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Simatai Great Wall was closed from 17 June 2010, and reopen is unknown until further notice
Simatai Great Wall Overview Simatai Great Wall is situated at Gubeikou Twon, Miyun County, 120 km (75 mi) northeast of Beijing. It stretches 5.4 km from Wangjinglou (Tower for Viewing the Capital) in the east and connects Jinshanling Great Wall in the west. Originally built in the North Qi Dynasty (550-577), it was reconstructed by General Qi Jiguang in the reign of Emperor Wanli from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It consists of 35 watch towers and still retains the original architecture feature of the Ming Dynasty. This section was restored again by Chinese government in 1987 and opened to the public in 1990. Simatai Great Wall was listed as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Simatai Great Wall Pictures Simatai Great Wall Map Simatai Great Wall Hiking   The Simatai Great Wall incorporates a variety of styles of other parts of the China Wall, but also display some unique features. This section of the wall is always describes as: perilous, dense, diverse, ingenuous and peculiar. Luo Zhewen, a pretigious Great Wall expert, praised “Great Wall of China is the best architecture all around the world, while Simatai section deserves the best among all China walls”.
With 15 watch towers in the east and 20 watch towers in the west, Simatai Great Wall is divided by a lake, named the Mandarin Duck Lake, which is fed by two springs, one is warm, and the other is cold. Even in winter time the lake never ice up. The both sections are linked up by a suspension bridge. Today there’s a zip line (flyingfox) over the lake for travellers to slide down quickly. The hills in the west are sloping gently with well-maintained towers, and the wall is winding on the hills like a golden dragon with majestic vigor. The towers are densely dotted in the eastern section and covered the peaks thousand meters high. Major attractions in the east include the Tower for Viewing the Capital, Fairy (Angel’s) Tower, Stairway to the Heaven and Sky Bridge. Unfortunately these places are closed to public due to safety conerns.
Tower for Viewing the Capital (Tower No. 15): at an elevation of 986 meters, it is regarded as the summit of the Simatai Great Wall. It is said that in a clear day one can see the lights of Beijing shimmering in the distance 120 km away.
Fairy (Angel’s) Tower (Tower No. 14): With a sculpture of twin lotus flowers above the arched doors, it is considered by many to be the most beautiful of all towers and is known for its architecture. Legend goes that it was the dwelling place for an antelope reincarnated in the form of an angel who fell in love with a shepherd nearby.
Stairway to the Heaven: Climbing the mountainside at a steep 85-degree gradient, the Stairway to the Heaven is the only way to the Tower for Viewing Capital and the Fairy Maiden Tower. Stretching upward along the abrupt mountain ridges, the narrowest part is just 30 centimeters wide.
Sky Bridge: As little as 40 centimeters wide in places, this 100-meter long segment of the wall connects the Fairy Tower to the Tower for Viewing Capital. It is said that only brave man, or foolish man, can traverse the Sky Bridge.
At Tower No. 5, at the northern window in the eastern wall, you can find the original bricks carrying inscriptions of the date on which they were made and the code numbers of the armies that made them.
You can walk up the wall by foot or by chairlift. By walking way you will start hiking the wall from Tower No. 2 and straight up to Tower 13. By chairlift you reach Tower 5 or 8, then continue the hiking to the end of Tower 13. For those who have exercise often can do the hiking up and down by the same way, otherwise take the charilift up and then come down by foot. Remember, try the zip line (flyingfox) when coming down, it’s a lot of fun.
Normally when you book a sightseeing tour to Simatai, you will do the Simatai East section of 13 towers. Fo those who want to do a hiking between Simatai and Jinshanling, they will hike from Jinshanling to Simatai West or reverse the route.
Camping on the wall, fishing and swimming in the lake are not allowed.
Entrance ticket: CNY 40
Chairlift: CNY 50 (round trip), CNY 30 (one way)
Mini-train after chairlift: CNY 30 (round trip), CNY 20 (one way)
Zip line (flyingfox): CNY 35, a journey of 40 seconds
Boat: CNY 10
Suspension bridge: CNY 5
Getting Simatai Great Wall  Activities at Simatai Great Wall
1. Hiking up and down the wall of Simatai East section
2. Take the zip line (flyingfox) for fun
3. Take pictures as many as you can
Travel Tips at Simatai Great Wall
1.Prepare enough water. You can prepare the water at the market near the ticket office. In summer time it takes 1 litre water each at least. On the wall there are local vendors selling water, and it’s more expensive than these at the market, all the drinks will charge CNY 10 or more.
2.It’s very hot in mid-summer (July & August), so take you own pace and organize 3 hours for hiking up and down.
3.In early spring (March & early April) and late autumn (late November), it will be very cold if there’s windy on the wall, so please take warm jacket in case of strong wind.
4.There are a group of local farmers waiting for the GUESTS when you approach the wall. The farmers make a living by selling souvenirs to tourists. They can give you help on the wall, as reward they will sell books, postcards or T-shirts to you. If you don’t like this, you have to say NO firmly at the very beginning, otherwise they can be very persistent and follow you all the way up and down.
1.Take bus No.980 to Miyun County from Beijing Dongzhimen Long Distance Bus Station (北京东直门长途汽车站). From Gulou Dajie Street in Miyun County, there are drivers lined up at the stop. You can negotiate with them by CNY 150-200 for a round trip for one car. You have to tell them you will pay the money after returning to this point, and they will wait for you at an agreed time at Simatai.
2.Beijing Hub of Tour Dispatch (北京旅游集散中心) has tourist buses to Simatai Great Wall from April to October.
Note: The above prices include the round trip bus tickets and the ticket of Simatai Great Wall. Visitors are arranged to have a three hour duration on Simatai Great Wall. The tickets are available at No.5 and No.6 window at each visitors dispatch branch center. Tel: 010-83531111/66015622/66070900
For more details, please click here
3.Take a bus to Chengde City at Dongzhimen Long Distance Bus Station (东直门长途汽车站). The bus will pass Simatai Great Wall, and you can ask the bus driver or the bus ticket seller to stop at Simatai Great Wall exit.
4.It will cost around CNY 800 for a private taxi from downtown Beijing, and it will take 1.5 hours from Beijing to the wall since the new Beijing-Chengde Expressway was completed on 28 Sep 2009.
Dinning & Accommodation at Simatai Great Wall
Dinning
There are a few local farmers’ restaurants as well as two other restaurants near the entrance, the local farmer’s restaurant has a better experience.
Kevin’s Kitchen & House, opposite of the parking lot, mobile: 13641280956
Recommended food: Chicken with Peanut and Chilli, Fried Noodles
Otherwise you can prepare snacks before your departure from Beijing, and you will have a pinic lunch on the Great Wall.
Accommodation
Sima Restaurant
Tel:86-10-69035159
Fax:86-10-69035655
Located to the right of the entrance, both accommodation and food are available, don’t expect any service here.
Simatai Great Wall Hostel
Tel:86-10-69035159
Fax:86-10-69035022
Located opposite of the charilift station, simple food and basic accommodation are available.
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