Introducing the Huanghuacheng Water Great Wall

The Huanghuacheng (Yellow Flower City) Great Wall is located in Jiuduhe Town, Huairou District, about 70 km north of downtown Beijing. It is one of the most ruined sections of the Great Wall in Beijing and a popular place with hikers. Huanghuacheng Great Wall is about 12.4 kilometers long and connects to Badaling Great Wall in the west and Mutianuyu Great Wall in the east. Huanghuacheng used be an area littered with many villages in the Yuan Dynasty. Later in the Ming Dynasty it turned into a rich and prosperous area due to the construction of the Great Wall. The Great Wall at Huanghuacheng was built from 1404 to 1592 for a total of 188 years. It is grand and majestic on the steep mountain ridges and it goes along the scenic Haoming Lake. This part of the Wall has historically been the northern gate of ancient Beijing City and also the important entrance to Ming Tombs. Later it was divided into three parts due to the construction of a dam in 1974, because the lower parts of Wall were submerged by water.

There is a story behind the building of Huanghuacheng Great Wall. During the Ming Dynasty, General Cai Kai was in charge of the construction of this section of the Wall. It took many years to finish the project and when General Cai Kai went to Beijing and reported to the emperor his accomplishment, he was put to death immediately. Because some jealous ministers had told Emperor Wanli that General Cai Kai had spent too much money and the quality of the wall was poor. Later the emperor sent a trusted minister to check the quality of Cai's Wall. He went back and informed Emperor Wanli that Huanghuaheng Great Wall was solid with finest workmanship. Sorry for his hasty in executing Cai, Wanli sent people to build a tomb and memorial stele in memory of this loyal general. He also wrote two characters “Jin Tang”, meaning "solid and firm", carved on a huge rock below the wall, showing the wall was firm and solid. That is why the wall is sometimes called Jintang Great Wall. There is a lake and a reservoir near the wall. The reservoir is called Huanghuacheng Reservoir and the lake is called Jintang Lake. Parts of Huanghuacheng Great Wall were damaged and fell into Jintang Lake after being bombed during the Sino-Japanese war. 

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Opening Hours

08:30-17:30 (weekdays)

08:00-18:00 (Weekends)

Price

Entrance Fee: ¥ 65

Address

Xishuiyu Valley, Jiuduhe Town, Huairou District, Beijing

北京怀柔区九渡河镇西水峪

Getting There

It’s better to book a private car for round trip, Taxi drivers normally don’t go there

Travel Tips

Better to visit from Apr. to Nov.

Last Updated

2018-05-05 15:49:12

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