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2003 Great Wall Hiking Group Diary click here
"This trip may only last for fifteen days, but the experience of Chinese Culture/History and the memory of beautiful mountain scenery will last for a lifetime."
Audience: This tour is a perfect compromise between back packing and being bussed around with a new hotel every night. Day Hiking, as opposed to back packing, means that each day after breakfast, a bus takes us to the beginning of a hike, transfers our luggage, and pick us up at the end of the hike. A hot shower always awaits us at the next hotel. Every night we stay at a comfortable hotel. Although the hiking is not difficult, daily hikes of 10 to 15 km (1 km = 0.621 mile) require good endurance. You should be an enthusiastic, experienced day hiker to enjoy this trip.After two or three days spent on hiking, we will take one day sightseeing because there are many history, cultural and traditional events you do not want to miss. For detail itinerary please click on the menu-bar at the top of this page.
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China Hiking Adventures Inc. welcomes you to the website for the Great Wall Hiking Tour. For more pictures of the Great Wall, click on this link.
Over 6,000 kilometers long, the Great Wall is the symbol of the Chinese nation. We will tour the GREAT WALL from Beijing section, in pockets, going east until it ends in the China Sea. Each day we will hike along the most historic and best-preserved parts of the Wall. Some part of the Wall is in ruin and we'll be hiking the trail on top of it.
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Map of HeBei Province
This website is divided into five sections.
Overview gives a general description of the aims and scope of this tour.
Itinerary provides a detailed look at the daily activities.
References allows others who have taken this tour to talk about their experiences.
Details talks about what's included in the tour, as well as the costs.
Registration will bring you to the China Hiking Adventures Inc. Online Registration System Page for secure registration.
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China Hiking Adventure Inc. licensed under the Ontario Government Travel Agency Act TICO for your financial protection. Our TICO registration number is 50015540. To check us out you can phone TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) at 905-624-6241. This is the travel industry regulating body which maintains a bonding insurance to protect consumers' funds.
Scene List :
Simatai Great Wall 3
Jinshanling Great Wall 4
Mutianyu Great Wall 8
Juyongguan Pass 13
Badaling Great Wall 14
Gubeikou Great Wall 5
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For you to have a second opinion Link to: Travel With A Challenge click here
Pour encourager le développement des relations entre le Québec et la Chine
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On July 1, 2006 Qinghai-Tibet Railway put into operation
which changed the History of Tibet forever !!
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to foster people-to-people relations between China and USA
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Relief goods from China arrives in US
2005-09/08
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, the United States, Sept. 7 (Xinhuanet)-- A total of 104 tons of relief aid from China arrived Wednesday afternoon at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, the United States, on board a Boeing 747 airplane.
The relief materials provided by China include tents, light power generators, bed sheets and clothes.
The US side extended warm welcome to the arrival of the aid. "Welcome our People's Republic of China friends" and "Thanks for your support" were written in electric bulletins around the air base.
Commander for Little Rock Air Force Base, General Joseph Reheiser, greeted at a civil airport in Little Rock China's Consul General at Houston Hu Yeshun, who arrived here to receive the cargo plane.
Reheiser told Xinhua, "It (the airlift)'s quite unusual. I'm not a historian, but I can't think of a time when China has airlifted relief supply to the United States. I think it's a historic event and we're very appreciative that China has done it."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency would arrange cargo trucks and see to it that the relief materials be sent to the stricken areas, he added.
Hu said the airlift showed deep sympathy and condolences of the Chinese Government and people to the American people who have suffered a severe natural disaster.
General Reheiser had expressed the hope for increased exchanges between the armed forces of China and the United States, apart from the efforts to boost the governmental and non-governmental exchanges between the two countries, said Hu.
According to General Reheiser, Little Rock Air Force Base has been the sole distributing center for international relief materials for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which ripped through the southeastern part of the United States on Aug. 29 and inflicted heavy casualties and damages.
So far,the base has received 14 air cargos loaded
with relief materials from Russia, Spain, France, Italy, Britain and
other countries, said General Reheiser, adding that another 13
dispatches of relief aid are expected to pour in in the next two
days. Enditem
?br>http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/08/content_3460897.h
We invite you to look at
Photos
from hikers in the past tours
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Extension Tours are available :
2. Xian -- Terra Cotta Warriors Museum and its photos
3. Three Gorges Cruise down YangTse River and its photos
<<Walking the Wall >>
following are parts of feature story printed by 'Boston Globe' on September 5, 2004
and this paper was written by Marty Basch
who is a member of our 2004 Great Wall Hiking group (photo).
Stretching for more than 4,000 miles across northern China to the Yellow Sea, the wall, its origins almost 3,000 years old, was constructed as a defense against marauders. It is a symbol of China and once an important transportation system. Beacons were used with flags and smoke as a way to communicate approaching army positions. The varying architecture is impressive, as is its strategic military placement in valleys and along ridges. The wall is also a sinister. The enemy was lured into courtyards with false doors, deathtraps where hot oil was poured on them by soldiers overhead. The wall is also an opening to rural China. Terraced fields of corn and rows of apple trees with little bags protecting the fruit are planted in sight of the wall in dusty brick villages where residents use hand pumps for water and animals live in the yards. Squirrels, butterflies and passing song birds are spotted. The YanShan Mountains ripple like the sea, watchtowers floating in the distance? The Great Wall is the world's largest staircase. There are old steps and new steps, some broken, other worn. Low steps, shin-high steps, and dizzyingly steep steps are climbed in dress shoes, hiking steps, sandals, sneakers, pointy shoes, and high-tops, worn by loud schoolchildren, quiet senior citizens, staining tourists, and scurrying workers?
Scene List :
Simatai Great Wall 3
Jinshanling Great Wall 4
Mutianyu Great Wall 8
Juyongguan Pass 13
Badaling Great Wall 14
Gubeikou Great Wall 5
MuTianYu …about 45 miles northeast of Beijing the steps are in blissful shade we are climbing them under the cool pine trees up to the Great Wall where there is little escape from the heat and haze. Just to get to the wall, we walk up 1000 nice even steps. The wall looks like an eagle, two wings spread across a crest of mountains. The tower served as a photo op during President Clinton's 1988 visit. I turn to our guide and ask if the former president climbed all the steps we did, including those first thousand. " He took the cable car," the guide says smiling.
BaDaLing…a most congested and popular spot on the wall about 40 miles from Beijing, we meet three robed monks. They speak no English. One stopped us, and through the international language of pantomine, gestures for us to take their pictures - together with us. Our guide later explains that our group is a curiosity to people who don't see many Westerners. Throughout the two weeks tour all members of our party were asked to have their photos taken while on the wall. The most requests went to an African-American social worker from Maryland. People stopped, stared, pointed, and some even had to touch her. She took it in stride.
JuYong Pass…nearly 35 miles from Beijing. We looked upon ancient barracks where generals once lived and temples sat, we passed…a line of locks call "love locks", strung on the wall. Couples announce their love for each other and then throw away the key. The longer we walked up the steep, narrow stairs packed with people, the fewer people there were.
JinShanLing…about 55 miles from ChengDe city on the spectacular 7 mile hike to the incredible knife-edge peaks at SiMaTai. From each watchtower ( 67 are said to grace this section ) it is like the Great Wall for the first time. Atop tours reached through steep, narrow steps are million-dollar vistas of an endless dragon's tail. Here, the wall fades into yesteryear with broken steps, and unsafe ruins where trails lead along the wall to the next passable place. Bricks bear the inscription of where they were made hundreds of years ago. On the Great Wall are more walls, outfitted with slots where archers could safely ward off intruders. A swaying cable bridge crosses to SiMaTai
LuoWenYu The farther from Beijing we traveled, the less populated the wall became. The only person we saw at the crumbling section in the village was a farmer. No vendors, no admission, nothing. We followed a signless trail over a dry riverbed and under terraced chestnut trees to reach a decaying section of the wall that had not been rebuilt for tourists. Sandy soil, rows of corn along it, a sea of mountains in the distance
JiuMenKou is on the border of HeBei and LiaoNing Provinces and the wall features a flat bridge that crosses a river, dry in June. We head into the dusty village to find a soda. Always, villagers asked our Chinese guide where we are from.
JiaShan the first mountain the Great Wall climbs. At the top, we gaze out upon the jagged hills surrounding YanSai Lake.
ShanHaiGuan the wall fades out to the BoHai Sea with the smell of the ocean strong after we have spent days in the mountains. With imagination, the wall looks like a dragon's head by the sea, and the rest of the wall its body. Me, I see the start of a grand staircase through the heart of China.
The Great Wall
According to legend, the Great Wall was built by the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang (Reigned 221-210 BC), though historical records trace the true origin of the wall to defensive fortifications built in the fifth century BC From the statement "Square walls surround the Kingdom of Chu," we can trace walls with a total length of 500 kilometers in what is now Henan Province dating back to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC). In addition to Chu, the kingdoms of Qin, Qi, Wei, Zhao, Han and Yan all had their own separate defensive walls spread about through the Yellow and Yangtze River basins, running in different directions and beginning and ending abruptly. The walls of this period bear little relationship to the wall of today with its predominantly east-west configuration.
In 221 BC, the armies of Qin conquered the abovementioned six kingdoms and unified China. Qin Shi Huang ordered the demolition of the walls separating these kingdoms and rebuilt a new "Great Wall," based on the walls protecting the northern frontiers of Yan, Zhao and Qin. According to the Records of the Historian (shiji), written approximately 100 BC, "General Meng Tian mobilized 300,000 laborers?and built a great wall which followed the contour of the land, taking advantage of natural defenses." This wall extended more than 6,000 kilometers from Lintiao (in Gansu Province) to Liaodong. Thus the general plan of today's Great Wall was laid down during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).
During the Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 220) Which followed the Qin, in addition to making improvements in the Qin wall, the Han emperors constructed a separate outer wall north of the Yinshan Range with a total length of 10,000 kilometers. This was the longest single wall built in ancient China. After the fall of the Han Dynasty, the wall gradually decayed into ruins. In 1368, the founding year of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu commanded his general Xu Da to direct the reconstruction of the Great Wall. Beginning at eh Juyong Pass, the work went on for more than 100 years. Based on the general dimensions of the Qin Wall, the Ming wall stretched from its westernmost point at eh Jiayu Pass more than 6,000 kilometers east to the Yalu River. The section, which lies between the Jiayu and Shanhai, passes remains in good condition today and is known throughout the world as the Great Wall of China.
Setting out from Beijing, the most popular destination for visiting the Great Wall is Badaling. Both trains and buses go to the northwest of the city proper in a deep mountain-flanked gully 15 kilometers long. In summer, the peaks here are covered with brilliant stretches of leaves and luxuriant flowers. As early as the 13th century, the area was known for its beauty, and was listed as one of the"Eight Great Sights of Yanjing." The name "Juyong" first appeared in the huainanzi, a philosophical work from the second century BC, in the following annotation: "The Juyong Pass is one of the nine great passes in the country."
To the west of the Juyong Pass is a white marble structure called the Cloud Platform (Yuntai), which was built in 1345 to serve as the foundation for a set of three stone pagodas built at eh command of Emperor Huizong, the last ruler of the Yuan Dynasty. At this time, the structure was known as the Pagoda Bridge (Guojieta). After the pagodas were destroyed some time around the fall of the Yuan Dynasty (1368), the Great Peace Temple (Tai' ansi) was built to replace them. But the temple was burned down in 1702 during the reign of Emperor kangxi.
The Cloud Platform is pierced by a hexagonal arched gateway. Both the ceiling and facades are covered with Buddhist carvings, including depictions of the Four Heavenly Kings in relief executed with great detail and expressiveness. Texts of Dharani sutras and an inscription entitled "A Record of Charitable and Pious Pagoda Building" carved in six languages -- Lantsha (Nepalese Sanskirt), Tibetan, Phagspa Mongolian, Uygur, Western Xia and Han -- are valuable for the study of philology. The inner roof of the arch is covered with mandala patterns and Buddha images surrounded by flowers, all fine examples of Yuan Dynasty craftsmanship.
The Juyong Pass area contains many relics associated with popular legends. One of these relics, dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty, is the Five Heroes Temple, which commemorates the ostensible digging of the gully by five men of unusual strength. The fanciful name of the Playing the Zither Gorge (Tanqinxia) is derived from the clear and melodious sounds of the river flowing through it.
Continuing on from the Juyong Pass, one will arrive at Badaling, the highest point along the entire length of the Great Wall. Between Badaling and Juyong Pass, two Chinese characters Tianxian (Natural Barrier) are carved into a steep and imposing cliff. During the Ming Dynasty, two fortifications were built in this area, the Northern Gate Pass on west and the Juyong Garrison on the east. By climbing up through the pass and looking westward, one will be able to see a chain of mountains stretching away to the horizon with a single defile leading through them. To the north of the ridges near the wall is the platform for Viewing the Capital (Wangjingtai) and on clear days the White Dagoba in Beijing Park can be seen from here. By climbing over another slope and following a flight of stone steps up to the highest point of the southern section of the wall, one can see the dragon-like Great Wall making its way over the mountains.
Strategic platforms were built every 300 to 500 meters along the wall. These platforms served a variety of purposes: for posting patrols and sentries; to serve as observation posts; and as battle platforms for offensive actions and weapon storage. Here there are also reinforcing walls built alongside the wall proper and beacon towers for transmitting military information.
The Badaling section of the Great Wall most frequented by visitors dates from the Ming Dynasty, Constructed of large blocks of granite and bricks, the wall at this point is 6.6 meters high and 6.5 meters wide at its base, narrowing to 5.5 meters on the rampart. It is wide enough to permit five or six horses to stand abreast.
In recent years, the Chinese government has carried out restoration work on the sections of the wall which have collapsed or been eroded by wind and sand. Despite this, the great increase in tourists at the Great Wall in recent years has led experts to suggest the opening of a "second Badaling" to accommodate the great number of visitors. The "second Badaling" is located to the northeast of Beijing proper and can be reached by bus in approximately two hours. Built on the Great and lesser Gold mountains (Jinshan), this section is also called the Gold Mountain Great Wall. According to historical records, the construction of this part of the wall was begun in 1571, and is part of the 1,000-kilometer-long section of the wall between the Shanhai Pass in the east and Changping County in the west, which was the result of cooperation between two famous Ming generals, Qi Jiguang and Tan Lun. In terms of construction it is in no way inferior to the wall at Badaling.
The Great Wall at eh Gold Mountain is seven meters high, six meters wide, and built of rectangular slabs of stone. The brick-paved walkway along the top of the wall is four meters wide and the crenellated openings two meters wide. In the merlons (the solid intervals between the crenels) there are small holes for observation and shooting arrows. There are also special openings between the crenels to insert flags for display or signal transmission.
The 158 battle platforms in the Gold Mountain section of the Great Wall were designed in a great variety of shapes-square, circular, oval and multi-cornered. Their interiors are constructed of wood or brick and their roofs are flat, domed or barrel-vaulted. There are also variations in the shape of the archways, which give access to the battle platforms.
To the north of Tiger Mountain is a huge solitary piece of rock, which has in it an indentation one meter in diameter and 20 cm deep called the Spring of Heaven. The water from this spring flows continuously in both the rainy and fry seasons. Near the spring is a defense tower called the Five Eyes Tower. Unique in design, the body of the tower is made of rectangular stone blocks and the roof of polished bricks. Inside there are two large barrel-vaulted ceilings, three corridors, 10 arched openings and a central octagonal dome supported by four brick columns arranged in a square. The stone columns are decorated with relief carvings of flowers, which add a touch of elegance to this otherwise austere building. Standing atop this tower, one can see the Great Wall winding its way along the contours of the mountains. From this vantage point, the wall appears like a ribbon of jade linking the Wuling Mountain (the highest peak of the Yanshan Range) with the Sleeping Tiger Range near Gubeikou.
Leaving the Five Eyes Tower and proceeding along the wall, one comes to the Tower for Viewing the Capital (Wangjinglou), which sits at a strategic point in Tiger Mouth Peak. The tower commands a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. Off to the southwest, the mirror-like surface of Miyun Reservoir appears, the outline of Beijing can be seen in the early morning and the city lights become visible at night.
The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall was opened to tourists on May 1, 1986. Located 73 kilometers from Beijing proper, it joins the Juyong Pass in the west and Gubeikou in the east. A new 4,000-meter-long pathway has been constructed from the road. It can also be reached by cable car.
This well-preserved section was built about 1,400 years ago and reconstructed later during the Ming Dynasty. History of Ming Military Affairs explains why it was rebuilt.
When Emperor Yongle returned north and reestablished Beijing as the capital, he was exposed to attack on three sides. Harassment increased after the reign of Emperor Zhengtong, so work was begun to strengthen and lengthen the wall at Yalu River in the east.
The strategic importance of Mutianyu was obvious, as many battles took place there. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period when Cao Cao exterminated Yuan Shao' s regime, his army advanced through Mutianyu. In the mid-Ming years, the noted General Qi Jiguang was transferred from the south. As Military Superintendent of Jizhen, he built observation towers and provided storage areas for military weapons.
The highest observation tower in the Mutianyu section is 540 meters above sea level. Crenels and shooting holes are part of the solid construction. To the east, the Great Wall continues across the mountain ridges, to the west, it enters a point of strategic importance at a peak 1,044 meters above sea level.
(china.org.cn)
http://www.china.com.cn/english/TR-e/41517.htm
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From Pat Camenzend
In October 2000 I joined a tour group to hike China's Great Wall from Beijing to the China Sea. The tour was an absolutely fantastic two weeks spent with five other single women, the tour coordinator, and a local Chinese guide.
Before I describe the highlights of the trip, I need to explain my background. I am not a hiker by profession or hobby. I walk! And I do not walk in the mountains or any major hills, if they can be avoided. I am in my mid-fifties and not as slim as I was in my twenties. Now, with that said, I decided to join this hiking tour because it sounded exciting and adventurous with an opportunity to see more of the 'real' China outside the normal major tourist stops generally found in tours.
I did my homework before leaving for the trip and studied travel books, visited internet sites on China, and talked to others who had been to the country. Even with this preparation, I was not ready for the truly awesome sight of the Great Wall when I saw it for the first time in person. With photographs showing only two dimensions, it is hard to appreciate the immense size of the wall as it snakes over and around the mountain peaks. Although the steps are steep (and there are many), the hiking is done at your own pace. There are no marathons to win and the time allocated to the actual hiking is sufficient to enjoy the sights and to stop and take pictures...
The tour is well coordinated and offers the chance to see ten different aspects of the wall. The first stop is a day's trip outside of Beijing. Because of the wall's proximity to the city, it is the section most visited by tourists and, therefore, the most crowded. Since it has been restored by China to accommodate the millions of visitors every year, it gives a perspective of the wall as it originally looked. As we traveled East following the wall as it winds its way toward the China Sea, we saw a mixture of restored sections as well as portions still in ruins. And the crowds thinned so, at times, we were the only ones walking. It was great hiking the wall without the jostling of a crowd.
One great opportunity on this trip was to walk on a section generally submerged under water. A lack of rain in the area lowered the reservoir 20 meters exposing the wall. While this provided us a once in a lifetime chance to see this section, the country is desperate for rain.
The food was another pleasant surprise. Course, I am not sure what I expected, but I certainly was not prepared for three banquets a day. The food was excellent. The menus were varied, artfully served, and simply delicious. The group chose to continue to Chinese experience by having Chinese breakfast rather than a Western menu. And I even learned to use chopsticks proficiently.
Accommodations were agreeable as many of the hotels were rated three star. One fun place was a restored military garrison that was located at one of the entrances to the wall. This gave us the opportunity to see how the army guarding the wall actually lived.
In between our hiking jaunts on the wall, we visited some Imperial tombs, toured a Summer palace, walked through villages, viewed some Buddha temples, saw the Forbidden City, and shopped at local markets. I especially enjoyed the experience of watching two Chinese artists demonstrate their skills with watercolors and a pair of scissors. They each produced beautiful images.
The tour was very well planned and diverse in its offerings. The local guide was excellent. From him we learned much about the Chinese culture. He was patient, considerate, and knowledgeable. The country is very clean and the people gracious.
I would not hesitate to recommend this tour. The hiking can be exhausting, but well worth the effort. I did learn a lot about the Chinese culture and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the countryside. I am ready to return to China to learn and see more of this vast country.
The above was written by a participant in the Great Wall Hiking Tour. For more information about our tours, please browse our website or e-mail us at e-mail info@china-hiking.com.
My Inspirational 'High'? Hiking The Great Wall
By C. Brown
On Wednesday, October 29, 1999 our hiking began in the morning at a section of the Great Wall in Jiumenkou near the city of Qin Huang Dao and in Shuizhong County. It was a bright sunny morning and after an hour or so of hiking the Great Wall I wandered off with our guide Li to investigate a small and what appeared to be interesting Buddhist temple.
After walking through the main entrance we realized we had come during their prayer hour. It was a special holiday, which is celebrated to mark the time when their Buddha, the Goddess of Great Mercy, became a follower of Buddhism. I became very taken with their repetitive chanting that sounded something like: "O Mi Tuo Fo."
We attempted to fade into the background of this impressive temple while totally taken by a tremendous Buddhist figure in the center of the room. However within minutes of our arrival, we were approached by one of the Nuns, the Mistress of the Temple. Shi Rong Ci spoke in Chinese to Li asking us to partake in their special ceremony. She felt it was a very lucky occasion for me to appear that day and that the Goddess would bless me.
I lit some incense, representing fortune and happiness. Shi Rong Ci suggested I bow down to pray to the Buddha while she stroked a large gong placed in her lap. Taking heed to her rhythm, I soon found myself rising and falling to her 'up' and 'down' commands. At the worship close I was asked if I would sign their signature book and in return felt it appropriate to offer them a small donation. They all thanked me profusely and it was not until we were leaving that I realized my 10 yuan donation amounted to a little more than $1.00.
I suggested through Li's good guidance and interpreting that we ask to take a group picture! Shi Rong Ci was most receptive and excited at our suggestion and excused herself to change into her special Buddhist robe. As you can see we not only took group pictures but at Shi Rong Ci's suggestion Li took separate poses of Shi Rong Ci and me together!
We all hugged and kissed and with mixed smiles and tears bid each other goodbye.
As we were walking out of the gate the nuns asked me for my business card. In return, they handed me praying beads telling me they would bring me on-going good luck!
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