Introduction 

Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou County at least 1.5 hours drive from downtown Beijing and from Peking International Airport it is 1 hour 20 minutes. It covers a total length of 3.4 miles and is made up of a total of 23 watchtowers which are densely distributed. This section of the Great Wall connects with Gubeikou towards the east and Juyongguan Great Wall section towards the west. This section of the wall attracts thousands of visitors because of its easier hiking conditions in addition to a range of convenient facilities including chairlift, cable car and toboggan. 

The wall was first built during the Northern Qi Dynasty and during the Ming Dynasty Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang: two patriotic generals, reconstructed to further strengthen its defensive capabilities. Mutianyu was the northern protective screen and it guarded the capital and imperial mausoleums for so many years. The material used to construct the wall is mainly granite slabs measuring 8 meters by 4 meters by 5 meters. On both side of the wall are parapets that were used for the purpose of defense against enemies. Their normal shape is rectangular while others are unique and are saw tooth shaped.

Hiking from the base of the wall to the top watch towers takes around 40 to 60 minutes while exploring and walking the entire wall might take approximately 2 to 3 hours factoring in time for resting, relaxing and admiring the fortification.

Things and activities to do on a visit

Hiking

Mutianyu Great Wall is the best place for hiking as it has a smooth terrain. The section between tower 1 and 6 are very vertical and steep while from tower 19 to 20 the approximate 450 steps get too steep and most visitors find climbing these vertical steps quiet thrilling and exciting. The section between tower 4 and 19 is generally flat and suitable for visitors with less hiking capabilities and people with limited mobility abilities. For a much tough climb, hiking to tower 1 or Tower 23 is highly recommended. 

Entering from the northern entrance, visitors start hiking to tower 10, from the southern entrance the hike starts at tower 8 or 6. 

Scenery 

This section of the wall is particularly famous for its natural and breathtaking beauty offering very beautiful scenery as it is well restored and has unique views throughout the year. Woods dominate ninety six percent of the total area and flowers can be seen dotting the area in spring beautifully decorating the scene. Green grass dresses the hillside during summer. In autumn trees bear the sweetest fruits before they turn golden yellow and red. In winter, the area gets dressed up with white snow in the most magical way. The section between tower 14 and 23 bears the most stunning Great Wall views. Standing on tower 4 which is named Zheng Guan Terrace, a unique structure of the wall can be seen here with three watchtowers arranged on a terrace, two small towers standing on either side of one large tower. Beyond these towers, the wall is completely unrestored parts and is also not open to tourists but you can still see just how beautiful the wild Great Wall can get. 

Cable car and Chair lift

The cable car in Mutianyu Great Wall takes visitors straight to tower 14 while the chairlift goes to Tower 6. The section between Tower 14 and Tower 23 has the most stunning views of the Great Wall. The cable car and chairlifts offer safe and smooth rides compared to the toboggan and are highly recommended for senior tourists and also children.

Toboggan slide 

This long and thrilling ride is perfect for thrill seekers and is one of the most preferred ways of descending the wall. It is perfectly safe and its speed can be controlled with the availability of both single and double cars for parents who wish to ride together with their kids. 

Nearby Village

Back in nearby Mutianyu Village, there are rustic restaurants where you can enjoy the popular local specialty made with fresh trout, the perfect end to your Great Wall trip.

Introduction 

Beijing Zoo is located on Xizhimenwai Street in downtown Beijing, Xicheng District. It was built in 1906 during the Qing Dynasty at a time when the zoo only occupied an area of only 10 hectares with just a few pavilions and was popularly known as wansheng garden meaning ten thousand animal garden but was renamed to Beijing Zoo in 1955. The zoo now occupies an area of 222 acres and is home to at least 600 animal species making a total of up to 5,000 animals. Over the years, the zoo has fostered a good relationship with other zoos in over fifty countries hence representing unique breeds. There are hippos, pandas, elephants, rhinos, golden monkeys, amphibians, giraffes and orangutans among many other animal species. 

To make it more inhabitable, there are man made zones such as hills for lions, Siberian and bengal tigers, monkeys, white and black bears, deers, pheasants, jaguars, panthers, clouded and amur leopards amongst other african and Australian animals. The zoo is made up of 16 different exhibition halls with the most popular one being the Panda Hall built in 1989 occupying an area of 2.5 acres. This space is big enough to house the cute yet humongous pandas in buildings resembling ancient Chinese buildings shaped in Tai Chi patterns in the most aesthetic form.

Then interaction of the Chinese government contributed to the immense growth and development of the zoo giving visitors from both home and abroad the chance to come face to face with exotic animals and their interaction with their habitat.

Things to do and see on a visit

Most tourists visit the Beijing Zoo with the soul purpose of seeing giant pandas but the zoo is also home to rare Chinese species like the Sichuan golden monkey, Indian elephant, Golden Monkey, yaks, Manchurian tigers, sea turtles, giraffes and zebras from Africa. 

Pandas in panda houses

The Panda House is located near the gate of the zoo. Pandas are the most visited animals in the zoo. They are housed in panda houses and there is the Asian Games Panda House and Beijing Olympic Games Panda House. In 1978, artificial insemination was used to breed pandas for the first time in the world at the zoo and in March 1955, it began to exhibit the huge pandas for the public to see. In 1992, the artificial breeding method was officially accepted to breed and raise giant panda cubs.

The Asian Games Panda House was constructed in 1990 during the 1990 Asian Games when the giant panda Pan Pan was the mascot of the 11th Asian Games that were held in Beijing. The giant panda Jing Jing was then selected to be one of the mascots of the 29th Olympic Games in 2008. These panda houses are very habitable because their architectural design resembles the natural habit of pandas like that of central China in Chengdu full of bamboo trees and lush greens. 

Beijing Aquarium

This aquarium was opened in 1999 and is the largest inland aquarium in the world measuring 35,000 square meters and in the park it is situated in the northeast side. The aquarium takes the shape of a gigantic ocean trumpet shell. It is divided into zones: the Hall of the Shark, the Ocean Theater, the Hall of Tropical Rain Forest and the Ocean Library and Reading Hall amongst many more.It features numerous aquatic species such as precious Chinese sturgeon, sea elephants and fierce sharks. 

At the aquarium, visitors get to mesmerize at dolphin shows, whales and sea lions in the aquarium ocean theatre. Furthermore they get a feeling of harmony with the sea through a dynamic visible ocean bottom that presents extensive sea life through close proximity as if they are deep at the bottom of the ocean.

Historical sites

The zoo is rich with historical sites and visitors can see sites like the Changguan Tower which is a two storey baroque style building made of wood and bricks. This tower was home to Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) in the late 19th century, Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925); the founder of the Kuomintang and the ruler of the Qing court between 1861 and 1908.

In addition to this there is the Lemarck Hall which is now used as a Chinese Botanical Science Research Base but was initially built to commemorate the life of Lemarck (1744-1829) who was a renowned French historian. Also in the vicinity is the Song Jiaoren Memorial Tower set up to commemorate Song (1882-1913) who was one of the early leaders of the Kuomintang, but was assassinated soon after he was elected as China's premier in 1913.

Halls

Halls and exhibition in the zoo were articulately constructed to make it fit for the animals to have a cosy living environment and to display the history of the zoo of over 100 years. At the Gorilla Hall is a collection of artificial hillocks and wooden apparatus for the animals which sit against a backdrop of attractive gorilla murals. which was constructed in the early 1987. 

Facilities introduced for the gorillas include a medical room, a mating room and a specialist feeding room. The hall itself is decorated by a series of rockeries and pools. The Changguan Hall, built as Xanadu in 1908, is a two-storey building in the European style, yet it isn't open to the public. In addition to the animals, visitors can also appreciate the peonies in a peony garden.