Great Wall Night Tour and the Legacy of the Frontier Guards

Epic of the Dark Night: The Folding of Time between the Battlements

"The soul of the Great Wall always awakens on moonlit nights after the visitors have dispersed."

On the weathered wall of Mutianyu's western section, 55-year-old Master Wang uses a cowhide lantern to illuminate the cracks in the blue bricks. The clinking of the bronze keychain at his waist—a key passed down through five generations of enemy watchtower keepers—once unlocked the breathtaking "Crescent Arrow at Dusk" for a National Geographic photographer.

His son, Xiao Hu, abandoned a job in central Beijing to form a team that reenacts the roles of frontier guards. Today, these "modern night watchmen" clad in cloth armor often reveal the most authentic nocturnal chapters of the Great Wall to visitors as the Milky Way descends upon the battlements:

"We are not mere recorders of history, but transmitters of the spark of civilization".

While tourists record the starry sky with their phones, the night watchmen simulate the rhythm of ancient night patrols with the sound of bronze gongs. Here, there is no technological illusion—every crack in the brick is a handwritten letter from time; there is no false performance—all the guard's movements are derived from the true records in the Sizhēn Sānguān Zhì. Even as modern society pursues glamorous experiences, the romance of the Great Wall is forever hidden in the stories of the old night watchmen and the trajectories of the star trails.

(Note: The Sizhēn Sānguān Zhì was completed in the second year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. It is a local military chronicle. "Four Towns" refer to Jizhou Town, Changping Town, Zhenbao Town, and Liaodong Town, while "Three Passes" refer to Shanhai Pass, Juyong Pass, and Zijing Pass.)

Exclusive Experience: A Low-Threshold, High-Intensity Cultural Immersion

Star Trail Code：

• Beacon Light and Shadow: Recreate the ancient binary alarm system "Raise Three Beacons, Light Three Torches" using a laser pointer.

• Enemy Watchtower Star Map: Observe the shifting position of the Big Dipper through arrow windows to decode the time key for guard shifts.

• Walled City Sonar: Tap on different bricks under the moonlight to collect the sonic fingerprints that convey military information.

Frontier Guard Legacy：

• Night Watch Secret Chants: Master 7 rhythms of tapping bricks to transmit messages.

• Cold Weapon Drills: Practice the defensive formation of the Ming Dynasty's "Wolf Spear" using resin replica weapons.

• Provisions Code: Learn to calculate the stock of arrows with millet grains, reconstructing ancient logistical wisdom.

Secret Realm Routes: The Perfect Balance of Safety and Depth

Starry Epic Route：

Mutianyu's Enemy Watchtowers No. 14–20 → Dajia Tower → Zhengguan Terrace

At the Ming Dynasty boundary stele, set up a tripod to learn how to compose star trails with the Great Wall in frame, and finally capture the magical scene of fireflies encircling a beacon tower using long exposure.

Frontier Patrol Route：

Gubeikou Panlong Mountain → Jinshanling Brick Battlements → Simatai Fairy Tower

Retrace the night patrol route of the Night Watchmen with a cowhide lantern, listen to the legend of "Eagle Falling in Reverse" at the collapsed sections, and finally awaken the echo of the walled city with the sound of a bronze gong.

Five-Day Time-Space Journey：

Rewrite your family's frontier history under the moonlight

Day 1 – Capital Defense Class

• Morning: Dazhalan Military Supply Code, battle boots, and Ming-style compressed military rations (fried noodles + meat jerky)

• Afternoon: Forbidden City Armament Decoding (exhibition of cold weapons at Wuying Hall, Donghuamen Granary)

• Evening: Qianmen Night Training (drum-beating rhythm and secret night chants)

Day 2 – Awakening the Bloodline

• Morning: Learn to trace the genealogy of frontier guards (combining local chronicles and family records)

• Afternoon: Wear custom cloth armor for a family portrait

• Evening: Night Survival Class (patrolling the city wall with a cowhide lantern, transmitting beacon signals through light and sound)

• Overnight: Stay at a frontier guard-themed homestay (with stories of night watchmen, Ming-style heated kang, and cloth armor)

Day 3 – Deepening Great Wall Genes

• Morning: Craft a miniature terra cotta model of a beacon tower

• Afternoon: Simulated ambush defensive drill

• Evening: Rubbings of inscription bricks (using washable imitation ancient ink)

Day 4 – Bloodline Coexistence Program

• Morning: Learn the secret time key of the bell and drum system, studying drum-beating rhythms

• Afternoon: Create a family totem and take commemorative photos in guard uniforms

• Evening: Seal the return journey with a memory capsule

Day 5 – Eternal Covenant

• Morning: Hutong Defense System Walking

• Afternoon: Claim one meter of virtual city wall guardianship

• Return Trip: Carry home a bronze bell souvenir from the night watchmen

Nighttime Code of Conduct：

This is not a night tour—it is a ceremony of safeguarding civilization.

• Climbing on unopened sections is strictly prohibited (offenders will have their tour immediately terminated). 

• When photographing the inscription bricks, flashlights are forbidden (only cool-light torches may be used). 

• It is recommended to bring a notebook instead of a selfie stick, as some emotions cannot be captured by a lens

"While the world dresses up ancient relics with laser shows, we choose to illuminate history with the most primitive lanterns—true civilization never needs over-packaging".

Book the Night Watchman Legacy Hotline now—3% of every fee will be contributed to Great Wall litter removal.