Where is the Great Wall of China Located

According to records and field investigations, the Great Wall of China was scattered in 16 provinces, cities and autonomous regions, such as Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Liaoning, Ningxia, Beijing, Tianjin, Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Qinghai, Jilin and Hubei. Most of the Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty ceased to exist because of the natural weathering in over 2000 years. Nowadays, the Great Wall for tourism often refers to the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty located in Beijing and its surrounding areas.

Where is the Great Wall in Beijing

The Great Wall is a must-see tourist attraction in Beijing. Located in different regions, there are many different sections of the Great Wall. In addition to the modern renovated Great Wall, such as Badaling Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall, there are also several Wild Great Walls. The followings are some commonly visited great walls for your reference.

Mutianyu Great Wall: It's located in the north suburban of Beijing, Huairou District, 74km away from the Tiananmen Square (2h by car). 

-Address: Bohai Town, Huairou District, Beijing, China 北京市怀柔区渤海镇慕田峪村

>>How to get to Mutianyu Great Wall | >>Mutianyu Great Wall Maps

Badaling Great Wall:  Situated in the northwest suburban area of Beijing, it is about 75km away from the Tiananmen Square (2h by car).

-Address: Badaling,Yanqing District, Beijing 北京市延庆区八达岭

>>How to get to Badaling Great Wall | >>Badaling Great Wall Maps

Jinshanling Great Wall: Located in the northeast of Beijing, it is  about 154km to Beijing downtown, 91km to Chengde City.

-Address: Hualougou, Bakeshiyin Town, Luanping County, Heibei 河北省承德滦平县巴克什营镇花楼沟村

>>How to get to Jinshanling Great Wall | >>Jinshanling Great Wall Maps

Simatai Great Wall: Located in the northwest outskirts of Beijing, it is about 140km to Tainanmen square, 16km to Jinshanling Great Wall.

-Address: Simatai, Gubei Ancient Town, Miyun District, Beijing 北京市密云区古北水镇司马台村

>>How to get to Simatai Great Wall | >>Simatai Great Wall Maps

Jiankou Great Wall: Situated in the northwest of the suburb of Beijing, 72km to the city center, Jiankou Great Wall is about 30 kilometers away from Huairou District.

-Address: Badaohe, Bohai County, Huairou District, Beijing 北京市区怀柔县渤海镇八道河乡

Huanghuacheng Great Wall: Located in the northern outskirts of Beijing, Huanghuacheng is and 80km away from the city center

-Address: Xishuiyu, Duhe County, Huairou District, Beijing 北京市怀柔区九渡河镇西水峪村

>>How to get to Huanghuacheng Great Wall | >> Huanghuacheng Great Wall Maps

Gubeikou Great Wall: Located in the northeast outskirts of Beijing, it is about 144km away from Tiananmen square (3h by car), and 11km next to Simatai Great Wall.

-Address: Gubeikou County, Miyun District, Beijing 北京市密云区古北口镇

Juyongguan Great Wall: Located in the northwest outskirts of Beijing, it is about 56km away from Tiananmen square (1h by car), and 14km next to Badaling Great Wall.

-Address: Juyongguan, Nankou County, Changping District, Beijing 北京市昌平区南口镇居庸关村

Where is the Great Wall of China Located in Different Dynasty

Since the first Great Wall has been built in Pre-Qin Dynasty (771 BC - 221 BC), the great wall construction process never ceased in the following dynasties for over 2000 years. Most of the Great Walls have been built in the northern China and central plains. Even we could hardly trace back the complete figure of the great wall in every dynasty, the one still remained, such as the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty in Beijing, is telling us how gorgeous they were.

Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 207 BC): From today's Gansu Provinc in the west and to the eastern end of Datong River in the north Korea, and it passed through Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Liaoning provinces.

Han Dynasty (202 BC - 8 AD): From the northern edge of Tarim Basin in Xinjiang in the west to the eastern border of the Yalu River between China and north Korea. It crosses seven provinces and regions in northern China through Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Liaoning.

Western Jin Dynasty (266 AD - 316 AD): In the eastern China, the Great Wall was basically built on the basis of the old Great Wall of the Han Dynasty, located in Hebei, southeastern Inner Mongolia and Liaoning.

Northern Wei Dynasty (386 AD - 534 AD): There are totally 2 great wall sections, located in four provinces and autonomous regions, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Beijing.

Eastern Wei Dynasty (534 AD - 550 AD): It is about 50 kilometers long, located in Xinzhou and Ningwu in the north-central part of Shanxi Province.

Sui Dynasty (581 AD - 618 AD): The Great Wall was built seven times in history. The East and West distribute in Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Hebei province

Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 907 AD): The relationship between the central empire and the surrounding tribes was well handled, and the Great Wall was basically not built.

Liao Dynasty (916 AD - 1125 AD): a part of the Great Wall, recorded in the southern coast of Liaoning, southern Heilongjiang and Northern Jilin;

Northern Song Dynasty (960 AD - 1127 AD): The Great Wall was built in the Yanmenguan area of Shanxi Province.

Jin Dynasty (1115 AD - 1234 AD): The Great Wall of this grassland area is located in the north and northeast of China. It is said that there are also relics near Qiqihar in Heilongjiang Province.

Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD): from Yalu River in the east to Qilian Mountain in the west, it covers over 10 provinces, including Liaoning, Mongolia, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai.

How to Plan a Great Wall Hiking Tour

There are many stunning Great Walls in Beijing offering you the marvellous views, including Mutianyu Great Wall, Jiankou Great Wall, Simatai Great Wall, Badaling Great Wall and Huanghuacheng Great Wall. Exploring the representative Jinshanling Great Wall and the only lakeside Huanghuacheng Great Wall, trekking on steep mountain ridge of Jiankou Great Wall and the near section of the better preserved Mutianyu Great Wall, admiring the famous and renovated Badaling Great Wall, you can encounter different sparking sides of each section and commemorate the man-made wonder of the ancient Chinese people. China Discovery offers you tailor-made tour service, and you can fully experience all the famous great walls in 2 days. If you have more time, it's also recommended to explore other attractions in Beijing, such as the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and More!

Top-Recommended Great Wall Hiking Tour

>> 2 Days Mutianyu and Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking

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