The Simatai Great Wall

The Simatai Great Wall is located in the north of Miyun District, northeast of Beijing, close to the Gubei Water Town, 120 kilometers away from Beijing, belongs to the Yanshan Mountains. The Simatai Great Wall is built according to the steep mountain terrain and is known for its five characteristics: danger, density, neatness, ingenuity, and completeness. The Simatai Great Wall starts from the Wangjing Building in the east and ends at the Hou Chuan Kou in the west, with a total length of 5.7 kilometers. The Yuanyang Lake Reservoir divides the Great Wall into two sections, east and west. There are 16 enemy buildings in the east and 19 in the west, totaling 35 (including one destroyed in the water). In 1987, the Simatai Great Wall was listed as a World Heritage Site. It is the only ancient architectural site in China that retains the original appearance of the Ming Dynasty and is determined by UNESCO as the 'Original Great Wall'. Famous Chinese ancient architecture scholar Luo Zhe Wen once commented, 'The Great Wall of China is the best in the world, and the Simatai Great Wall can be regarded as the best of the Great Wall of China.' In 2012, the Simatai Great Wall was rated by The Times of the UK as 'the first of the twenty-five scenes not to be missed worldwide'.