Jinshanling-Simatai Great Wall

The Jinshanling and Simatai are two sections of the Great Wall that are connected with each other. Both of them are the highlights of the Great Wall. Jinshanling is located in the mountainous area in Luanping County which is about 125km northeast of Beijing, while Simatai located in the north of Miyun County, 120km northeast of Beijing. To traverse from Jinshanling to Simatai is very popular among the tourists.

The Jinshanling section of the Great Wall is about 10.5 km. Renovated in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it stretches from Wangjinglou Tower in the east to Longyukou Pass in the west, with 5 passes, 67 towers and 2 beacon towers in between. Different towers in this section have different construction styles and characteristics: they are of either a post and panel structure or a masonry structure, with single or double chambers inside. Various forms of roofs make it a piece of architectural artwork.

To the southeast of Jinshanling Great Wall is the 5.4 km long Simatai section which is separated by the Simatai Reservoir into the east part and the west part. There are 35 watchtowers in this section, with 16 in the east part and 18 in the west. All the towers densely scatter along the mountain ridges, among which the Xiannulou (Fairy Tower) and the Wangjinglou (Watching Beijing Tower) in the east part are the most celebrated. Xiannulou, famed for its exquisite architecture, is considered to be the most beautiful tower among all; while standing on Wangjinglou, literally, one can see the glittering night lights of Beijing city even from the long distance.