The Simatai section of the Great Wall is located in the northeast of Miyun County,120 kilometers from downtown Beijing. It was first built in the early Hongwu years (1368-1398) of the Ming Dynasty. The Simatai Great Wall is cutted into two parts by the Simatai Reservoir, over which ther is a chain bridge running through east to west. The Simatai Great Wall is 5 km long with all together 35 watchtowers. Constructed by the Ming Dynasty general Qi Ji Guang, it is one of the few stretches of the Wall that still preserve the original look of that period. It not only feaures unique points from other Great Wall sections, but also shows some features found nowhere. To the west there 20 watchtowers snaking on the sloping hills. To the east there are 15 watchtowers atop peaks up to 1,000 meters high. The views are amazing. The wall at Simatai has received very little renovation. So Simatai Great Wall still retains all its original look. It is well beyond the reach of the great crowds of visitors that come to the more popular and easily accessible parts of the Wall.
The Simatai Great Wall, with densely-positioned watchtowers running along the mountain ridges, looks amazing and grandeur! On the mountainsns with mild slopes in the west, twenty watchtowers are well preserved.
The watchtowers on the Simatai Great Wall show a elegant design and different structures, among which the most famous are the Wangjinglou (Watching Beijing Tower), where you can have a birds' esy view of the lights of Beijing at night in the distance.
Simatai Great Wall is a fantastic site for sightseeing, hiking and exploration. It has been listed by the UNESCO as one of the World Cultural Heritages.
Entrance Fee: RMB 35
Opening Hours: 08:00 to 17:00
Hiking Time: Two hours
How to get there:
Take bus No.12 from Xuan Wu Gate directly to Simatai.
Take the 970 bus out of Beijing to Miyun and hire a taxi from there.
Great Wall is 5 km long with all together 35 watchtowers. Constructed by the Ming Dynasty general Qi Ji Guang, it is one of the few stretches of the Wall that still preserve the original look of that period. It not only feaures unique points from other Great Wall sections, but also shows some features found nowhere. To the west there 20 watchtowers snaking on the sloping hills. To the east there are 15 watchtowers atop peaks up to 1,000 meters high. The views are amazing. The wall at Simatai has received very little renovation. So Simatai Great Wall still retains all its original look. It is well beyond the reach of the great crowds of visitors that come to the more popular and easily accessible parts of the Wall.
the west, twenty watchtowers are well preserved.
