Badaling

Coordinates: 40°21′15″N 116°00′25″E / 40.35417°N 116.00694°E / 40.35417; 116.00694

The Great Wall of China, Badaling Section
The Great Wall at Badaling
The scenery around Badaling from the Great Wall

Badaling (simplified Chinese: 八达岭; traditional Chinese: 八達嶺; pinyin: Bādálǐng) is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of urban Beijing city in Yanqing District, which is within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built in 1504 during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location's strategic importance. The highest point of Badaling is Beibalou (北八樓), approximately 1,015 metres (3,330 ft) above sea level.

Badaling Great Wall was built in the Ming Dynasty (1505) to occupy a commanding and strategic position for protecting the Juyongguan Pass (Juyongguan section of the Great Wall ) on its south, further protecting the city of Beijing.[1]

The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone restoration, and in 1957 it was the first section of the wall to open to tourists. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car. The recently completed Badaling Expressway connects Badaling with central Beijing. Line S2, Beijing Suburban Railway, served people who wanted to go to the Great Wall from Beijing North Railway Station. People can buy tickets at Beijing North Railway Station to Badaling Station. The 877 bus runs frequently between Deshengmen Bus Station (adjacent to the Beijing Subway's blue-line Jishuitan Station) and Badaling.

Fame

It was here that President Richard Nixon and his wife, accompanied by Vice Premier Li Xiannian, visited on February 24, 1972, during his historic journey to China.[2] Many other world leaders have made a trip to the site including Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.[3]

Badaling and the expressway were the site of the finishing circuit of the Urban Road Cycling Course in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Laps of the circuit passed through gates in the wall.

References

  1. ↑ "Badaling Great Wall" ChinaTour.Net Accessed 2014-1-18
  2. ↑ "American Experience". Pbs.org. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  3. ↑ Lonely Planet. "Bādálǐng". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
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