Huanghuacheng Great Wall
Huanghuacheng (literally meaning "Yellow Flower City") Great Wall, about 60 km north of downtown Beijing, is one of the most ruined sections of the wall in Beijing. It has become popular with hikers in recent years. This section of the great wall is about 1000 meters long and connecting Juyongguan Pass Great Wall and Badaling Great Wall in the west and Jiankou Great Wall and Mutianuyu Great Wall in the east. Now it is a quite challenge to climb the wall since it has no stone steps or no smooth path found at other sections of Great Wall in Beijing.
Huanghuacheng was an area littered with many villages in Yuan Dynasty. Later in Ming Dynasty it turned into a rich and prosperous area due to the construction of the Great Wall at Huanghuacheng as strategically important Benzhenguan Pass.
There is a story behind the building of Huanghuacheng Great Wall. Its construction began in 1575, during the Ming Dynasty and General Cai Kai was in charge of the entire works. It was said that it took many years to finish the the construction. When General Cai Kai went to the capital and reported to the emperor his successful task, he was put to death at once! Some jealous ministers had told Emperor Wanli at that time that the General Cai Kai had spent too much money and the construction of the wall was poor. The emperor was so unhappy with these false reports, he ordered Cai's immediate execution. Later the emperor sent a trusted aid to check Cai's Wall. The aid went back and reported to the the emperor that Huanghuaheng Great Wall was solid with the finest workmanship. Sorry for his hasty in putting the death to Cai, Wanli sent people to build a tomb and memorial stele in memory of the loyal general.
The Emperor Wanli also wrote the two characters “Jin Tang”, meaning "solid and firm", carved on the face of a huge rock below the wall, showing the wall was firm and solid. So the wall is sometimes called Jintang Great Wall.
There is a lake and a reservoir near the wall. The reservoir is called Huanghuacheng Reservoir. The lake is called Jintang lake. The water of the lake is cold and clear for all year round due to the numerous springs. Parts of Huanghuacheng Great Wall were damaged and fell into Jintang Lake after being bombed during the Anti-Japanese war China a century ago. The whole section of wall has 6 forts, 6 passes, 12 beacon-towers, and 32 guard towers. Of all the forts, Yaoziyu Fort is the best preserved.
Maybe you have been to the Badaling and Juyongguan Pass, but the Huanghuacheng Great Wall is also well worth visiting. It was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), located at Jiuduhe Town, Huairou District, 65 kilometers (40.39 miles) from Beijing City. This section of the Great Wall at 10,800 meters (about 6.7 miles) long is a resort with mountains, lakes and the ancient Great Wall.
When summer comes, the entire village under the Huanghuacheng Great Wall is immersed in a sea of yellow wild flowers ('Yellow flower' is 'huanghua' in Chinese). Consequently, this village got the name Hunghuacheng, and this section of the Great Wall is called Huanghuacheng Great Wall.
On a cliff by the Great Wall are two big Chinese characters 'jin tang' which means being very firm and strong. In fact, there is a legend about the origin of these characters. In the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor ordered a general named Cai Kai to build the Great wall here. But it took many years to accomplish the construction. So the emperor became very angry while at the same time some traitorous ministers scolded that Cai Kai had spent too much money in building it. As a result, Cai Kai was beheaded. Later, the emperor asked ministers to check the construction. They found that the Great Wall was strongly fortified. The emperor realized that he had treated Cai Kai unjustly. Then he ordered craftsman to carve these two Chinese characters. So the Huanghuacheng Great Wall is also called the Jintang Great Wall; the lake under it is Jintang Lake.
Going to Huanghuacheng Great Wall, you have four things to do at least. First, you should take photos. Since the lake breaks this section of the Great Wall into three segments naturally, its uniqueness might surprise you. And the Huanghuacheng Reservoir lies here, shaped like a curved moon. Second, go to visit the chestnut garden under the Great Wall, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The ancient chestnut trees still grow very well. Third, climb up the steepest section of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall, Shibadeng. It is like a dragon, ready to fly into the blue sky. Fourth, look at Yaoziyu Castle. It was built in the Ming Dynasty, still well-preserved. In the castle, there is an ancient Chinese scholar tree. It is said that touching it could bring you a blessing.
Admission Fee: CNY 25
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00 (on weekdays)
07:30-17:30 (at weekends and Chinese Golden Week)
Huanghuacheng Travel Tips
Huanghuacheng Great Wall Transportation
a. Take Bus No.916 at Dongzhimen and get off at Huairou Dishui (Huairou Local Tax Bureau) (The air-conditioned Bus No.916 costs about CNY11, and the regular bus costs CNY 6), go forward about 50 meters (55 yards) and take the bus which runs between Huairou and Shuichangcheng (Xishuiyu) (the bus ticket costs CNY 3).
b. Take the special route bus "Changping - Jiuduhe" at Changping Long-distance bus station or at the crossing of Changling Lu in Changping District, and get off at Jiuduhe gas station (the bus ticket costs CNY 5), and take the bus which runs between Huairou and Shuichangcheng (Xishuiyu) and get off at the terminal station.
Huanghuacheng Dining & Accommodation
Xishuiyu Folk Village
Chinese name: 西水峪民俗村 (Xī Shuǐ Yù Mín Sú Cūn)
Located in Jiuduhe Town near Huanghuacheng Great Wall, Xishuiyu Folk Village is an ideal place to experience the authentic "peasant life". A large number of farmhouses in the village provide visitors with good food and accommodation.
How to get there:
By bus: Take bus No.916 at Dongzhimen and get off at Huairou conference center, and pick up the blue mini bus "Huairou - Xishuiyu" and you will find it.
By car: Take Jingchang (Beijing - Changping) Expressway – Exit from Xiguan Exit – Changling Mausoleum – Heishanzhai – Jiudu River – Huanghua Town – Huanghuacheng Great Wall – Xishuiyu Village. The signs along the road will guide you to find the way.
Jintang Mountain Villa
Chinese Name: 金汤山庄 (Jīn Tāng Shān Zhuāng)
Location: By Jintang Lake, at the foot of Huanghuacheng Great Wall; one hour’s drive to Beijing
Dining: village food and local snacks
Accommodation: 66 sets of three-star standard rooms; big parking lot; large, medium and small sized conference rooms.
Entertainment: bonfire, Chesses & Cards, Karaoke, billiards, badminton, boating, fishing and picking
Transportation:
There is no direct bus or mini-bus from downtown Beijing to Huanghuacheng Great Wall. There are three ways to get there:
1) First take bus No.916 from Dongzhimen Beijing to Huairou District and connect a mini-bus from Huairou to Huanghuacheng Great Wall.
2) First the bus ( same buses to Dadaling Great wall ) to Changping District, then take mini-bus from Changping to Huanghuacheng Great Wall.
Entrance Fee: RMB 15
Opening Hours: 08:10 to 18:00
Hiking Hours: Two hours
