The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall was key to protecting agriculture and resisting cavalry of the Huns and other warrior tribes from the north. The advantages of the enormous barrier diminished with the advancement of gunpowder and other weaponry.
The wall was originally built of stone, wood, grass and earth. In the Ming Dynasty bricks were produced in kilns set up along the wall. The bricks were transported by men carrying them on their backs, donkeys, mules and even goats had a brick tied to their head before being driven up a mountain.
The Great Wall of China was built over more than two thousand years. Construction on the first section began between the 7th and 6th century BC, and the last work on the wall was done between the 14th and 17th centuries.
Today you can easily experience the picturesque walk site from Jinshanling to Simatai. It is beautiful, good exercise, but not always an easy stroll in the park.
So make sure you've had a good meal or brought some snacks, water, convertible walking shoes, sun lotion and plenty of film.
Jinshanling and Simaotai both have restaurants, guest houses and shops where you can get film, water, clothing and of course "I walked the Great Wall of China" t-shirts
and hats. Be sure and bargain lots for souvenirs and even overpriced drinking water.
It is about a two hour drive from Beijing to Jinshangling or Simaotai. The walk then takes between three and five hours. You can do the whole thing in one long day or go
to the start of your walk at the end of the day, have dinner, sleep and get up at sunrise and do the walk. It will certainly be less crowded at that time. Sunrise is beautiful
on a clear day and the wall can be amazing in foggy weather too.
Simaotai is bigger, more developed and touristy than smaller Jinshanling. I personally like Jinshanling better as a starting point because its much easier and faster to
get up onto the wall. If you want to sleep up on the wall there is a shop in a watchtower just above Jinshanling where I've stayed twice. You can contact the shopkeeper
and make arrangements for meals and accommodation - click here to learn more.
Both also have cable cars so if you don't want to do the walk you can ride up, have a little
stroll and then ride back down. Well worth it but do the walk if you can as you'll see more
and worked off all those jiaozi (Chinese dumplings).
You can take a public bus and get to Simaotai or the entrance road of Jinshanling from Beijing's Dongzhimen long distance bus station (Dongzhimen chang-tu che-zhan). Quicker and easier, especially if there are a few of you, is to take a taxi. You will
probably want to negotiate a flat fee although you could go on the metre. You will have to pay the road tolls and the driver may ask you if you want to take the "kuai lu"
(fast road). Say "shi" (yes). It will cost you an extra 20 kuai or so but save you at least half an hour and stop and go traffic. Another plus to having a driver is
you can get them to stop at the fruit stands or to use the toilet. If you plan to do the trip in one day you can arrange for a driver to drop you in Jinshanling and pick
you up in Simaotai or vice versa. Should be 500 to 1000 kuai.
Learn to say Great Wall in Chinese!
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