Christmas comes to Gubei

It's located at the foot of the Simatai section of the Great Wall in suburban Miyun district's Gubeikou town.

Simatai is known for its precipitous landscape. Its undulating terrain and geographic location made it an important military fortification in ancient times.

The 5.4-kilometer-long wall with 35 guard towers is one of the only stretches of unrestored Ming-era Great Wall. Some bricks are inscribed with characters that indicate who created them centuries ago. Tourists can also take a 15-minute ride in a helicopter to have a bird's-eye view of the zigzagging Great Wall in the mountains.

The water town is 120 kilometers from Beijing's downtown and 80 kilometers from downtown Chengde, Hebei province. Buses travel between Beijing's Dongzhimen and Gubei water town.

Visitors who stay overnight are advised to book hotels in advance, especially during weekends and holidays, since there are only 1,378 rooms. Some travelers stay in guesthouses run by farmers nearby.