Great Wall of China Travel badaling region

Badaling Region

The Badaling Great Wall of China was the first part of the wall to be opened to the public.
“Badaling” means you can reach in 8 directions.
If you stand on the wall, the ridges expand out in many directions.
It lies 50 miles northwest of Beijing, which because of the proximity, makes it highly accessible to tourists.

Several hundred dignitaries have made the trip to visit this marvelous construction and engineering feat of man. One of the, more famous heads of state was former President Richard Nixon. He was the first U.S. president to visit China as the People's Republic of China in 1972. The premier of China invited Nixon to Badaling as his guest.





The Badaling Great Wall played a significant role in the ancient history of China. It lies in a valley that forms a natural pass, which was utilized by different clans, to infiltrate China from the north. This led to some of these groups, to form the Qing Dynasty. The Badaling Wall was first primitively constructed out of bricks made from mud during the Zhou Dynasty. The wall was substantially fortified in the early 1500's of the Ming Dynasty. It has been fortified several times throughout history. The last time was in 1957. Badaling had the highest vantage point of all the passes, which gave anyone who stood there a strategic advantage over their enemies.

Built for the purpose of defense, stretching over 5 miles, the Badaling Great Wall of China has 19 towers and lies across Pass Valley. It follows the peaks of the mountain tops, which at their highest represents over 3000 feet above sea level. Five ancient cannons grace the entrance of the Badaling Great Wall. Most were excavated in 1957 and were used during the Ming Dynasty.






The Badaling Wall is about 20 feet wide at its base and 19 feet at the top, enough room for 5 horsemen to ride alongside each other. Height is almost 26 feet. The wall has large slabs of rock that have been mortared with special glue. The inside of the wall has been fortified with gravel and trampled dirt. There is a drainage system to keep water from washing away parts of this spectacular wonder of the world.
Just before closing time they turn on the lights at the great wall.





China's Great Wall Museum opened at Badaling in the mid 1990's. It includes several exhibits. The main museum exhibition covers the Great Wall, the influences of military, political and cultural significances of the Great Wall; and the construction and fortifications made to the wall over its thousands of years history.



To date, the Badaling Great Wall of China has been seen and experienced by over 100 million tourists and Chinese as well as many presidents and foreign dignitaries. It is the most preserved and popular section of the wall to visit, and it continues to be one of the most amazing Seven Wonders of the World.