Visting Beijing Wonderland Castle by Subway

A couple of years ago I read about a derelict theme park on the edge of Beijing, sadly this was just after I’d returned from visiting Beijing. Even though I’d passed in by train to the Great Wall on a previous trip I never figured out how to get there at the time. Roll on two years and I returned to Beijing having done more preperation (and a new subway line having been built to take me there) and I finally visited what remains.

The Castle

A few years ago there was an almost complete theme park, sadly most of that has been demolished and the Badaling Outlets 八达岭奥莱 shopping mall built over the top, however the castle still remains and has even had a lick of paint to match the mall so maybe it might be here for a while longer. The surrounding scenary is also epic…

Access to the interior may be possible but it appeared to be inhabited by builders and some guard dogs so I retreated fairly quickly after the dogs saw me, however I’ve seen other reports that suggest builders don’t mind innocent visitors.

Getting There

Not many others were planning to join my adventure:

The Castle in essentially located behind the rear car park of the Badaling Outlets 八达岭奥莱 with not even a fence blocking access. However if taking public transport (and not really speaking Chinese) there’s a decent walk involved to get there. Take the subway to the far end of the Changping to Changping Xishankou Station (around 90 minutes from central Beijing). Follow the road towards and past the univerity campuses and police college and turn left down a Nanxin Road opposite The Old Beijing Mini Landscape Park, the mall is located where it meets the G6 Expressway. See Bing Maps

Other remains litter the surrounding area: