Where Mutianyu was beautifully restored, Jiankou is completely wild and ruined. Traversing steep ridges through dense vegetation, Jiankou is one of the most dangerous sections of the Wall. The bricks are broken, the walls collapsed and the path often vanishes before it reappears again. It is a wildly adventurous section, almost on par with Simatai.
The most exciting part of this Wall is the Eagle Flying Tower. Built on steep cliffs, the Wall has near vertical steps on both sides of the peak. On the left side the path requires scrambling up crumbled walls and endless sections of rubble. On the right side the descending stairs, known as Heavenly Ladder, lean at 85-degrees angle.
They are so narrow at the top that only one person could pass at a time. Each step is shallow horizontally and deep vertically, making it difficult to climb down. It would be easier getting down in a sitting position than standing up.
Several towers are engulfed by trees, their canopies peeking through the broken rooftops that once served as battlements. Once again I marvel at the structure and try to imagine the many workers that toiled in all kinds of weather conditions building this.
So much of Jiankou has been dilapidated that between 2015-2019 a huge repair project was undertaken. A half mile (750m) long section was faithfully restored, focusing on strengthening the walls, fixing broken bricks and clearing the dense thicket. A few trees that have grown through the bricks have been left there whilst others were removed to clear the path.
What raises my curiosity though are the two Mandarin signs that say “No Tourists” whilst at the same time there are signs dotted along the path directed at tourists. Another question is, why do the restoration if it’s not geared at tourism? The answers are elusive but there is no doubt that Jiankou is an explorer’s paradise.
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Mutianyu Wall is fully-rebuilt and in complete contrast to Gubeikou’s wild and ruinous appearance. Constructed out of slabs of granite, as per the original Ming design, Mutianyu is approximately 1.8mi (3km) long and has 23 watchtowers spaced at 330ft (100m) intervals.
Mutianyu was first built during the 6th century but as with most of the Wall pre-Ming era, it no longer exists. During the early Ming period (14thC), the Wall was built a second time on the same site by General Xu Da.
Restored in 1986, Mutianyu is considered to be the best-preserved and the most scenic part of the Wall year-round. Located within Mutian Valley, with each passing season the Wall is a kaleidoscope of colour. In spring and summer, it is green and blossoming. In autumn it turns from crimson to amber to yellow. As the final leaves fall the white snow of winter ushers in.
Heading east to west, the first tower was at the junction of three paths. Known as Big Corner Tower, it is placed in such a way that only the corners are visible from any angle, hence its name.
After a couple of towers there is a steep descent that leads to Zhengguan Terrace. Made up of a large central tower flanked by two smaller ones, this type of build is a unique feature along the Wall. The three towers, connected by a 130ft (40m) long terrace, were used to store grains and station troops.
The path meanders up and down from here on a beautifully restored Wall. The earthy coloured bricks with softer, worn edges seem much more at home with the landscape than the sharp-edged, dark grey colours of Huangyaguan. It is interesting to observe the different approaches to restoration projects.
As the Wall snakes up and down the hills, I can’t help but liken it to a serpentine dragon lying across the mountains with the sawtooth path as the dragon’s scales.
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Gubeikou Wall is a dilapidated and unrestored part of the Great Wall. There are no parapets, no battlements and no paved paths. The wild vegetation envelopes the walls into the landscape and the towers are either in ruins or completely destroyed.
The first wall was built in the 6th century and lengthened 800 years later. Under General Qi Jiguang’s supervision the Wall was further renovated and enhanced adding more towers and passes. A second layer of bricks was added beside the first making this section uniquely double-layered.
As a key pass between China and Mongolia, Gubeikou’s Wall stretched for 25mi (40km) and it consisted of a staggering 186 towers, spaced at 650ft (200m) intervals. The defence system also included 19 passes, 6 fortresses and 3 barbicans.
Being the gateway to the capital, more than 130 battles were fought here during the dynastic periods. In the early 20th century, Gubeikou was once again embroiled in a fierce battle, except this time it was with the Japanese. In 1933, the Japanese attacked the Great Wall as part of their territorial expansion. Whilst territories and passes along the wall were being defeated, at Gubeikou Wall the Chinese were able to hold their position for several days by using the ramparts to move the soldiers along the Wall, just like their predecessors did centuries before.
Gubeikou Wall is made up of two sections, Wohushan to the west and Panlongshan to the east. Between the two sections, in a valley, is a lake and Gubeikou town beside it. At the edge of Wohushan, next to each other, are two well-preserved towers, named ‘Sister Towers’. Some say it reminds them of two sisters holding hands when viewed from a distance.
Past the village to the east is the entry to Panlongshan and its two watchtowers. The first one, General Tower, is a square shaped, two-storey building that was used as the commanding office. Now roofless, it has been exposed to the elements. The second one is the 24-window Tower, the last watchtower on this section. Three storeys high, the first two levels used to have three windows per side adding up to 24, hence the name, but two sides of the building have now collapsed leaving the other two heavily supported by steel poles.
Whilst the Wall continues on beyond 24-window Tower, it becomes a military zone and so inaccessible to travellers.
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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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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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Now this is an exciting portion of the Wall. Two different walls near each other named Xifengkou and Panjiakou are part of the Underwater Great Wall.
When they were first built, both sections were strong fortresses between the mountains. The construction of both walls took place in different centuries with Xifengkou built in the late 14th century and Panjiakou in the mid-16th century.
Built by General Xu Da, Xifengkou was a major gateway to access central China. It had three gates linked by stone walls. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and a lake on the fourth, Xifengkou was very difficult to attack, although it still saw many battles due to its proximity to the northern borders.
Panjiakou on the other hand was flanked by mountains and had Luanhe River running through it. This wall was built by General Qi Jiguang, another military leader who successfully reinforced many sections of the Great Wall.
What made these two interesting was that both of them had parts of their walls underwater. When Panjiakou Reservoir was filled, it submerged the town of Panjiakou under 160ft (50m) of water, along with parts of Panjiakou Pass and Xifengkou Pass. A small part of Panjiakou Pass that was on higher ground is still above water. It is said that during low water levels, some of the underwater walls become more clearly visible.
One endearing description likened the area to a giant dragon crawling along the winding wall towards the lake. Diving in, it later re-emerges on the opposite side, climbs up the ridges and lies down to rest on the lofty mountains.
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Travelling through several unrestored sections of the Wall, I arrived at Baiyangyu Wall, translated as ‘White Sheep Valley’. The Wall here was split between east and west, with a village at the centre of it in a valley. The village occupied the banks of Baiyang River.
A unique feature of Baiyangyu was the one mile (1.6km) long section that was built out of marble. It is somewhat unusual since most of the wall was constructed from rammed earth covered in bricks or occasionally quarried granite. With the average height of the Wall at around 20-30ft (6-7m), the marble wall here was quite tall at 33ft (10m) and was also a reasonable width at 16ft (5m).
Coming from the east, just before I descended into the village, I entered what is now referred to as ‘Wild City’. It was a wall-enclosed open space with a solid gatehouse at the western end. There is no record of what it was used for, leaving me with unanswered questions. Fortresses and watchtowers were built on the Wall to house troops and store grains and weapons. This could have been one purpose but it is very big in size. Is it possible that it stationed a cavalry unit as there’s plenty of space for horses as well as soldiers?
Interestingly, when I exit through the gate, I end up on a trail because there’s no connection to the Wall, which is located northwest of the gate. Of course, that raises more questions, such as, how did they get to the gate? The Wall itself is considered to have an outer wall (facing the enemy) and inner wall (friendly side). The gate to this city was on the friendly side so perhaps access was through mountainous terrain, straight up from the valley floor. What do you think?
Left pondering, I descended into the village, crossed the river on a regular bridge and started up the westside on an unrestored, but in reasonably good shape, section of the Wall.
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