Simatai Castle

The Simatai Fortress was built during the reign of Emperor Wanli ( 1573 -1620 ) in Ming Dynasty ( 1368 - 1644 ). It was a large fort where the soldiers  and their family members stationed and lived at the foot of Simatai Great Wall. The old Simatai Fort was located just south of Simatai Great Wall with about a few hundred meters' walking distance.

From the year 2010, the local government started to implement the policy of  "Building Socialist New village“ by making use of the huge project of building Gubei Water Town on the original area where the 5 sub natural villages were located, a project with an investment of over 4 billion yuan by CYTS and a few other investors combined.

On my recent trip to Simatai Great Wall, I've snapped a few pictures of Simatai Fortress.

This is the north gate to Simatai Castle.  There exists a traditional wall screen in front of the entrance.

All the houses are deserted and some have been turned down. It is said that experts concerned have advocated the protection  and restoration of the old houses inside  the large fort.

This is the south gate to the castle.  I jump on to the southern fortress wall for a panaromic view of the broken old buildings inside the fortress.

Standing the southern castle wall, you could see the empty and dilapidated houses inside.

The east side wall of the old castle,  close to the huge parking east of the entrance to Gubei Water Town.

We find a great number of the stones and slabs by the fortress. It seems that the local government is going to retore the old castle.

Add-on

Tip:  Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for guided tours to Beijing:

Further Readings