Seven kilometres north of the Yulin bus station, on the outskirts of town, are some badly eroded sections of the Great Wall and this imposing Ming-era four-storey beacon tower that dates to 1607 (and has been much restored recently). You can climb to the top for long views and also walk past old eroded and wind-blasted sections of wall and the stump of a disintegrated watchtower.
There are also two old surviving Siberian elm trees that Yulin (literally Siberian Elm Forest) is named after; the tree species, now virtually wiped out here, once grew in abundance along the river. Bus 5 (¥1) runs here from Changcheng Nanlu (长城南路), about 200m west of the main bus station. Take the bus to Zhenbeitai, which is the last stop, walk in the same direction a further 30m and then turn right; you will see the beacon tower on the hilltop.
