Great Wall of China at Badaling, China, April 2004

Badaling () is the site of the most visited section of the

Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...

, approximately northwest of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

's city center, in

Badaling Town Badaling Town () is a town on the southwestern part of Yanqing District of Beijing. It borders Kangzhuang and Dayushu Towns to its north, Jingzhuang Town to its east, Nankou Town to its southeast, and Donghuayuan Town to its west. It was home t ...

Yanqing District Yanqing District (), formerly known as Yanqing County before 2015, is a District (China), district of the municipality of Beijing located northwest of the city proper of Beijing. The district consists of 3 Subdistrict (China), subdistricts, 11 ...

(within Beijing

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

). The portion of the wall running through the site was built in 1504 during the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, along with a

military outpost A military outpost is detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main force or formation, usually at a station in a remote or sparsely populated location, positioned to stand guard against unauthorized intrusions and surprise attacks ...

reflecting the location's strategic importance. The highest point of Badaling is Beibalou (北八樓), approximately above sea level. Badaling Great Wall was built in the Ming Dynasty (1505) to occupy a commanding and strategic position for protecting the Juyongguan Pass (Juyongguan section of the Great Wall) to its south, further protecting the city of Beijing."Badaling Great Wall" ChinaTour.Net
Accessed 2014-1-18 The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone restoration, and in 1957, it was the first section of the wall to open to tourism. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car.

Transport

Expressway

The

Badaling Expressway The Badaling Expressway (Simplified Chinese: 八达岭高速公路, Traditional Chinese: 八達嶺高速公路, Hanyu Pinyin: Bādálíng Gāosù Gōnglù) is an expressway in China which links urban Beijing to the Badaling stretch of the Great ...

connects Badaling with central Beijing.

Railway

Two

China Railway China State Railway Group Company, Ltd., doing business as China Railway (CR), is the national passenger and freight railroad corporation of the People's Republic of China. China Railway operates passenger and freight transport throughout Ch ...

lines serve Badaling: *The Beijing-Zhangjiakou intercity railway has

CRH CRH may refer to: * Calibre radius head, a traditional British ordnance term for a concept in ballistic projectile design * Celtic Resources Holdings, an Irish mining company * China Railway High-speed, a high-speed railway service operated by Chin ...

high-speed trains High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

running from Beijing North Station, stopping at the underground Badaling Great Wall Station. * Line S2 of the Beijing Suburban Railway serves people who want to go to the at-grade Badaling Station from Huangtudian Station.

Bus

The 877 bus runs frequently between

Deshengmen Deshengmen (; lit. "Gate of Virtuous Triumph") is a city gate that was once part of Beijing's northern city wall. It is one of Beijing's few preserved city gates and now stands as a landmark on the northern 2nd Ring Road. Latimer D. (2014) ''The I ...

Bus Station (adjacent to the Jishuitan Station on Line 2 and Line 19 of

Beijing Subway The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Municipality that consists of 25 lines including 20 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and 2 light rail lines, and 463 stations. The rail network extends acro ...

) and Badaling.

Fame

It was here that President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and his wife, accompanied by Vice Premier

Li Xiannian Li Xiannian (pronounced ; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992) was a Chinese Communist military and political leader, President of the People's Republic of China (''de jure'' head of state) from 1983 to 1988 under Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping and ...

, visited on February 24, 1972, during his historic journey to China. Many other world leaders have made a trip to the site including

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

and

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

. Badaling and the expressway were the site of the finishing circuit of the

Urban Road Cycling Course The Urban Cycling Road Course () was one of nine temporary venues used during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The road cycling race started at the North Square of Yongdingmen in Beijing's Chongwen District and fi ...

in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

. Laps of the circuit passed through gates in the wall.

Internal traffic

Gondola Lift

Funicular

Badaling Great Wall Funicular starts from the opposite of Zhan Tianyou Memorial Hall and goes to the fourth floor of the best viewing point of Badaling Great Wall-South.

Alpine Coaster

Shuttle bus

References

External links

* * Badaling Section of the Great Wall at Wikivoyage.org {{Great Wall of China Buildings and structures in Beijing Great Wall of China Tourist attractions in Beijing AAAAA-rated tourist attractions Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing Landforms of Beijing Yanqing District