Mutianyu Village

Mutianyu offers much more than the magnificent forested Great Wall site. What is “off the wall” is the village of Mutianyu nestled beneath the mountain pass. Many visitors zip right through the village without realizing that it is a microcosm of rural China. What would they find if they stopped and walked around or strolled down from the Great Wall through the village?

Mutianyu Village is famous for its crown pines and is peopled by descendants of the laborers who built this section of the Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty. One of the oldest residents is a 91 year old woman with bound feet who was a leader of the Communist underground in this poor and remote village during China’s civil war.

It is a working village. The main agricultural products are apricots, pears, and chestnuts grown in orchards dotting the steep hills. Draft animals are kept and the millstones are used to make flour. Wild mushrooms and other edible plants are gathered for food.

Mutianyu is a friendly place and the residents are always ready with a smile. They are proud of their section of the Great Wall and welcome visitors and enjoy talking with them.

The Art Room contains a gallery of original paintings and drawings of the Village and its people. It offers quality reproductions of these artworks as well as note cards and other products with depictions of village life. Ten per cent of the gross sales of these products are donated to the village.

If you are interested in walking and touring through the village, our Country Store provides plenty of information on the local area, as well as some maps for local hiking.
Try an orchard hike, walk-on-the-wild-side hike or a half-wild hike to the Great Wall.