By Zhang Minjiao and Feng Miaomiao; Photos by Zhang Zheng

　　In February, beneath high, crystal-clear skies, Beijing is gripped by the biting cold of midwinter. Early in the morning, the Badaling Great Wall has already welcomed its first wave of visitors from across China and the world.
　　On the frozen Guishui river, some ride ice carts and sleds across the rink, while others wearing skates, chase and glide over the surface, bursts of laughter ringing out from time to time. To the north, on Haituo Mountain, ski enthusiasts speed down the lofty alpine slopes.
　　The principle that "clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets — and so are ice and snow" is not only a vivid expression of Yanqing’s commitment to ecological civilization, but also a powerful driver of its growing winter sports economy.
　　Leveraging its exceptional ecological advantages, Yanqing district continues to deepen the development of winter tourism and energize its winter sports industry. Meanwhile, the steadfast dedication of the Yanqing Public Security Bureau has built a strong safety net for the winter cultural and tourism market, serving as a reassuring guardian throughout the bustling ski season.

　　Safeguarding Tourism on the Great Wall
　　The Badaling section stands as the most historically significant, most celebrated, and best-preserved section of the Great Wall. Rising along steep mountain ridges and exuding awe-inspiring grandeur, it has long captivated visitors from across the globe.
　　Badaling has received more than 500 foreign heads of state from over 180 countries. As one of China’s key venues for state guest receptions, it also serves as an important window for international exchange.
　　The famous saying "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true hero" has turned climbing Badaling Great Wall into an enduring aspiration in the hearts of countless travelers.
　　Winter in Beijing features bitter cold and biting winds, yet even those conditions cannot dampen the enthusiasm of domestic and international tourists for the Badaling Great Wall. At the foot of the wall stands the Badaling police station, which for 66 years has faithfully ensured the joyful arrivals and safe departures of visitors from around the world. As guardians of the Great Wall, the officers play a significant role in shaping the experience of visitors from all over the world.
　　"Guard the Great Wall with a strong and devoted police force." This motto has long been deeply ingrained in the hearts of every officer.
　　On a bitter winter day, reporters accompanied patrolling officers up the Great Wall, experiencing their routine patrol, up a 70-degree slope, firsthand.
　　Zhou Yang is a warm and cheerful young officer, petite and slender, standing in sharp contrast to her tall and sturdy colleague Zhang Guoliang. As they reached the Second North Tower, a mother and her son approached.
　　"Officer, how much farther until we get down? My son can’t go any farther…"
　　"Almost there—just a few hundred meters left. Keep going, young man!" Zhang encouraged the kid.
　　"See? Even the officer says we’re almost there!" the mother encouraged her son. The boy seemed to find new strength and picked up his pace down the Wall.
　　Along the patrol route, tourists frequently stop to ask for directions. Zhang patiently points them the way. "While on patrol, we’re often approached by tourists asking for directions or hoping we can help take a photo," he says. "Before going on duty, we make sure to familiarize ourselves with the scenic routes and the most popular photo spots. While carrying out our security duties, we also try our best to assist visitors in any way we can."
　　The Badaling police station has established several specialized teams — including the "Senior Patrol Team ," the "Women’s Police Team," the "Party Member Vanguard," and the "Youth Commando Team" — to better meet the needs of the scenic area and make full use of its officers’ strengths thereby providing more attentive services to visitors.
　　"We currently have six female officers, with an average age of 33. Two hold master’s degrees and four have bachelor’s degrees. Four have passed CET-6 in English. We are mainly responsible for daily patrols in the scenic area, security inspections, handling foreign-related incidents, and assisting tourists," said Zhou Yang, captain of the women’s team, with a smile. "On many occasions, female officers are easier to approach."
　　Strapped to Zhou Yang’s waist is the standard police gear—but she also carries a few thoughtful extras. In addition to the required items, she always keeps a small first-aid kit, stocked with seasonally appropriate medicines. It also contains candies and basic hygiene items for any unexpected situations. If visitors feel unwell or experience low blood sugar while climbing the Great Wall, she can respond immediately.
　　"When children get tired and start crying during the climb, a lollipop can work wonders," Zhou says with a smile. "Just last week, I used one to comfort a little boy stranded on the Fourth North Tower. With a little encouragement—and a lollipop—the boy finally made it down on his own."
　　In tourist attractions, visitors often encounter a variety of unexpected situations. The most common incidents involve lost items, sudden illness, or getting separated from family and friends.
　　To better serve visitors, the Badaling police station has introduced a series of convenient, "quick and handy" services. The station offers a service desk and a mother-and-baby room, hands out raincoats to tourists on rainy days, and provides cold drinks in summer and a warm water in winter.
　　Speaking of these convenience measures, station chief Yang Jianqing proudly showed off the station’s "secret weapon"—the "Hook-and-Retrieve Tool."
　　"On the Great Wall, it’s pretty common for tourists to accidentally drop their backpacks, hats, phones, or other personal items over the outer wall. The wall itself is six meters high, and the outer side goes up to fifteen meters—and there’s no path to retrieve them. In the past, we’d have to lower someone on a rope to grab the items, and for deeper sections, we had to call the firefighters. It was slow and risky.
　　"Later, our team came up with a simple solution: a pole with a hook. It made a huge difference. The latest version, Hook-and-Retrieve 2.0, is a one-meter pole that extends up to ten meters. It’s telescopic and lets us swap out different hooks, so we can grab bags, phones, glasses, among other items."
　　Along the Great Wall, the reporters noticed that at certain steeper sections, thick ropes were tied in place, and neat piles of sandbags were stacked at the corners. According to on-site officers, these measures are mainly prepared for extreme weather such as rain and snow. When snow covers the wall surface, it becomes extremely slippery and steep, making it easy for tourists to lose their footing. To prevent accidents, staff set up safety ropes along the walls for tourists to hold onto while climbing, and spread sand on the path to increase traction, effectively reducing the risk of slips and falls.
　　Over the past three years, visitor numbers have surged, with annual attendance consistently topping 10 million and daily peaks repeatedly setting new records. On October 4, 2025, the single-day visitor count surpassed 100,000, placing considerable pressure on the safety management.
　　The Great Wall winds along steep mountain slopes, and its pathways are relatively narrow. When crowds grow, congestion can quickly occur, creating potential hazards.
　　"To make sure everyone has a safe and orderly visit, we have plans in place for big crowds and heavy traffic," said station chief Yang. "We keep a close eye on visitor flow and use things like remote diversion, controlled entry and fast exits, and easing congestion in stages. At spots where people tend to bunch up, we sometimes set temporary limits to keep things moving smoothly and prevent collisions, so everyone stays safe."
　　The 3,741 meters of the Great Wall currently open to visitors are divided into the North Wall and South Wall sections. Among them, North Fourth Tower is the most densely crowded stretch, and the path here is exceptionally steep. The sharp turn just in front of the tower, due to its tight curve, has been nicknamed the "Camel’s Neck" by the officers. During peak times, walking through this section means the face of the person behind is almost touching the heels of the person in front. When visitor volumes surge, Badaling police station deploys extra officers in advance at these areas to guide tourists through quickly, preventing congestion.
　　To ease the pressure of large crowds during major holidays, the police station works together with the scenic area management and travel agencies to adjust the timing of group visits to the Great Wall. The scenic area extends its opening hours in the morning and evening, while travel agencies schedule their tour groups to go up the Wall either earlier or later. This staggering of group and individual visits helps reduce congestion and improves the overall experience for visitors on the Great Wall.
　　At the same time, to combat deliberate defacement or damage to cultural relics on the Wall, Yanqing police maintain a strict, high-pressure approach. In coordination with the Badaling Scenic Area and the Badaling Cultural Tourism Group, they have implemented a range of measures and continuously run public awareness campaigns to prevent such violations. Together with scenic area security staff, grid workers, forest rangers, and even cleaning personnel, the police increase patrols at key points along the Badaling Great Wall, providing timely reminders to visitors to help safeguard these cultural treasures.
　　The police have also partnered with the scenic area and relevant tourism departments to form a joint task force targeting violations. Officers patrol continuously, actively detecting and strictly addressing any tourism-related illegal activities.

　　The Watchers of the Ski Slopes
　　The main peak of Haituo mountain overlooks the region from 2,241 meters above sea level, making it the second-highest mountain in Beijing. With its beautiful landscapes and majestic presence, it provides a natural resource for winter skiing, spring outings, summer escapes from the heat, and autumn leaf viewing in Yanqing.
　　Nestled against the mountain, Shijinglong Ski Resort was established in 1999 and is the earliest ski resort built in Beijing. The resort boasts comprehensive facilities, with carefully planned slopes catering to advanced, intermediate, and beginner levels, making it a favorite training ground for skiing enthusiasts.
　　By 9 a.m. one winter morning, the ski resort was already bustling with activity, as skiing enthusiasts kicked off a full day of training.
　　Zhang Zhixing, deputy director of the Zhangshanying police station, arrived at the ski resort early in the morning to start his workday.
　　"A lot of the calls we get here are about lost items or little disputes," he said. "All the rental gear looks almost the same, so it’s easy for someone to grab the wrong skis or forget where they left theirs. When visitors report something missing, we check the surveillance footage, but with everyone in similar ski suits, helmets, and goggles, it can be tricky to figure out who’s who.
　　"As for disputes, we try to sort them out calmly. Skiing is a sport—bumps and collisions happen. As long as nothing serious goes wrong, we focus on keeping things peaceful."
　　At the ski resort, Zhang’s phone rings frequently. As he puts it, once you’re at the resort, you "can’t get away."
　　"We’re really grateful to the officers at the station," said Manager Wang, who’s worked at the ski resort for over ten years. "Whenever we run into tricky problems we can’t handle, they’re always there to jump in. Some days, I don’t even know how many times they’ve had to run back and forth across the resort—I half-jokingly wish we could just set up an office for them right here at the resort."
　　Officer Du Chang is a veteran who has served at Zhangshanying police station for more than a decade. The ski equipment hall and the ski slopes are the places he responds to most often during the ski season.
　　"With more and more tourists and skiers coming in, we’re seeing a lot more incidents than before," he said. "These days, how we respond is a lot more standardized, and the job is tougher on officers. Every day, so many people come to enjoy skiing, and whenever problems pop up, we try to help out as best we can. It’s hard work, sure, but keeping this place safe makes it all worth it."
　　In 2022, Beijing successfully hosted the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. As one of the three major competition zones, Yanqing left the world with unforgettable memories of the Chinese Winter Games. The National Alpine Ski Center, a legacy of the Olympics, plays an important role in helping Yanqing develop its winter sports tourism industry and related activities such as ski training programs.
　　At the southern foot of Haituo mountain, the National Alpine Ski Center was built harnessing the natural contours. Covering roughly 432.4 hectares, it features a maximum vertical drop of 925 meters and includes seven competition and training ski runs with a total length of about 23.1 kilometers. It is China’s only alpine skiing venue that meets Winter Olympics standards and represents the highest-level alpine skiing facility in the country.
　　Among the most popular runs are the Haituo Traverse, Rainbow Slope, and Rock Slope, as well as the Winter Olympics downhill course, "Snow Avenue," which has been opened to the public for the first time. These attract large numbers of advanced skiers eager to test themselves and experience the thrill of professional-level ski slopes. From a bird’s-eye view on the "Snow Flying Swallow" lift, the ski runs wind down the mountainside like white waterfalls flowing from the peaks into the valleys.
　　The Yanqing branch of the Beijing Public Security Bureau has leveraged its existing ecological police posts by adding tourism policing functions, creating an integrated platform that combines tourism development with ecological protection.
　　Sun Hong is the resident officer at the Haituo Ecological Policing Station. In winter, he serves the booming winter tourism season; when spring arrives, his focus shifts to ecological protection. His connection with the area dates back to the construction of the National Alpine Ski Center.
　　He recalls: "In 2022, I was part of the security team at the Olympic Village during the Winter Games. Over the years, whenever the ski season starts, I head up when the resort opens and don’t come down until it closes. Most days, once I’m up there, I’m there all day. On weekends and holidays, we keep an eye on the crowds and bring in extra officers when needed to make sure visitors and their belongings are safe. It’s our way of doing our part to keep Yanqing’s winter season running smoothly."
　　While patrolling the ski resorts, he helps maintain order among visitors, inspects the safety of ski resort facilities, reminds tourists to keep their belongings secure, and carries out anti-fraud awareness campaigns.
　　Sun is a skier himself. When asked whether his skiing skills help him mediate disputes involving skiing collisions, he said proudly, "Of course it helps! It’s just like when traffic police handle accident disputes—if you can explain things from a professional point of view, people are much more likely to accept it."
　　The temperature difference between the mountain slopes and the lower areas can be striking. At times, even during the day, it plunges to minus 20°C, with bone-chilling winds cutting through the air. After just 20 minutes outdoors, the officers’ faces and hands turn bright red from the cold. They rub their hands and stamp their feet to keep warm, yet when they speak to assist visitors, their voices remain steady and reassuringly warm.
　　It is the Great Wall that introduced the world to Yanqing, and it is the Wall that brought Yanqing onto the global stage. In this stunning Winter Olympic city, the Yanqing Public Security Bureau quietly stands watch at their posts. On the ski slopes and along the Great Wall, those deep-blue uniforms are a comforting, reassuring presence, inspiring warmth and confidence in every visitor.■
　　
　　(Translated by Wei Dong)