Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall

Author: Guest

Average: 5 (1 vote)

Hours: Park open 6:30am - 7:00pm. Cable car open 8:00am - 5:30pm.
Address: 90 kilometers north of Beijing
北京城外北方向90公里
Phone number: +86 (0)10 61626873
Price: 35 yuan per person

Construction of the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall began in the 6th century and was later overhauled and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty. Although this section is a bit tougher to get to and tougher to climb, it allows visitors to truly feel the history of The Great Wall.

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.

Cable Car One Prices

	One Way	Round-trip
Adult	35	50
Child	18	25

Prices for Cable Car Two and The Toboggan Run
Adult Return - 55
Student Return - 30
Cable up - 30
Toboggan Down - 40

How to Get There

Tours

The simplest way to get to the Mutianyu section of the wall would be to take a tour. This should cost about 150 yuan for an economically priced tour including transportation there and back. There should be no shortage of tours available. Check with a tour company or with your hostel or hotel.

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. See the tourist bus article for more information.

Public Transportation

First make your way to Dongzhimen (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 (东直门外大街) to get to Dongzhimen long-distance bus station. Take #916 to Huairou (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.

Tags: Great Wall of China