The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was enlisted in the World.Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching approximately 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles ) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the section of the great wall are now in ruins or even entirely disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.  
 The Great Wall is reputed as one of the seven construction wonders in the world not only for its long history, but its massive construction size, and its unique architectural style as well.The Great Wall was originally built in the Spring, Autumn, and Warring States Periods as a defensive fortification by the three states: Yan, Zhao and Qin. The Great Wall went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties. To ensure the safety of the dynasties, the feudal rulers strove to improve the construction of the Great Wall after it took shape in the Qin dynasty. In particular, the Ming dynasty saw the creation of a sophisticated defense system along the wall embracing garrison towns, garrison posts, passes, blockhouses, additional wall structures, watchtowers and beacon towers, each given a different status and designed mission. The system enabled the imperial court to stay in touch with military and administrative agencies at various levels, including those at the grassroots, and provided the frontier troops with facilities to carry out effective defense.

In fact, it began as independent walls for different states when it was first built, and did not become the “Great” wall until the Qin Dynasty. Until the Qin Dynasty, the separate walls were joint together and consequently it stretched from east to west for about 5000 thousand kilometers.The Ming rulers had the Wall renovated 18 times. As a result, not the remains from the Qin dynasty were restored, but some 1000 kilometers were constructed to a full length of 6,700 kilometers.
The present Great Wall in Beijing is mainly remains from the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). With an average height of 10 meters and a width of 5 meters, the wall runs up and down along the mountain ridges and valleys from east to west. It stands as a witness of the Chinese history, culture and development. It starts from Yalujiang River (in today’s Heilongjiang Province), via today’s Liaoning, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia provinces, to Gansu. The total length reaches 12,700 li (over 5,000 kilometers). The Shanhaiguan Pass and the Jiayuguan Pass are two well-preserved passes at either end.

The Great Wall has three major components: passes, signal towers (beacons), and walls. The design of each of these features has been determined by strategic importance.As major strongholds along the wall, passes usually are located at key positions such as intersections with trade routes.Beacon Towers, also known as beacons, beacon terraces, smoke mounds (because of the various substances, including wolf dung, that were burnt), mounds, or kiosks.

The body of the wall usually stood 21.3 feet (6.5 metres) wide at the base and 19 feet (5.8 metres) at the top, with an average height of 23 to 26 feet (7 to 8 metres), or a bit lower on steep hills.

Today, the Wall has become a must-see for every visitor to China. Few can help saying ‘Wow!’ when they stand on top of a beacon tower and look at this giant dragon. There is a Chinese saying that a man is not a real one who has not visited the Great Wall. The experiences to visit the Great Wall will make your trip in China unforgetable and enhance your life. Therefore, do not forget to visit the Great Wall once you come to China!
 
(The passages above just give a general introduction of the history, structure style and the present conditions of the Great Wall. Now I will introduce the sections of the wall, which may be quite usefule for your trip in Beijing.)

A visit to China must include seeing this fantastic, amazing and breath-taking scenery. But remember to ask yourself what kind of scenery you want to see before you pack, because the scenery varies depending on which section you visit. Here I will introduce three sections of walls, thai is, Badaling, Simatai, Mutianyu. Badaling is the most famous one with the convenience transportation among the three, but it has been renovated. Mutianyu has been preserved as a whole. Simatai has been preserved its original state.
 
Photo Pictures of Great Wall Scene List :Simatai Great Wall
Jinshanling Great Wall
Gubeikou Great Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall
Jiankou Great Wall (Arrow Nock)
Huanghuacheng Great Wall
Juyongguan Pass
Badaling Great Wall
Shui Guan (Water Pass)  14  13  10  9  8  5  4  3
(1)Badaling is the section where most tourists go. The wall is famous for its completeness, imposing structures and the famous Juyonguan Pass. Most pictures publicized on guide books, brochures and magazines are taken in this section. But you may find yourself being pushed forward by crowds on top of wall in holidays or peak seasons.

Ticket Price: RMB35 during the off-seasons( Nov.1—Mar.31) and RMB40 during the peak seasons(May 1—Oct.31)

Transportation: No.919 at Deshengmen; Travel No.1 at Qianmen; Travel No.2 at Dong Street of Beijing Station; the branch of the Travel No.2 at the West gate of the Historical Museum; No.3 at Dongda Bridge; Travel No.4 at Xizimen and the Wildlife Park; the branch of Travel No.4 at Pingguoyuan; Travel No.5 at the taxis’ stop at the West of Qianmen; Travel No.8 at Andingmen and Qianmen. All of the buses above can take you the Badaling directly after 40 mimutes for ￥38 and the earliest run for each buses is 6:30 a.m. (here the travel before the numeber of the bus means it is a special bus only for taavelors to some main scienic spots ) You can also get there by train at the Xizhimen Railway Station. It costs you only￥15 for a round trip. It takes over one hour to go there and over two hours when you come back. The earliest run is 7:40 a.m. and the last one is 21:30 p.m. in festivals (it arrives in Beijing at 22:00 ). There is one train starting from the railway station almost two hours. The trains in Qinghuayuan Railway Station at Wudaokou only takes over one hour for ￥8. You‘d better get to know the runs of the trains before going there to save time. You can also drive there for 40 minutes by Badaling Freeway.

Telephone Number: 010–69121423

(2)The Mutianyu section in Huairou County, seventy kilometers northeast of Beijing is a good alternative.
Pass check: ￥20
Transportation: you can get on the Travel 6 at Xuanwumen or No.916 , which can take you to the Mutianyu directly.

(3)If you prefer to see the wall in a relatively natural state, visit Simatai, which is in Beikou Town, north-east of the Miyun County and 110km north-east of Beijing. This part of the Wall is the best choice, for it is still in its original state without being developed into a popular tourist attraction due to its distance and little public transportation options.  It extends for 19km and has tower 35.Sinatai, built by Qi Jiguang, a patriot, is the only one wall that stay its original state of Ming Dynasty in China. This section of wall has been confirmed by UNESCO as “ the Original Wall”.

Pass check: ￥30; round trip by telpher￥30 and a single trip by telpher￥20

Transportation: Travel No. 12 at Xuanwumen and Dongsishitiao at the weekends and festivels.(here the travel before the numeber of the bus means it is a special bus only for taavelors to some main scienic spots )

Tips:  As the road to Simatai is quite steep, visitors should not go along the wall by horse. When you need have some problems, you can dial 010-69031051 for help. You’d better to go the sections that the country have not developed as the scenic spots.

Suggestions: you had better visit the wall on foot, in which you can get a better look of the wall. In addition, you can also found a tent at night on it.
Group tours arranged by travel agencies often have Badaling, Mutainyu, Simatai and sometimes Jinshanling on their itinerary. At last, no matter which section you visit, this magnificent engineering achievement tells you the history of China.

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