The Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou County 70 kilometers northeast of Beijing. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is connected to Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou Gateway in the east. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, Mutianyu used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. Mutianyu is part of the Jundu Mountain and is surrounded by woodland and streams with over 70 percent forest cover. The Mutianyu Great Wall has the largest construction scale and is of the best quality of all the sections of the Great Wall.

This 2,250 meter long portion of the Great Wall has 22 watchtowers, with the highest having an altitude of about 540 meters. Visitors can climb the wall by taking the ancient road to the Mutianyu Pass. A cable car is available to help visitors. Unfortunately, this modern cable car is also the center of criticism, because it damages the natural and historical landscape of the Great Wall. Two kilometers from the Mutianyu Village is the Gateway of the Mutianyu Pass, which is made up of three special hollow watchtowers: one big tower in the center and two smaller ones on the sides. Standing on the same terrace, the three watchtowers are connected to each other and form a rarely seen structure among all the other sections of the Great Wall.