Great Wall - Badaling

First built in 1505 to protect the Juyong Pass, Badaling was fully restored in the 1950s and was the first section to open to tourism. Badaling is also the last major tourist centre and is where the Wall that most people know about ends.

Stretching across mountain ridges, the width of the Wall is 19ft (5.7m), intentionally built to accommodate five horsemen galloping across side by side or ten soldiers marching shoulder to shoulder. Split into north and south, Badaling has 30 watchtowers – eight south of the main gate and 12 north of it. Its highest point is at 3,300ft (1,500m) with grand panoramic views of lush landscape and rocky terrain. Boardwalks and railings have been installed as part of the renovations.

Close to Beijing, Badaling was a major defence border on the northern frontier. When Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian tribes and established his empire, he set his sights on China. Many military conquests north of the Wall ensued over the next sixty years until his grandson, Kublai Khan, ascended the throne as Mongol Emperor in 1260. Establishing the Yuan Dynasty a decade later, he set up his capital in modern-day Beijing. When in 1279, he conquered the Song Dynasty in southern China, Kublai reunified the country and became the first Mongol to rule all of China. The Yuan Dynasty ruled until 1368 when they were defeated by the rebel leader Zhou Yuanzhang, who founded the Ming Dynasty.

Famous merchant and explorer, Marco Polo, spent 17 years in Kublai Khan’s court. He learned the language and served as a messenger. He was promoted several times to government official positions, something that was unheard of before, when most of China was closed to foreigners. Kublai Khan encouraged foreign trade and many envoys travelled by sea to visit China. When Polo returned to Venice, it was a turbulent time and he found himself thrown in jail. It was in jail where he penned his book, ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’. For a long time, his book was seen more as fiction than fact but in recent times his accounts have been verified by academics and other explorers.

When Christopher Columbus set off across the Atlantic two hundred years later, he carried with him Marco Polo’s book. Fact or fiction, Marco Polo inspired generations of globetrotting adventurers.



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Great Wall - Simatai

Simatai Wall is the first of several closely located Great Wall sections north of Beijing. It has been partially restored but only as far as carrying out essential reinforcement work, preserving the original appearance and as such keeping the historic atmosphere. The Wall is divided by Simatai Reservoir and the two sides are connected by a suspension bridge about 530ft (150m) long. The west section used to lead to Jinshanling Wall but is no longer open due to its ruinous and dangerous state.

The restored section on the east side is accessed from the foot of the mountain, adjacent to the reservoir. The hike on the Wall is rugged and steep. There are 16 towers in all but only 10 of them are open to tourists. Although it seems to be more of a guideline than a rule, since some daredevils have conquered it. Let me illustrate the hike.

The trail begins at Tower 1 near the suspension bridge. Proceeding east, the trail passes through towers, up steep stairs and then back down. Between Towers 4 and 5 the wall is only on one side of the path with a chain safety-barrier on the other.

There is a fantastic view of west Simatai winding its way up the mountain from Tower 7 and a cable car terminal at Tower 8. The path flattens out a bit up to Tower 10.

The next two towers are not part of the restored section nor forbidden to hike but access is off the path, through brush and over some boulders. The official trail ends with a great big pink sign warning that a fine will be imposed if going beyond. But what does beyond look like?

From Tower 12 there is no more path. A few perpendicular walls lead to Towers 13 and 14 and after that there is just a single wall about 20in (50cm) wide, on an 80-degree gradient with plunging cliffs on one side and steep mountain on the other. The wall ends suddenly, leaving a gap between the wall and Tower 15. The only way around is by climbing off the wall onto a beaten path and circling around the tower to the other side.

Back on the wall, this part is known as Sky Bridge. Narrow and tiered, it is no more than 30ft (100m) long but a mere 16in (40cm) wide. Climbing the tiers, each one leads further up the mountain, until it opens up to a wide but ruined path. Good place to rest before the final arduous climb to Tower 16.

Wangjing Tower (#16) sits on the summit of Simatai Wall at an elevation of 3,200ft (980m). Anyone courageous enough to tackle the climb is afforded spectacular views of valleys, mountain ranges and miles of winding Great Wall.



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Great Wall - Huangyaguan

The original Huangyaguan Wall was a combination of a 6th century stone foundation and 16th century brick battlements. It stretched for approximately 26mi (42km), although other sources cite 34mi (54km), and had 66 towers and a fortress.

As the only Wall located in Tianjin, a major port city southeast of Beijing, it held a very strategic position. Enemies wanting to invade Tianjin had to go through the Huangyaguan Pass. Numerous battles occurred here that destroyed the wall.

In the 1980s, a 1.8mi (3km) stretch of the Huangyaguan Wall and the nearby Taipingzhai Wall were fully renovated, making it one of the longest restored sections of the Great Wall. It consists of a military fortress, a gatehouse and 20 watchtowers.

The Huangyaguan fortress is nestled in a valley between Banlagang Mountain to the east and Wangmaoding Mountain to the west. It is connected to Taipingzhai Wall to the east by a bridge. During wartime the five arches beneath the bridge were closed, blocking access via the river. On the bridge’s battlements, soldiers would set up cannons to fire at enemies approaching on the river.

Taipingzhai Wall is just over half a mile long and built on the mountain ridge. It begins at the bridge and ends at Banlagang Mountain where the steep, rocky terrain takes over as a natural barrier. Part way along the wall is a barbican used as an alternative entrance and near it is a 28ft (8.5m) tall statue of Qi Jiguang. The statue was built by the local people who wanted to honour the general’s contribution to defending the borders against the northern enemies.

At the western end of Taipingzhai Wall is a square stone tower known as Widow Tower. Measuring 43ft (13m) high, the two-storey building was donated by 12 women whose husbands died building the Great Wall.

Huangyaguan and Taipingzhai are perhaps a little too perfectly restored. The essence of the Wall’s history, the ability to touch and feel its original stones or bricks are lost here. What remains though are those insane 85-degree angle stairs and the steep climbs.



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