Mutianyu (mù tián yù 慕田峪 ) is a section of the Great Wall of China located in Huairou County 70km northeast of Beijing. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is connected with Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou Gateway in the east. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, Mutianyu section of Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs.

First built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi, Mutianyu Great Wall is older than the Badaling section of the Great Wall. In the Ming dynasty, under the supervision of General Xu Da, construction of the present wall began on the foundation of the wall of Northern Qi. In 1404, a pass was built in the wall. In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt and till today most parts of it are well preserved. The Mutianyu Great Wall has the largest construction scale and best quality among all sections of Great Wall.

Built mainly with granite, the wall is 7-8 meters high and the top is 4-5 meters wide. Compared with other sections of Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall possesses unique characteristics in its construction.

Watchtowers are densely placed along this section of the Great Wall - 22 watchtowers on this 2,250-meter-long stretch.
Both the outer and inner parapets are crenelated with merlons, so that shots could be fired at the enemy on both sides - a feature very rare on other parts of the Great Wall.
The Mutianyu Pass consists of 3 watchtowers, one big in the center and two smaller on both sides. Standing on the same terrace, the three watchtowers are connected to each other inside and compose a rarely seen structure among all sections of Great Wall.
Besides, this section of Great Wall is surrounded by woodland and streams. The forest-coverage rate is over 90 percent.
 

Today, this section of wall is open to visitors. A cable car is available to help visitors. Another feature of the wall at Mutianyu is the wheeled toboggan ride down from the wall on a winding metal track.



Adjacent to the Mutianyu wall is its namesake village, which has been hailed by the Chinese government as a model village because of its rebirth largely thanks to tourism and glassware industries. Mutianyu Village is twinned with the village of Shelburne Falls in the state of Massachusetts.



Tips for Mutianyu

The wall at Mutianyu snakes across the mountain ridgelines that divide two valleys. Built across an important pass, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall was built with granite, and has maintained much of it’s original Ming Dynasty architecture. It is one of the only sections of the Great Wall that is crenellated in both directions, reflecting it’s importance and strong defensive build. From the top of the Mutianyu section of the Wall, you can also view a spur that was built out from the wall across a perpendicular ridgeline, something which added to this sections defensive capabilities.

This section of the wall is relatively unedited - it is less commercialized, sees fewer tourists and has undergone less restoration work. Standing on top of the wall allows for a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside , which is planted with fruit and chestnut orchards, and dotted with old pine.



There are two cable cars that will take you to the top of Mutianyu Great Wall. This makes it accessible to climbers and non-climbers alike. The first cable car is aptly named "The Number One Cable Car of the Great Wall," and is a comfortable and scenic ride up or down. The second cable car lift will take you up to the top of the Wall, as well as to a toboggan run, which is a fun and fast way to come down off the Wall when you’ve taken all the pictures you want. This cable car is open air, so if you are afraid of heights, the walk might better suit your tastes. If you choose not to take the cable car, the walk up to the wall is about 25 minutes.

Mutianyu can be a tougher climb than the Juyongguan or the Badaling sections of the wall, but the climb is definitely worth the reward. While it is not as steep as some parts of Juyongguan, some parts do not have handrails and the bricks are crumbling. The more distant parts of the Mutianyu section may even require clambering with hands and feet to traverse.



How to Get There

Tourist Bus from Xuanwumen
There is a tourist bus available some weekends that leaves from Xuanwumen at 8:00am. It goes to Mutianyu and Hongluo Temple and only costs 110 yuan. The downside is that it often isn’t available and it can’t be booked ahead of time.                                                          Tourist Buses ( běi jīng lǚ yóu jí sàn zhōng xīn 北京旅游集散中心 )    Phone: +86 (0)10 83531111

Public Transportation
First make your way to Dongzhimen (dōng zhí mén 东直门) subway station which sits on the northeast corner of subway line 2. From the subway station walk 100-200 meters east along Dongzhimen Wai Dajie to get to Dongzhimen long-distance bus station. Take No.916 to Huairou (huái róu 怀柔) district. There are several stops within Huairou at which you can get off and take a taxi for about 40 to 100 yuan to Mutainyu. If you look like you have money and don’t know China well (i.e. you are a Caucasian who does not speak Chinese and is carrying a camera and one of those silly rice farmer hats) then you are looking at paying more.



Opening Hours:  07:30 to 17:20
Recommended Time for a Visit:  Two and a half hours
Address:  90 kilometers north of Beijing
Phone:  +86 (0)10 61626873
Admission Fee:  40 yuan; 20 yuan for students.