The The Badaling Great Wall

Badaling is the most well-known and most visited section of the Great Wall that runs across the northern part of Beijing. There is an expressway called Badaling Expressway to connect Badaling to Beijing. Built in the Ming Dynasty, it was the first section of the Great Wall to be open to tourists. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was called the “North mountain pass”. The peak of Badaling is about 1,015 meters above sea level.

Badaling section of the Great Wall is the essence and the most outstanding of Ming Great Wall. Its strategic position, widespread fame, and gorgeous scenery cannot be replaced by other sections of the Great Wall. In 1961, the State Council listed the Badaling Great Wall as “the first precious cultural relic units under state protection” in China. And in 1990, it was named “the World Cultural Heritage Site” by the United Nations.

Those who have visited the Badaling section of Great Wall all acclaim it as the peak of perfection. It has received 80 million tourists including many dignitaries and celebrities such as President Richard Nixon, President Ronald Reagan, Mrs. Thatcher, and so on. Every year, Badaling receives over 500, 000 visitors from inside and outside China. It has become a yearning tourist site for people fond of travelling.

In addition, China Great Wall Museum and China Great Wall Cinema were founded at this site, offering tourists a chance to experience the integration of history and reality. It should also be noted that Badaling and the Badaling Expressway were the sites of the finishing circuit of the Urban Road Cycling Course during the 2008 Summer Olympics.