Jīn Shān Lǐng Great Wall 金山岭长城
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s coverage of Běijīng Suburbs and Beyond
At the entrance to Jīn Shān Lǐng go straight on to Zhuānduǒ Kǒu (砖垛口), mount the Wall and turn left if you are proceeding to Sīmǎtái (to enjoy most of the length of the rebuilt wall en route) or even turn right to Hòuchuān Kǒu (后川口) and then double back. Alternatively, if you intend to walk to Pánlóng Shān you may prefer to mount at the lefthandmost (eastern) point and turn right.
Going towards Sīmǎtái the Wall is of fairly solid brick construction, the base largely original but the upper portion rebuilt. Get on and turn left to find a left fork to a lookout point and note the two unusual circular freestanding towers. Fork right instead and there’s a steep climb up past internal defensive walls to the top. From here are spectacular views in both directions for several kilometres, the older brick seeming yellowy and the newer more grey, and the Wall looping gracefully higher for extended sections along high ridges. There are plenty of litter bins, precious little litter by Chinese standards, and not many visitors; the loudest sound is birdsong.
Unrestored sections, reached fairly quickly, are just dilapidated enough to appeal to those with a taste for the Gothic, but not overgrown or dangerous enough to be impassable. Some unreconstructed towers have piles of neatly stacked bricks in them, which suggest that like so many building projects in Běijīng this is in suspension.
The Chinese still call a broad, well-surfaced road a mǎlù (马路), or ‘horse road’, and this is also applied to broad sections of the Wall. Continuing towards Sīmǎtái, you pas through about 25 towers, depending on exactly where you mounted the Wall. After about 20 mins or so there’s a section where the inner part of the wall has fallen away, revealing how the interior was filled merely with earth and rubble, and you have to walk part way along this tightrope-like section.
Further on there’s a section where the exterior has fallen away but is still easily passable. The remainder is ruinous but still easily walkable, and inside towers there are red arrows painted to point you in the right direction. There are various obvious short cuts to avoid some steep climbs where both hands and feet will be needed, but these often involve standing on wobbly piles of stones in order to remount the Wall. It’s altogether three hours to Sīmǎtái going fairly gently and including pauses for photography and snacks. You know when you are reaching Sīmǎtái because pestilential peasant souvenir-selling women will appear and dog you until you buy something, after which they will dog you all the more and start asking for fees for being guides.
The Wall suddenly becomes well-repaired and as broad as an autobahn again, and a little later there’s a sign for Sīmǎtái that reminds you to ‘please pay consciously’, an indication that they’ll take a second entrance fee from you if they can. The last section of walk is along the interior face of the Wall — look for narrow paths to your right to avoid paying to cross the chain bridge unless you plan to continue eastwards, or cross it anyway for a final steep climb up to the Sīmǎtái entrance. NB: At the time of writing Sīmǎtái remains closed for assorted construction, but it is possible to dismount here.
▶ Jīn Shān Lǐng Cháng Chéng, Luánpíng County, Héběi Province, a further 10km beyond the Gǔ Běi Kǒu tunnel, about 133km from Běijīng centre, gps 40º 42.821’ N, 117º 15.434’ E, t 0314 883 0222, 24hrs. ¥50 peak; otherwise ¥40. b to 密云汽车站: 970, 980, 980快, all from stop 东直门外, in 东直门斜街, just northeast of the Dōng Zhī Mén Bus Station, east of m Dōng Zhī Mén, ¥15; then minibus. A clamour of taxi and minibus drivers will surround you on arrival by bus at Mìyún bus station. The taxis are too unreliable to be worth considering. A seat in a minibus costs about ¥20–40. Alternatively, take a long-distance bus from Běijīng’s Liù Lǐ Qiáo bus station for Chéngdé (承德) and hop off at the turning, where there’s usually minibus or farm vehicle transport for the last 10km (or you flag down a vehicle coming from Mìyún). Last bus back 8pm.
There have in the past been one-day bus tours from Xuānwǔ Mén, and these might be reinstated. There are no tour buses here, but several budget hostels offer overpriced minibus trips for around ¥180 (transport only), often with pick-up at Sīmǎtái if you wish to walk along the Wall between them. You can also walk to or from Pánlóng Shān.
From the turning it’s about about a 45-minute walk to the ticket office, with farm vehicles often waiting to carry you and hoping for outrageous fees. ¥5 or so is plenty. There’s a cableway to take you up to the base of the Wall to the left (east), or there’s a choice of three routes on foot from the ticket office, detailed on the back of the ticket.
Near the ticket office at Jīn Shān Lǐng you pass the Jǐn Shān Bīnguǎn (0314 883 0222), with assorted rooms from ¥260 to ¥400 (but will accept ¥180) in new sìhéyuàn, mock Mongolian yurt, and conventional hotel style.
Next in Běijīng Suburbs and Beyond: Jiǎnkòu Great Wall
Previously: Pánlóng Shān Great Wall
Main Index of A Better Guide to Beijing.
For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.
