Simatai Great Wall

Introduction 

Simatai Great Wall is located in Gubeikou Town, Miyun County that is 120 kilometers northeast of Beijing. The wall was constructed in the Ming Dynasty by general Qi Ji Guang and it stretches for 5.4 kilometers from Wangjinglou; which is the tower for viewing the Capital city to the east and connects to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall to the west. The eastern and western sections of the Simatai Great Wall are divided by the mandarin Duck Lake which is fed by two springs but are connected by a suspension bridge. The springs carry cold water and warm water meaning the lake doesn’t freeze during winter. The wall was built during the reign of the North Qi Dynasty but was later reconstructed by General Qi Jiguang in the reign of Emperor Wanli during the Ming Dynasty. This section of the Great Wall was UNESCO listed in 1987 and was opened to the public in 1990 but only watchtowers East 2 to 10 are open for visiting. Ever since, it was opened the wall retains its original form but it is important to note that tourists are not able to walk toward Jinshanling Great Wall or in reverse.

Simatai Great Wall is a long section and can be seen from different parts of the Water Town. In the west the wall winds its way through gently sloping hills with well-maintained towers like a dragon with majestic vigor. The towers are densely dotted in the eastern section and cover the peaks thousand meters high. 

Things to do and see on a visit

Towers

Simatai Great Wall has a total of 34 beacon towers; 16 in the eastern part and 18 on the western part. The towers are relatively close to each other and the average distance from one to another is at least 140 meters. The towers are two and three storey in square, hexagon and oval shapes. There are towers with up to twenty four arrow holes while others have two or three.

The most distinctive of them all is the Fairy Maiden Tower and the Tower for Viewing the Capital; Tower number 15. Fairy Maiden Tower had a distinctive sculpture of twin lotus flowers above its arched doors and is believed to be the most beautiful of all towers. Legend has it that it used to be the dwelling place for an antelope reincarnated in the form of an angel who fell in love with a shepherd who stayed nearby. The Tower for Viewing the Capital stands at the highest point of the scenic area at an elevation of 986 meters. On a clear day, visitors can see the lights of Beijing glittering from a distance of 120 kilometers away. 

The stairway to heaven at a steep gradient of 85 degrees is the only route the Tower of Viewing the Capital and the Tower of the Fairy Maiden had its narrowest path at just 30 centimeters wide. There is a 100 meter long segment connecting the Fairy Tower to the Tower for Viewing Capital known as the Sky Bridge that also has a narrow path in some of its sections at as little as 40 centimeters wide. To the west there are 12 watchtowers snaking the sloping ridges and hills. Only towers number 2 to tower number 10 are open to the public due to safety concerns. 

Mandarin Lake

Suspended over the Mandarin Lake this rope bridge that is actually made of steel connecting the two subsections of Simatai Great Wall allows visitors to slide across the valley and reward the thrilling feeling. 

Visitors can also take a boat ride on the lake to get spectacular views of the illusion of a dragon leaping out of either side of the lake from the subsections of the wall that snake up the ridges of the two mountains on either side of the lake.

The western side of the lake is a very favorable environment where annual events are held like the Great Wall Climbing Tournament, the Great Wall International Gliding Festival and the Great Wall Cultural Festival. 

Visit the Mountaintop Church

The Mountaintop Church is located in the Wolongbao Folk Culture Region just next to the Great Wall Academy Inn. From here one can get the most panoramic view of Water Town.

Enjoy the Great Wall Music Fountain 

This music fountain show always takes place during scheduled times at night and last twenty minutes in every session. Visitors always watch out for the fountain because it is beautiful. 

Sightseeing 

Climbing the Great Wall rewards visitors with a bird's eye view of the whole of Gubei Water Town itself which includes beautiful lights and many people are amazed by the splendid scene from high vantage points of the wall. At night, the view is spectacular because the whole town gets illuminated and the wall itself is lit with lanterns. 

Hike

Hiking on this wall can be done either during the day or at night. Visitors can walk up the wall starting from Tower number 2 then go straight to Tower number 10 and the whole journey takes 2 to 2.5 hours while the hike down takes about 1 to 1.5 hours. The wall has steep ridges and hiking in some parts is quiet a challenge but very many beautiful views will reward the strenuous climb. 

At night, the parts opened are a bit more limited and visitors can only access towers 5 and 6 due to safety purposes and are required to take the round trip cable car. The countryside gets dazzling lit from the wall and the lanterns sideline the wall creating the most unforgettable scenery

Cable car

Cable cars are available for a more relaxed visit to the Wall. There are footpaths leading to Tower number 5 and Tower number 8 after reaching the cable car’s upper terminal. The cable car takes 7 minutes to get to these towers after which you can hike a little then descend down by either cable car or on foot.