Great Wall

Great Wall of China

Great Wall at Badaling

The Great Wall of China is an awesome sight as it snakes across China from its beginning at Jiayuguan in West China’s Gansu Province to Shanhaiguan where it juts out into the Bohai Sea.

I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve visited the Great Wall over the years. On my very first trip back in 1984, we were taken to the Great Wall at Badaling. It was raining, foggy and misty, and you couldn’t see to the first guard tower. I wondered what was so great about it. Ten years later I returned to live and work in Beijing and found out why it’s so awesome.

Badaling remains my favorite site to visit. It’s easy to get to on public transportation. Just hop a 919 bus from behind Deshengmen on Second Ring Road and you’re there in an hour. Because it’s so easy to get there, it’s very crowded — hordes of tour buses descend on it every morning. So go in the afternoon or turn to the left at the main entrance at the top of the hill. Most people go to the right where it’s wall-to-wall people.

The Great Wall Museum is at Badaling and shouldn’t be missed; it’s closed on Mondays/. Badaling also has the best shopping of the wall sites, and you can find crafts from all over China.

Reccommended reading

Alone on the Great Wall is an inspirational account of William Lindesay's quest to become the first foreigner to run the length of the Great Wall. It took him a few tries over three years, a stint in jail for being in a closed area and a couple of deportations. This is a marvelous expample of the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again." I worked with Will at China Daily, so this book has special meaning for me. Today Lindesay is considered one of the foremost Western experts on the Great Wall.

Other Wall sites

Shanhaiguan: the eastern terminus of the Great Wall.
Mutianyu: I went there on a freezing day in February; the cable car wasn’t running, so it was a walk up (and down) 3,000 steps each way. Never went back.
Simatai: I’ve been there several times. Very rugged, and very awesome to see the Wall snake across the mountain peaks.
Qinshiguan: Close to Beijing, but extremely steep. I’d give ths one a pass.
Taipenzai and Huanyuguan are remote sites between Beijing and Tianjin; Taipenzai is especially steep. They are very popular with Chinese tourists.