

Juyongguan has long been the route linking the North China Plain with the northern grasslands, and passes were kept here in many periods. Badaling takes its name from the sense of roads running in all directions and was an outer defence of Juyongguan.

Travel tips

Getting there: from Beijing, take the Beijing–Zhangjiakou high-speed line to Badaling Great Wall station; there are also direct buses from the city. The S2 suburban train now starts at Nankou and runs only a few times a day.

Booking: Badaling requires advance booking under your real name; holiday slots often sell out quickly.

Badaling Great Wall: from the fortified pass the wall runs north and south. The north side is longer, steeper and busier; the south side is a little easier. There is a cable car on the north side and a funicular on the south side; they may stop in high wind.

Juyongguan: between Badaling and Changping. You can walk a loop of the pass and its walls; it is steep but less crowded than Badaling.

Time: half a day for Badaling; add two or three hours for Juyongguan.

Season: spring and autumn are best, and the October leaf season is busy. Summer is hot; winter is cold and windy but quiet.

Caution: the steps on the wall are uneven and there is little shade; wear good shoes and carry water.

Stamps and banknotes

In 1979 China Post issued the set T38 “The Great Wall”, four stamps: the Wall in spring, summer, autumn and winter.

One variety of the 200-yuan note of the first series of renminbi, issued by the People’s Bank of China in 1949, shows the Great Wall.

The one-yuan coin of the third series of renminbi shows the Great Wall.

The back of the one-yuan note of the fourth series (1988) shows the Great Wall.

Photo credits: The Great Wall at Badaling: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

The 100-fen stamp of the definitive set R29 “The Ming Great Wall” (21 stamps, 1997–1999) shows Badaling.

In 2016 China Post issued 2016-22 “The Great Wall”, nine stamps; “the shield of the capital” shows the Wall near Beijing.

The 5-yuan coin “World Cultural Heritage: the Great Wall”, issued by the People’s Bank of China in 2002, shows a beacon tower of the Great Wall and the mountains on the reverse.

Nearby

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