6 Things to Do on Great Wall of China Badaling

Taking a cable car to the summit at No. 8 North Tower is undoubtedly one of the top things to do on the Great Wall of China Badaling. Imagine how cool it is that you fly over the mountains, view the Great Wall from a different angle and reach its summit in merely eight minutes! In this way, you can also save time and energy, thus leaving more time on touring the Great Wall. This is especially suitable for little kids and seniors who do not have much physical strength but still eager to reach the summit of the Great Wall. Please be aware that there are two cable cars in the scenic area, one for reaching the No. 8 North Tower and another for the No. 4 South Tower. You should take the cable car to the No. 8 North Tower from Guntiangou Parking Lot.

Reaching the summit is a must thing to do on Great Wall of China Badaling for almost every tourist! On the summit at No. 8 North Tower, you can have a bird’s view of the Great Wall. The panoramic scenery is breathtaking. The giant Great Wall snakes through the rolling mountains, sometimes hidden in vast greenness and sometimes flying towards the sky. As the No. 8 North Tower stands as high as 888 meters (2,914 feet), it serves as an excellent spot to watch sunrise, thus it’s also called the Sun Watching Tower. If you want to appreciate sunrise here, you need to get up early in the morning and enter the scenic area immediately after it is opened.

There are 43 towers on the Great Wall of China Badaling in total, but only 19 of them have been restored and opened to visitors. They look similar but each has its own features. Some are walled terraces for soldiers to patrol and stand sentry, some are beacon towers to send fire and smoke signals about enemies’ attack, and some are two-story watchtowers. The ground floor is used to store supplies and accommodate soldiers, while the second floor serves as a lookout with shooting holes and crenels. The construction of these hollow watchtowers can date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Originally, the watchtowers were built with wood, but they were easy to catch fire and collapse. Later on, Qi Jiguang, a Ming Dynasty hero in defending against the Japanese pirates, put forward the construction of brick-structure hollow watchtowers, which was adopted widely on the Great Wall. Standing in front of these watchtowers, you can’t help having a feeling of esteem for ancient Chinese workers.

In addition to the cable cars, slide is also an energy-saving as well as a fun way to get down from the Great Wall of China Badaling. It is operated between the No. 4 North Tower and the Bear Garden near the entrance. Passengers sit on an open pulley along the slide and can adjust the speed themselves. It’s more changeling and thrilling than taking a cable car. However, little kids and seniors are not recommended to take the slideway for safety concerns. 

 Read more: Badaling Great Wall Cable Car vs. Slideway

On the south side of Great Wall of China Badaling, there stands the “True Hero” Tablet inscribed by Chairman Mao. Actually “True Hero” was quoted from a line of Chairman Mao’s poem “He who never reached the Great Wall is not a true hero”. Taking a photo with the “True Hero” Tablet is one of the top things to do on Badaling, because it symbolizes that the person is a true hero who has conquered the Great Wall. If you visit Badaling Great Wall, don’t forget to take a photo there for your True Hero identity.

Located at the foot of the Badaling Great Wall, not far from its entrance, the China Great Wall Museum specializes in the Great Wall’s history, architecture, economic and military significance, and current situation. The exterior appearance resembles to a beacon tower, while the inner exhibitions are arranged zigzag like the Wall itself. Travelling in the museum, you will feel the profound Great Wall culture. At present, the China Great Wall Museum has a collection of over 2,500 relics including iron and porcelain wares, coins, and ancient weapons.