Great Wall, Beijing

This picture here shows you how steep the climb to the top of the Juyongguan Great Wall is...after having "conquered" the Badaling Great Wall, hubby and I thought that this would be a piece of cake..well, we were wrong. Halfway through the ascent, we were so tired that we gave up (we are really ashamed to admit that we've got not much stamina).

Ju Yong Guan was an important fortress, and it is also known as "Tian Xia Di Yi Xiong Guan" (or "The Number One Fortress"). A number of poets had waxed lyrical about its scenery.

It had a long history, dating back to the Qin Dynasty, but what we now see was built in AD1368, during the Ming Dynasty. It fell into disrepair after the end of the Qing Dynasty, until renovation works began in 1992.

The attempt to reach the top of this part of the Great Wall was arduous, as some parts of the Wall were really very steep. I had visited the Badaling Great Wall, but Juyongguan was a much more difficult climb.

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Off course no trip to Beijing is complete without a trip to the great wall.

And there are a number of different places you can go. And each place is uniqe so you need to read up a bit and find out where you want to go.
There are even tours where you spend the night and sleep in a sleepingbag on the wall.

If you have the time you might want to test more then one part of the wall.

And no not underestimate the effort needed on some parts of the wall. Exausting.
But the views are stunning and worth the flight around the world just by itself.
I would say breathtaking, but that might have been because of the climb up there...

Here is the Great Wall of China.... On first sighting of this ancient relic, my thoughts were that this is indeed a pretty good wall, actually not too bad of all wall... Not so sure if it could be considered as "Great" though... ...

It was only after hiking quite a ways up the wall over a few steep inclines that I got the message. There sat a young Chinese lady who had hauled a cooler of beer (Which was probably bigger than she was...

Yes, yes, now I get it.... Any wall that had cold beer readily available, even up on the peaks, must be classified as GREAT....

Another scene from Great Wall. There are many base to see the great wall. one is this. Sorry I didn't know the name, but it located about 1-2 hours from beijing. This base will give you 2 paths: the easy way or the harder one.

I went to both of them :D. I think, I was taking about 4 post and half way to 5 in the easy way, and 2 and half way at the hard one. Not bad, eh?

anyway, if you come here, sport shoe is recomended :)

more picture? you can also can see it in my:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dyasmita

Admit it! Ever since those days long ago when you tried using chopsticks with one in each hand, you have had this life long ambition to climb the Great Wall of China!
The Chinese have figured this out and now the National Tourism Administration issues (and sells) a certificate to those who have finally crossed this accomplishment off of their "things to do before I die" list.
The certificate is stamped with a traditional red seal that says "Great Wall of China" in ancient Chinese characters.
It reads as follows:
"This is to certify that _________(name) did climb the Great Wall on ___________(date)."

No visit to China is complete without a trip to the Great Wall. Construction began more than 2,000 years ago on this wall that meanders more than 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) across the country.

If you want to join busloads of tourists (tours of the wall are readily available), head for the area of the wall at Badaling, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of the capital. Because this is where most visitors see the Great Wall, Badaling is extremely crowded. The Circle Vision Theatre offers a 15-minute film about the history of the wall in English or Chinese, and souvenirs are sold.

The 'remote' part of the wall at Mutianyu (about 90 kilometers/56 miles northeast of Beijing) isn't so remote any longer but is still less crowded than Badaling. You might try Simatai (110 kilometers/68 miles northeast of Beijing), an even less visited section and, some say, the most beautiful. The wall at Simatai dates from the Ming dynasty and is very steep.

The section at Huanghua is a section of the great wall off the beaten track. Here you will find no ticket boots, noisy souvenir and food sellers, groups of red, yellow, blue hats and flags ... Just the Wall, some adventurers (I myself met 4 people on the wall) and locals. The locals can be the biggest problem. Since this is a non-touristic part of the wall, the locals decided to make some money of it on their own. They occupy the strategic points on the paths leading to the wall and on the wall itself and collect entrance-fee. It is just 2 RMB (0,2 EUR) and it is collected every few hundred meters... If you have time and will to argue (I literary climbed the wall, because I refused to pay and had to lift a rock defending myself – but it was fun and worth it) – you can try, otherwise I suggest paying. The locals leave their posts around 5 pm. and then the wall is entrance-free. Since the wall is out of tourist area you better prepare yourself for the trip. Be sure to pack necessary clothes, hiking-shoes, drinking water and a flash light. It is also possible to sleep over on the wall in one of the better preserved watch towers (be sure to bring your sleeping bag – it can get cold at night!).
This part of the wall is not renovated so you can experience a true relict of Ming dynasty with high and wide ramparts, intact parapets and watch towers. It is set in natural surroundings, with a lake, water reservoir, a river, fields and yellow ("huang" in Chinese) wild flowers (especially beautiful in summer).
To get to Huanghua take a long-distance bus no. 916 from Dongzhimen bus station and get off at Huairou (6 or 8 RMB – depends if it is air-conditioned). In Huairou you can take a mini-bus (2 RMB) or a black (illegal) taxi (30 RMB) to Huanghua. The last bus back to Huairou is around 6 pm. The bus ride (around 60 km north of Beijing) takes approximately 2 hours.