Jiankou-Mutianyu-Huanghuacheng Great Walls Hiking Tour

This morning, we will wait for you in your hotel and then drive you to the Great Wall. You will walk for a long time today, so please remember to bring some food and water before leaving, otherwise you will be hungry and thirsty on the way.

First, your China Hiking Tour will start from the Jiankou Great Wall, which is more than 20 kilometers long and 1,141 meters above sea level. We will drive you to get there. The Jiankou Great Wall is well-known because it is a very precipitous section of the Great Wall. The highest attraction in the Jiankou Great Wall is called the Eagles Flies Facing Upward, which consists of a tower and some walls. It got its name because local people think that even eagles have to face upward to fly over this peak. To get to this precipitous attraction, you have to climb up to the top of a peak that is at an incline of more than 80 degrees. Besides, there is another precipitous attraction in the Jiankou Great Wall. It is called the Sky Stairs and it is at an incline of about 70 degrees. The Sky Stairs are only 70-80 meters long. But each step of them is 40-50 centimeters high. It takes a lot of strength and stamina for you to climb them.

During your hiking in the Jiankou Great Wall, you will also see the Zhenbei Tower. It is the largest tower of the Jiankou Great Wall. The Zhenbei Tower is 11.9 meters long and 9.52 meters wide. Its height is 10.8 meters. In ancient times, the top of the Zhenbei Tower was used to fight and look at the enemy’s position. But now, it becomes the best place to overlook mountains and trees in this place. You can climb up the ladder to its top to admire this scenery and take some photos. Why not post them on your Facebook and get some likes! What’s more, you may also see some hikers camping in this tower to take some wonderful photos. If you see them, you can exchange your photos with them and talk about how to take beautiful photos.

Then you will go to the Mutianyu Great Wall that is 5400 meters long. In 1368 in the Ming Dynasty, General Xu Da restored the Mutianyu Great Wall that was built on the site of the ancient Great Wall of the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577). The structure of the Mutianyu Great Wall is simple. Both sides of the wall have loopholes, parapets, and crenels. The battlement wall is 1.8 meters high and the parapet wall is 1.2 meters high. What’s more, the Mutianyu Great Wall’s total height is 7-8 meters and its width is 4-5 meters. Besides, there are 23 watchtowers in the Mutianyu Great Wall. You will see a watchtower about one every hundred meters, and the height of the watchtower is about 400-800 meters. Under one of the towers, you will see the phrase “loyalty to Chairman Mao”. The phrase is 200 meters long. Chairman Mao once said, “One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero.” So every year, lots of people go to the Great Wall to show that they are heroes.

After you leave the Great Wall, your local guide will drive you back to your hotel. Please take a bath and have a good sleep tonight.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

This morning, we will drive you to hike the Huanghuacheng Great Wall. Please remember to bring some snacks and water because you will walk a long portion of the wall. The Huanghuacheng Great Wall was built in 1404 in the Ming Dynasty and finished in 1592. Its length is about 12.4 kilometers. There are three characteristics about the Huanghuacheng Great Wall. First of all, the Huanghuacheng Great Wall is an ancient military installation and it was built about 500 years ago. In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor built it to defend against military aggression from the northern border. In April 1518, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty once came here to see whether it was able to defend Beijing and the Ming Tombs. Walking on it, you will see almost the same scenery as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty saw hundreds of years ago. Secondly, the Huanghuacheng Great Wall is very impregnable because it is made of big stone slabs. There is a story about it. A general called Cai Kai was in charge of the construction of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall. But he spent too much time and money on it. So his political rival doubted that Cai Kai might save illegally on material and labor. The emperor believed his political rival’s suspicion and punished Cai Kai. However, after the emperor’s investigators came there, they found that the walls were so solid and there were no cracks in the bricks at all. The emperor realized that he had misjudged Cai Kai. So he announced Cai Kai's rehabilitation. Then he inscribed the characters “Jin Tang” on a huge stone and put the stone in the Huanghuacheng Great Wall. Jin Tang means firm and solid in Chinese. Thirdly, the Huanghuacheng Great Wall has very beautiful scenery. It is the only section of the Great Wall that is situated next to the lakes in Being. You will see the Huanghuacheng Great Wall is divided by lakes and three parts of it are even immersed in the water. Besides, Huanghuacheng means yellow flowers’ city in Chinese. If you come here in summer, you will probably see the Huanghuacheng Great Wall is hemmed in by yellow wildflowers. It is a great place for you to take some photos, too. You can post these photos on your Facebook to get some likes.

After you enjoyed the wonderful scenery of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall, your tour will be finished. Your local guide will take you back to your hotel. If you want to travel to more places in Chine, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Huanghuacheng Great Wall

Huanghuacheng Great Wall

Author: Zhang Xinli