Seventy kilometers from downtown Beijing, the Ming-dynasty ramparts at Huanghuacheng descend directly into a reservoir created by a 1970s hydro-engineering project. Named for its three sections of the Great Wall submerged in lake water, it is the only stretch of Great Wall in Beijing that can be viewed from the deck of a boat. A short cruise passes beneath crenellations once manned by beacon-watchers, while a gentle hiking trail climbs through chestnut orchards to a watchtower that frames the lake, peaks, and fruit terraces in a single vista. Spring peach petals drift across the jade-green water; autumn transforms the surrounding maple forest into ribbons of scarlet and gold. A five-kilometer lakeside boardwalk makes an easy walk for strollers or wheelchairs, while a short protected climbing route lets newcomers clip onto a safety cable and edge along a vertical section of wall just above the water—enough excitement to enliven the calm views without disturbing the quiet of the Wall.