Welcome to my final destination post for China, everyone! I have certainly saved the best until last. The one thing I really wanted to see in China (and I’m sure everyone feels the same) was the Great Wall. As one of the new seven wonders of the world, it’s just one of those places you have to visit to really experience. It certainly didn’t disappoint and was the absolute highlight of my trip! As part of our Peregrine Adventures Best of China tour, we visited the Jinshanling area of the Great Wall. In this post, I will be sharing why you should visit the Jinshanling Great Wall too!
A little background on the Jinshanling Area
Before I get into why you should visit the Jinshanling Great Wall, I thought I’d give a bit of background so you can decide whether it’s the right area for you. The Jinshanling Area is around 3 hours’ drive from Beijing and is half restored and half wild. There is a cable car that will take you most of the way up to the wall but you will have to walk the rest of the way. Alternatively, there is a walking path to take you the whole way up.
We walked from the Xiaojinshan Tower (where the cable car exits) to the Houchnankou Tower. This is the fourth tower along to the left if you’re looking at the wall and has a Chinese flag on the top. It is also home to a small gift shop. The further we walked, the more wild the wall became. Therefore, you have to have a reasonable level of fitness to visit this section of the wall. For more information on the Jinshanling area of the Great Wall, click here.
If you’d like more information on other famous areas of the Great Wall, check out this website! It lists the 10 best sections of the Great Wall to visit and why you should or shouldn’t choose each of them. It includes the most popular sections for both international and domestic tourists, which locations are wheelchair accessible, and the highlights of each section.
So now you know a little bit about the Jinshanling area of the Great Wall, here’s why you should visit!
1. Jinshanling is way quieter than other areas of the Great Wall!
In the tour description, we were told that we would be visiting “a quieter area of the Great Wall”. I must admit, when I read this I thought “yeah right, it’ll be 1,000 people instead of 10,000 people”! But in reality, our tour group were almost the only ones there. The only other people that arrived at the same time as us walked in the opposite direction. To have one of the new seven wonders of the world practically to yourself is pretty amazing if you ask me!
No doubt the number of people present at the wall depends on what day and what time you visit. We left our nearby accommodation at 7am on a Sunday morning to beat the crowds. The Jinshanling area is open from 6am to 6pm from April to October (summer) and 7am to 5pm at other times of year. I recommend visiting early, especially in summer, as it can be very hot. Plus you should beat the crowds! By the time we left, there were more people around but it still wasn’t as crowded as other areas of the wall.
2. Jinshanling is said to be the most beautiful section of the Great Wall
According to the internet, the Jinshanling area is the most beautiful section of the Great Wall. If that’s not a good enough reason to visit then I don’t know what is! Don’t believe the internet? Check out literally any of my pictures in this post! The Jinshanling area was absolutely stunning and it definitely deserves the title of most beautiful section, in my opinion.
The reason the Jinshanling area is said to be the most beautiful is because of the fantastic views of the wall snaking its way up and down the surrounding mountains. It is supposed to be especially beautiful in Autumn, as all of the surrounding trees turn orange. We visited in summer and thought the contrasting bright blue sky and vibrant green trees were absolutely stunning!
3. There is a good mix of restored and wild sections of the Great Wall at Jinshanling
If you’re wanting to visit an area of the Great Wall that isn’t completely wild, but does have some wild sections, then Jinshanling is the area for you. The first few towers in either direction from the cable car entrance are restored and are in perfect condition. After that, things get a bit more wild. The wall is no longer restored and becomes more uneven. As I mentioned above, because of this you need to have a reasonable level of fitness to explore this section of the wall. Even in the restored sections there are plenty of steep sections. In the picture below, you can see the difference between the wild sections (on the left) and restored sections. We didn’t walk very far so it is possible (or even likely) that it becomes more wild than this as you venture further from the entrance.
The wildness of the Jinshanling Great Wall adds to its beauty, in my opinion. I can’t really put my finger on why. I guess it really shows how old this incredible structure is and it’s amazing to see it become one with the surroundings.
4. You can take the cable car up instead of walking the whole way
This is going to make me sound really lazy but I was pretty glad for the cable car that took us most of the way up to the Great Wall at Jinshanling. To be fair, after exploring the wall for a few hours in the morning, we went straight to the Forbidden City in Beijing! So it was a pretty huge day. For this alone, I think the cable car is worth paying extra for.
The other benefit of taking the cable car is the view you get on the way up. As you make your way up the mountain to the wall, you get a view over the surrounding mountains (and the Great Wall, of course!). It also goes right past the East Beacon Tower. This is a standalone structure and is one of three in the Jinshanling area. Like the watchtowers, they were used in emergencies to spread messages. Smoke during the day and fire at night informed other troops of an attack.
5. BONUS! Spend the night in a traditional guesthouse and learn papercutting
Whilst it is possible to commute to the Jinshanling Area of the Great Wall from Beijing in a single day, we spent the night in the area before visiting. An overnight stay in a traditional-style guesthouse was included in our tour. The wall itself was the highlight of my trip, but this experience definitely added to it. The guesthouse we stayed in was absolutely beautiful and we had it all to ourselves.
Papercutting Class
We also took part in a papercutting class run by a master of the art. Paper cutting is definitely harder than it looks. And let me tell you, it looks pretty hard! To be fair, mine didn’t turn out that bad except that the antennae of my butterfly were a little torn. But I cannot imagine having the control and eye for detail needed to create a piece like the one below! We purchased two pieces from the artist at the end of the class, but I am only able to upload one for whatever reason… Anyway, you get the idea.
I hope this post has inspired you to visit the Jinshanling area of the Great Wall! As you can see, it is seriously beautiful and well worth the visit. For more information on China, head to my destination page. You can also watch my video on YouTube (don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there!).
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