International Mountaineering Festival

Initiated in the New Year’s Day of 1996, the festival has developed into the largest activity in Beijing, in which the mass of people climb the mountain to greet the arrival of the New Year. It has also become a traditional national fitness activity involving the largest amount of participants from all walks of life. It has attracted many international friends for participation. So far, it has held 14 sessions of international mountaineering festivals. In winter days, the Great Wall looks unique with dark green cypresses and pines. Walking through the mountains, participants would also enjoy the spectacular scene as described by late Chairman Mao Zedong, “Both sides of the Great Wall/One single white immensity.”

Great Wall Apricot Festival

The Great Wall Apricot Festival is held in March and April every year. Here, spring is very much in the air, with breezes stroking people’s face pleasantly. In a twinkling, the mountains are covered with green grasses that sprout out of the earth. The mountains are decorated with blossoms of apricots, camellia, and all sorts of nameless wild flowers. While fragrant flowers loose freshness elsewhere, Badaling is permeated with red flowers. The centuries-old Great Wall is imbued with vitality.

Summer Resort Festival

The Summer Resort Festival is held every June to September. In the torrid summer, tourists would pass the summer in a leisurely way, prevent sunstroke and enjoy the cool in the scenic spot. They will also watch splendid entertainment performances by Beijing art troupes and Badaling Great Wall Art Troupe. The night sight of the Great Wall will also be opened. Blue, yellow and green lamps draw the desolate and vigorous outline of Great Wall, making it extremely stunning when darkness falls.

Great Wall Red Leaves Festival

Great Wall Red Leaves Festival is held in October and November every year. As a poetic line puts it, “frost-bitten leaves look redder than early spring flowers.” In autumn, Badaling Great Wall looks most charming, as red leaves and the Great Wall jointly compose a most beautiful picture. The grey Great Wall relates the everlasting dignity of history. The sea of red leaves sprinkle the dynamics of life. Blue sky, white clouds, red leaves and the Great Wall would have you yearn to return to nature and experience the realm of “clouds drifting above leaves, and men roaming about in pictures.”

Issue the mascot for Paralympic Games

On September 6, 2006, the two-year countdown of the Paralympic Games, the mascot for the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, Fu Niu Lele, was unveiled at the foot of Badaling Great Wall that symbolizes the Chinese civilization and wisdom. The mascot fully integrated traditional Chinese styles and features of the time. It absorbed the characteristics of Chinese folk engravings and New Year pictures, and manifested the positive philosophy of life as advocated by the Olympic Games. At the Badaling Great Wall, Fu Niu Lele extended passion, joys, health, wisdom, fortune and prosperity throughout the world.

Olympic Torch Relay

In the morning of August 7, 2008, Beijing time, the most visible Olympic torch finally arrived at the foot of Badaling, the most representative portion of Great Wall, Beijing, the host city, after going through 21 countries and regions, and 113 cities and sacred cultural sites in China. A grand ceremony was held at the Guancheng Square. People greeted the arrival of the sacred torch by dancing merrily the red silk dance at Badaling Great Wall. Thousands of young people waved yellow silk ribbons to compose a galloping dragon at the fluctuant Great Wall. Toiling from Olympus, Athens to Badaling Great Wall, Beijing, the Olympic flame set up a bridge of friendship between the two ancient civilizations. It witnessed the marvelous picture of “One World, One Dream”, and exhibited the prosperity of the ancient Great Wall.

Sino-French Culture Festival

The theme of the festival was to go from the Champs Elysee to the 10,000-li Great Wall. The cultural festival supplied a new opportunity and platform for the exchange of Chinese and French cultures. It also allowed tourists from across the world to acquaint with France and its great history and architectures at the Great Wall of China. The 1,000-meter-long landscape painting scroll, French cultural heritages, scenic spots and cuisine culture were also exhibited. Meanwhile, 14 folk art performance teams from France presented programs. The splendid cultures and historical civilizations of the two countries echoed and integrated there.