Overview

Great Wall Hiking Tour

"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."

2003 Great Wall Hiking Group Diary click here

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, i.e. Beijing's protector BaDaLing, the Eagle's Gap WuTian, varied designs of watchtowers at JinShanLing, the bridge of JiuMenKou, the first mountain of JiaShan, to ShanHaiGuan (where Great Wall meets the Sea) and finally return to Beijing. Along the way we will visit the largest imperial garden in the world (BiShuShanZhuang), the Ming and Qing Dynasty Imperial Tombs, remote village market, local schools and farming communities. Some part of the Wall is in ruin and we'll be hiking the trail on top of it.

For over two thousand years The Great Wall of China separated two cultures. The nomads in the north were a primitive people. In the south it was mainly an agricultural way of life. The nomads did not know how to cast iron and steel while the people in the south would like to buy the livestock from the nomads. One would imagine that trade between the people of the north and the south would be mutually beneficial. In fact, there were frequent military conflicts as the nomads raided the relatively more advanced technology in the south. One of the reasons was because trade between both sides of the Wall was forbidden. A visit to the Great Wall of China is a review of over two thousand years of history.

Construction of the Wall began in the 7th century B.C. The then separatist ducal states in the north built walls around their territories to ward off invasions from neighbouring states. In 221 B.C. Qin Shi Huang unified China and linked these walls, laying the foundation for the present Great Wall. In later dynasties, the Wall was repaired and strengthened. The present Great Wall was mainly built in the Ming Dynasty over 600 years ago.

In Beijing: We will also see the sights of the Chinese capital:

TianAn'Men Square
Forbidden City (Palace Museum)
Ming and Qing Dynasty Royal Tombs
Summer Palace
Friendship Store Complex

Taste of Chinese Culture

Visit a Chinese Village and Farms
Shop at an Authentic Chinese Bazaar
Farewell 'Beijing Roast Duck Banquet'
Friendship Store Complex

Please take a look at the Itinerary page fora more detailed summary of the tour activities.

More Interesting Stories
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Come ! Join us to meet Modern Tibetan Women
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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!

Photos from hikers in the past
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15 days of Tibet Nomad hiking experience
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