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The Great Wall is perhaps one of the greatest architectural accomplishments of men. Historically, there are several “Great Walls” built by various dynasties. Traces of these walls are scattered around the country. The wall referred to today as the Great Wall was built mainly in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644).

To prevent a comeback of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and to keep the Nuzhen tribes out, Ming began to rebuild and extend the walls constructed by the previous dynasties soon after it came into power. This project took more than 100 years and the laborers and resources involved were phenomenal. Click Here to Search a Great Wall Tour >>

The wall of Ming Dynasty winds from Jiayuguan in the west to Liaoning Province in the east, across 9 provinces, measuring around 6,400 kilometers long. This wall traversed mountainous terrains and conformed to the territories’ numerous peaks and valleys.

Badaling (8 Reaches Ridge) is the best preserved section of the Great Wall. 370 foreign leaders and VIPs have climbed Badaling. It is called Bada (8 Reaches) as the maze of ridges stretch in all directions. Click here to peruse Great Wall Tours.

It is located more than 70 kilometers northwest from the center of Beijing City, is more than 1000 meters above sea level, and commands a strategic position on the north passage of Juyongguan (Mediocre House Pass).

The Great Wall at Badaling was built in the 18th year of the reign of the Ming emperor Hong Zhi (1505). The wall, built with tall granite slabs on the outside, is 7.8 meters high on average, some sections even reaching 8.4 meters in height. It is about 6.5 meters wide on average at its base, and 5.7 meters wide on average at the ramparts. The wall is wide enough for five horses to gallop abreast and ten people to advance shoulder to shoulder.

The scenery at Badaling is great in every season. There are sunlit and enchanting scenes in spring and summer, when the valleys covered with greenery. When the rain comes, the view looks vast and hazy. The sky in autumn is high with an unsoiled stratosphere, while the maple forests are golden and red in colour. White snow covers the whole scene in winter.

Located in the heart of Beijing, the Harmony Hotel is within the city’s busiest commercial area. Tian’an Men square, the forbidden City and the famous Wang Fujing Street are all just steps away.
Location: Beijing Railway Station,Wangfujing Street,