Routes with different themes to visit the Great Walls unlocked

The Simatai section of the Great Wall in Beijing. /CFP

Endless mountains, an ancient brick fortification that runs along the ridge, is this still the only picture in your head of the Great Wall? Ancient towns, limpid lakes and waterfalls are also the sights of the Great Wall.

The Great Wall Culture Festival in Beijing has unlocked several new ways to visit the Great Wall. Different lines connect nine villages and 27 scenic spots to allow visitors to experience various cultural and historical themes in Beijing. There are several exclusive routes to choose from, whether you want to experience the Great Wall in the four seasons, its cultural heritage, history or art.

Peach flowers bloom in spring at the Hechangkou section of the Great Wall in Beijing. /CFP

The S2-Line of the Beijing suburban railway, known as the "Train head to the Spring," takes passengers into the flower sea of the Juyongguan Great Wall section. Meanwhile, Huanghuacheng Water Great Wall integrates mountains and rivers alongside the ancient Great Wall. People can also enjoy the view of the Great Wall on a boat in summer.

The Huanghuacheng section of the Water Great Wall in Beijing. /CFP

As the Gubei Watertown located at the Simatai section of the Great Wall, visitors can have their first sip of wine in autumn and get their hands dirty with ancient cloth dyeing techniques. In winter, visitors can experience the Great Wall landscape in the world of ice and glaze.

Food enthusiasts can visit the foot of the Great Wall of the Shuiguan section, which is famous for making traditional tofu, to learn more about the popular Chinese treat. The technique used there is a national intangible cultural heritage. Meanwhile, the former residence of Zhan Tianyou, "The father of China's railways," offers visitors an on-site experience of Zhan's hard work and brilliance in building trains here.

The Jiankou section of the Great Wall in Beijing. /CPF

There are so many different choices to visit the Great Wall because it is really a huge project.

As a general term for the massive separation wall or military project built by ancient China to resist the invasion of nomadic tribes' alliance in different periods in the north, the Great Wall stretches thousands of miles from east to west.

The existing Great Wall was mainly built in the 14th century, from Jiayuguan in the west to Hushan in the east. A total of 43,721 sections remain scattered across Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, and other 15 provinces and autonomous regions.