You will be picked up from your hotel at about 8:00am by your English-speaking guide and driver, and from there we will make the approximately 90-minute drive to the Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs, about 50 km/31 miles from Beijing, are where 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) are buried. This site was carefully chosen for its feng shui principles by the third Ming emperor Yongle (who also moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing and began construction on the Forbidden City). The tomb we will visit, Dingling (Underground Palace), is the tomb of the Wanli Emperor. It is the only one of the Ming Dynasty Tombs to have been excavated. It also remains the only imperial tomb to have been excavated since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

After viewing the tombs, we will head to the �Shenlu�, or the Spirit Way. The Spirit Way leads into the complex, lined with statues of guardian animals and officials, with a front gate consisting of a three-arches, painted red, and called the "Great Red Gate". The Spirit Way, or Sacred Way, starts with a huge stone memorial archway lying at the front of the area. Constructed in 1540, during the Ming Dynasty, this archway is one of the biggest stone archways in China today.

Following a Chinese lunch, we�ll drive for approximately 90-minutes until we reach the Great Wall at Mutianyu. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is a masterpiece of restoration, with 22 original style watchtowers. Mutianyu [moo-tyen-yoo], meaning 'Admire Fields Valley', is the longest fully-restored Great Wall section open to tourists. The wall, built with slabs of granite, is 22 km (14 miles) long, seven or eight meters high and four or five meters wide, crenellated on both sides.

With the greens of pines and cypresses covering ninety percent of the surrounding area, the scenery here is beautiful all the year round. The Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall has 1500 years of history and today's wall is a replica of the fortifications of 1568. Construction began on this section of the Great Wall in the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577). During the reign of Emperor Hongwu (1368-1398), General Xu Da rebuilt the Great Wall on its original foundation. Mutianyu Pass was fortified in 1404 (the 2nd year of Emperor Yongle's reign) with a rare triangular formation of three interlinked watchtowers. Construction was finished on the wall at Mutainyu, as it now stands, when General Qi Jiguang was transferred the area to command the garrison in 1568 (the 2nd year of Emperor Longqing's reign). We�ll spend about 2.5 hours on the Mutianyu Great Wall.

Once we�re done, you can hike down to the parking lot, take a cable car, or take a toboggan ride (highly recommended, and lots of fun!) down to meet our driver. We�ll then have lunch at a local restaurant, allowing you to refresh and recharge yourself after today�s hike. You�ll then be taken back to Beijing, where you�ll be dropped off at your hotel/hostel, thus ending your tour.

Mutianyu Toboggan (German technology). See who is playing here?

Optional Toboggan Run at Mutianyu (extra) You'll surely be intrigued about taking the toboggan down from Great Wall to the entrance gate down the hill. You can ride as fast or as slow as you want. However, it is also a driving test. One person to a toboggan, you have a little handle with which you press down to go faster and pull up to stop. But if you are not intentionally pushing it, it will slow down anyway. "It is funny when we Westerners are on there, because we like to go a bit quicker than the Chinese (read a lot quicker) and you hear the shrill voices of locals shouting "brake! brake! Slow down!" It is hilarious. Go on it even if it is just to hear that." --taylorstonebridge on LonelyPlanet   People at age 70 have managed the riding successfully. Can you?