Jiankou – the dangerous beauty of the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications built along the historical northern borders of China. It stretches from Dandong in the east to Lop Lake in the west. The total length of all the sections exceeds 21,000km. The Wall was raised mainly to protect against invasions and attacks of the barbarians of the Great Steppe, but it also functioned as a border barrier, helping to control the duty on goods from the Silk Road.

The individual parts of the Wall were created at different times and eras. The earliest fortifications date back to the 7th-century b.c., and the best-preserved ones are from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The total length of the latter is 8850km, of which 6259 are the actual walls – the rest consists of natural hedges in the form of hills, rivers, trenches, etc. During the Ming Dynasty, almost 25 000 of watchtowers were built. They were used by the soldiers to keep a lookout for the approaching enemy – the Mongol horsemen. The advanced construction, utilising welded together boulders and stones, was employed in a very few parts of the Wall (for example, around Beijing – the capital of the empire). Until now, one can see the restored sections of the Wall reaching almost 8 meters in height, with pathways as wide as 5 meters. The vast majority of the fortifications, however, was created with the beaten earth and clay, strengthened with tree branches and surrounded by moats.

Modern times find the Great Wall of China mostly damaged. Both, natural and human-made factors contribute to its decay: heavy rains washing off beaten earth, erosional winds, plucking stones by visitors for souvenirs, graffiti paintings, etc. Only the most touristic places, near the major cities, are being renovated and fall under an architectural supervision.

The Jiankou section lies just over 70km north of Beijing. This, dated back to the 14th century part, was not being renovated since the time of its creation. Although it enjoys a reputation of being a quite dangerous section, due to its eroding walls, it is also one of the most photogenic sites. Located on the border of the mountain range, surrounded by steep, but picturesque cliffs and covered with stretches of dense, lush green forests.

One of the most popular parts of the Jiankou section is so called Sky Stairs. It is a steep and very narrow stretch ascending at a sharp angle of 70-80 degrees. Another, a bit less dangerous section, is the Beijing Knot. The meeting point of three parts of the Wall running from different directions.
The following information relates to the area of Beijing.

Know before you go

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Even on the restored and easily accessible sections of the Wall, we recommend wearing comfortable sports shoes. On the semi-difficult and difficult ones, the trekking shoes with an excellent grip are a necessity.

Clothing – depending on the season.

Spring: March – May (11° – 24°C) – breathable and waterproof warm jackets.
Summer: June – August (30°C) – light breathable clothing, plus raincoats/jackets. Sunglasses, sunhats and sunscreens are also a must.
Fall: September – November (8° – 18°C) – breathable and waterproof warm jackets.
Winter: December – February (below 0°C) – down winter jackets and pants, gloves, hats and insulated hiking boots. Sometimes you may need crampons.

Regardless of the weather, you need to carry with you water supply enough to cover a day-long excursion. Fluids can be replenished on the trekking path in small makeshift shops or stalls. It should be remembered, however, that the “wild” section has just a few or none of them.

Another thing worth noting and remembering is the lack of any facilities (i.e. toilets) on the wild sections. The only option – the nature.

Taking under consideration a drive from Beijing to the part of the wall you wish to visit, the whole Great Wall of China trip will take at least one day. Some travel agencies also offer to spend the night at the Wall, like in our case the Snap Adventures did. Unfortunately, the said company has already closed its operations, but the number of travel agencies that organise trips to the Great Wall is impressive, and there is a lot of them to choose from. Some, even offer multi-day highly customised treks.

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The most popular and best-preserved sections of the wall are located around Beijing.

Jinshanling – 2.5h from Beijing; section has both parts: restored and “wild”; level of difficulty – easy
Simatai – 2h from Beijing, “wild”, medium difficulty
Jiankou – 2.5h from Beijing, “wild”, difficult
Mutianyu – 1.5h from Beijing, restored, very easy
Badaling – 1.5h from Beijing, restored, very easy

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The best seasons to visit the Great Wall are late spring and early autumn. They help to avoid both: extreme summer and winter temperatures, as well as the tourist crowds. Autumn also brings cleaner air without smog, thus excellent visibility and unique colours of woods preparing for the winter. Spring, however, brings a lovely view of the awakening nature.
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Depending on the route and travel agencies. Typically prices range from 90USD (half a day) to hundreds for a few days customised trek.
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