Badaling Great Wall

The Badaling sector of the Great Wall was the first opened to tourists. It is the best preserved and the most magnificent. Badaling means "giving access to every direction". The name itself reminds us of its historical and strategic importance. Because of its popularity it is the easiest to get to and has a lot of modern conveniences for navigating the wall or purchasing souvenirs.

It has a total length of 3, 741 meters (12273 ft) with an average height of 7.8 meter (25.6 ft). The section, which winds up and down the Jundu Mountains in Yanqing county, is made of large blue bricks. The sides are covered in stone, the top in layers of brick. Inside the stone in brick is a mixture of soil and rubble, painstakingly tamped into place. At regular intervals are window embrasures and castellated crenels. Beacon towers, originally for relaying military information, offer a respite from the weather. In peacetime, the Wall has proved useful as a highway, transporting people and supplies over large distances.