Gubeikou Great Wall
There are two section of Great Wall ,one was built during North Qi Dynasty in 555,another was built at the beginning of 14 century during Ming Dynasty .The famous Simatai Great Wall and Jingshanling Great Wall are just located on the two ends of this section which built during Ming Dynasty and whose middle part is just the ruins of Gubeikou Great Wall. The main mountain has two peaks,they look like two tigers,one is set at east with face upward,the other is set at west with face downward. Great Wall is winding between the back and forehead of two tigers.This secttion of Great Wall also called Wohushan(meaning crouching tiger mountain) Great Wall,it is the exquisite part of Gubeikou Great Wall.Here, the Great Wall is not being redecorated any more,every brick has long history of more than 600 years and well preserved. On the beacon tower,the arched stone top likes ancient fortress,at all sides there are watching windows . When you climb to top of the tower by ladder,sleep overnight in the starry sky, it makes you feel just as Hamlet is reappearing. To stay on the dark peak, to talk with the historical starry sky alone,how miraculous it is.Here the Great Wall is not likes the Great Wall at other places, for here has been surrounded by abundant landscapes .Climb to the top of mountain and look far afield,you can see the silvery riverwinding among the green mountains; the group of mountains beats the sky and breaks the clouds; the lakes from afar gleam like fish scales in the clouds; the small train under foot now hides,now appears; on the jade like fields, dots of farmhouse are being scattered; smoke from the kitchen chimneys curling upwards and outlining an elegant picture of rurality. Here is not renowned as Great Wall at Badaling or other places,so here you wouldn’t feel as in the noisy cities where the mass stream always flows. The tranquility at the ruins of the Great Wall is really touching.From here to Simatai Great Wall is 16 km,also is 16 km to Jinshanling Great Wall,if you are interested ,you can go there along the ruins of the Great Wall on foot.
The Gubeikou Great Wall construction rates highly as an architectural achievement. The scenic highlights include Wohushan Great Wall and Panlongshan Great Wall.
Wohushan Great Wall
'Wohu' means 'Crouching Tiger' in English, because the mountain looks like two tigers, one lying on its back while the other lies on its stomach. Located in the western section of the Gubeikou Great Wall, its highest peak measures about 2,181 feet. A watch tower is erected every 492 feet of the wall, overlooking a deep valley or mounted on a strategically important hilltop. A professor from Beijing University compares the Great Wall to a huge cursive script work with the watch towers providing the pausing or transitional strokes. It retains its fascination today as its raw condition is still evident.
Panlongshan Great Wall
West of Wohushan Great Wall, it is located in the middle section of Gubeikou Great Wall, where most of the historical wars took place. In ancient times, both warring parties placed emphasis on securing the Panlongshan Great Wall, because each knew that once the wall was captured, the Gubeikou Great Wall would be readily occupied. The whole wall measures about 3.1 miles. Of its over 40 watch towers, the General Tower is the most famous. It is located at the commanding elevation of Panlongshan Mountain, from where wars were directed. There are four arrow windows on the north and south sides respectively, while each of the east and west sides has three arrow windows. This section of the wall is of unique construction: it is made up of earth walls, stone walls and brick walls. And it is also preserved in its original state.
Beacon Tower on Panlongshan Great Wall
A broken watch tower
Admission Fee: CNY 20
Gubeikou Great Wall Transportation
By Bus
a. Take a bus to Chengde City or Luanping County at Sihui long-distance bus station, the bus leaves at about every half an hour between 05:10 and 16:05. Get off at Gubeikou Tunnel and you will see the wall.
b. Take a bus to Miyun County at Dongzhimen long-distance bus station in Beijing, get off at Miyun Bus Station, and take a minibus to Gubeikou Great Wall, but most of the minibuses at Miyun Bus Station are privately owned, which are less safe than the state owned buses. It is advisable to take state-owned buses, you are advised to get off at Gulou (Bell Tower) in Miyun County, and take the state-owned minibus to the north of Miyun Hospital. It costs about CNY 3 to Gubeikou.
By Car
Start from Siyuanqiao Bridge, take Jingshun Lu and reach Kuliushu Roundabout, head for the direction of Miyun, reach Niulanshan Roundabout, drive along the National Highway 101, pass Miyun County and Taishitun, and you will arrive at Gubeikou Town.
By Train
The following trains stop at Gubeikou Station:
Train No. Leave from – Go to Departure Time Reach Gubeikou at
4449 Beijing North - Longhua 16:43 20:41
2559 Beijing North - Chifeng 20:59 04:07
2189 Beijing - Wulanhaote 15:30 18:10
Gubeikou Hexi Village
Overlook Gubeikou Great Wall
Location: in the upper stream of Miyun reservoir, at the foot of Wohushan Great Wall (the western section of Gubeikou Great Wall) and the bank of Chaohe River.
If you would like to experience the authentic peasant life around Gubeikou Great Wall, Hexi Village is a nice choice. The village has rich cultural heritage such as Luzu Temple (The Temple of Lu Dongbin, the Taoist immortal) and the tomb of Yang Qilang (a hero in Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127)). In recent years, the village has made great efforts to develop its tourism industry. The farmhouses in the village attract visitors with good food and accommodation, an elegant environment and considerate service. Each farmhouse can receive 10 to 20 guests. The dinner includes eight to ten peasant dishes. Visitors can play chess and cards, bonfire, mahjong, and fish in the village. The average cost per person per day is about CNY 60.
How to get there: Take bus 980 at Dongzhimen in Beijing to Miyun long-distance bus station. The journey takes about two hours and the bus ticket is CNY 15. Take a minibus in Miyun County to Hexi Village. It takes about one hour.
Gubeikou Town Folk Village
Located in Miyun County to the northeast of Beijing City, Gubeikou Town Folk Village has about 100 folk farmhouses. Visitors can taste the authentic village food and go picking in person. The local flavor dishes include pancakes and mixed grain vermicelli. Besides, the village is a multi-ethnic region where Han, Hui and Man nationalities live in. Visitors can make choices from their eating habits. The traditional cultural activities are held in the village such as dance yangko, running land boat dance, walk on stilts and riding.
How to get there: Take bus no.980 to Minyu Bus Station, and take local mini-buses to Gubeikou Town Folk Village
