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

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

, approximately northwest of

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

's city center, in Badaling Town,

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, 74km away from the city center. The district consists of 3 Subdi ...

, Beijing

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

. 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 of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, along with a military outpost 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 connects Badaling with central Beijing.

Railway

Two

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

lines serve Badaling: *The Beijing-Zhangjiakou intercity railway has CRH high-speed trains 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 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 Direct-controlled municipality, Municipality that consists of 29 lines including 24 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and two light rail, light rail tram line ...

) and Badaling Great Wall.

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 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

and his wife, accompanied by Vice Premier

Li Xiannian Li Xiannian (; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992) was a Chinese Chinese Communist Party, Communist military and political leader, president of China from 1983 to 1988 under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and then chairman of the Chinese People's Politi ...

, 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 a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

and

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last 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 in the

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

. 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