I had seen photos of the cable car leading up to sections of the Great Wall of China but I hadn't seen any photos of the tobogganing slide going down. From that opening sentence you may think that I visited Great Wall: Tour Group Central, but I didn't; Mutianyu is one of the best preserved sections of the wall but it's not the most heavily touristed. Fair play about the cable car, it's a very steep trip up to the wall in this section, the mountains rise straight up, stepping out of the flat plain Beijing sits on, and a lot of people would have been unable to walk on the wall if they hadn't been able to get up in the cable car, but when I got up to the first landing there was a television production crew filming some kind of song and dance spectacular, a stage had been set up and there were red lanterns everywhere as well as kids singing and dancing and men flying kites. I have no idea what the occasion was but it can't happen every day – neither can the wave after wave of kids playing chasings around the first few guard towers and families sat on the wall having picnics, but then the views of the surrounding hills are impossible for me to put into words – you'll have to look at the photos and watch the video when I finish it, so it is a great spot for a picnic.

A few hundred meters on as the arrow flies the people start to thin out and the going gets a little steeper, the final open section to the left has really steep stairs to climb and there was a nice sense of international camaraderie as people gee'd each other on to get to the top section, where, as well as an even more indescribable view there was a fellow wall walker singing songs from the Peking Opera? Strange and probably an impossibly unlikely one off but I'm sure it will be one of my enduring memories of this trip to Beijing. Also enjoying the entertainment were a group of people working on repairing the next section of wall, with a horse who was looking precariously over the edge at us.

Older people had stalls along the wall selling cold drinks, including beer which they kept offering all the men speaking English, they bring their wares up every day on mules, you can see the mules on the tracks beside the wall.

The toboggan slide was a long stretch in the other direction. And it was a regular toboggan track, like a big slide. Yep, it is a logical way to get down the mountain, but it kinda jars with the kinds of things I was thinking about while I was walking along the wall, namely how brilliant it is that such a huge undertaking could actually exist, but it brings in the money which supports the local economy, and it looked really fun, so I went on it.

Around the base of the wall are the souvenir stalls, but once you get up onto the wall there are sections where you're at least out of hearing distance of any other walkers and you can sit and have a ponder and take some breathtaking photos. If you can get further out and walk on the ruined sections it may be more the experience you're looking for but if you're short on time, M is only about an hour and forty minutes out of Beijing and you're still able to appreciate how huge an accomplishment it wall is and why it definitely deserves the title 'Great'. And did I mention the view, and that you can see the wall dwindle off into the distance, linked by towers which stand out on the top of mountain ridges?

Written by  Kat Mackintosh.

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Comments, reviews and questions

I am currently walking the ENTIRE length of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. This was a 21 year old dream that I could not get out of my head or heart.

Started by Jiayuguan in west the middle of April and am about half way now. Have so far experienced temperatures from plus 40C to minus 19C.

Don't know if this link will show - probably not. www.thegreatwallker.com

 

Comment posted 16th November 2009 by Robert Loken.

2 replies...

The link does work - it's just not a live link - interested parties will have to copy it into their browser window. Good luck with the rest of your journey! Keep up posted.

 

Reply posted 16th November 2009 by World Reviewer Staff.

Thanks a lot Mr. / Ms. Reviewer :-)

Just got the message that I will only get a one month (with max two extensions) in HK.

Will keep you posted about the trip!

 

Reply posted 16th November 2009 by Robert Loken.

I climbed up the steps of the Great Wall of China some years ago starting at Badaling. It was awesome!

 

Comment posted 11th November 2009 by Donald Distant.

The Great Wall is the landmark of China. As the traditional Chinese saying goes,"He who does not climb the Great Wall is not a real man", the Great wall always attracts visitors from all over the world every year.

 

Comment posted 18th September 2009 by Serena.

We were there in 1998. It was wonderful--nobody was mad at anybody yet. The Wall is indescribably more awesome than words. I'll be glad to post my pics--I sort of have a pic sort project going on--good timing.

 

Comment posted 5th September 2009 by petgigs.

1 reply...

That would be fantastic! Please post your photos up.

 

Reply posted 6th September 2009 by World Reviewer Staff.

I visited The great wall a few years ago and it is realy magnificent as an architectonic structure. Unfortunately, as a subjective experience, the climb there is quite difficult and the thing I remember most is the pain in my legs from which I suffered several days after...

In any case, it is most recomended as a unique experience!!!!

 

Comment posted 23rd August 2009 by Shosh.

1 reply...

Which part of the wall did you walk along? I hear there are different sections and I want to walk along a bit that's remoter, yet not as hard going as some of the sections of wild wall.

 

Reply posted 24th August 2009 by leia .

The most awesome place I have ever been!!!!

 

Comment posted 22nd August 2009 by patsy.

Great Wall of China

Famously one of the only manmade structures to be seen from space, the Great Wall was originally constructed as a defensive measure against tribes of the north and northwest, over thousands of years, causing many deaths and much suffering. The architecture can be divided into different sections, such as fortressed town, castle, garrison city, mountain pass city, stronghold city, city wall, watch tower, wall tower and furnace mound (for making smoke as signal on sight of invasion). These architectures are connected and coordinate with each other, forming a complete network of defensive strategy, divided into three parts: Mountain Pass City, Beacon Fire Site and Wall. The Chinese call it the Wall of 10,000 Li (10,000 being the highest number in Chinese philosophy), and it’s often referred to as a dragon: a protective and sacred symbol in China. The great Chinggiz (Genghis) Khan was one of the only leaders to successfully take his armies straight through its fortifications.

 

Review posted 12th July 2007 by George Monkhouse.

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