China - Jiankou Great Wall
There is a famous Chinese proverb about the Great Wall, which says "Not been on the Great Wall, not a great man". I always knew Kingsley was a great man but now its official!
A little history:
The Chinese started to build the Great Wall in the 7th century BC to protect the Chinese Empire from invasions from nomadic tribes and military groups. Qin unified China in 221 BC and soon began the greatest project in human history by joining and extending the walls built by previous states. The Great Wall stretches over 5,000 km long. Before the use of bricks, the Chinese used earth, stones and wood to construct the wall.
After the Qin Dynasty, the Great Wall was renovated from time to time. The Great Wall was mostly rebuilt in the the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the project took about 200 years to complete. The great wall seen today is mainly the Ming Wall.
If you look carefully at published Great Wall photographs you will find that most of the pictures are taken from Jiankou section of the Great Wall. Due to its remote location, unique style, steep mountains and beautiful scenery, Jiankou Great Wall has become a photographic hotspot 'Jiankou', is translated as 'Arrow Nock' in English, because the shape of the mountain is like an arrow, with the collapsed ridge opening as its arrow nock.
Located in the mountain ridge of Xizhazi Village, Jiankou Great Wall was an important section of the wall in Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Owing to the need for renovation, the wall is now regarded as one of the most dangerous sections of the Ming's wall. It was built from the local material - dolomite. The large pieces of white rock make the wall striking to the eye at a distance.
Of course this is the section that Kingsley desperately wanted to climb and probably paraglide off as well. There was NO WAY the rest of us were going up that section so Kingsley and the guide climbed it together. About a third of the way up Kingsley's common sense apparently suddenly returned to him and after a quick photo op he climbed back down.
To be honest we didn't know anything about the hike before we started the climb but it exceeded our expectations in so many ways. Despite the obvious danger it was one of the most beautiful hikes we have ever been on!
Jiankou Great Wall is one of the most spectacular and rewarding sections in Beijing region. It is also one of the most dangerous one among the different sections of Great Wall in Beijing. Jiankou (Arrow Nock in Chinese) is very “wild” and uneven at certain parts.
Every year, dozens of hikers are stranded, injured or even killed at this unrestored relic after encountering rugged and difficult terrain or bad weather. According to Beijing Fire and Rescue Service’s Huairou district detachment, about 66 percent of all the rescue missions happens at Jiankou.
The fire fighters near Jiankou are kept busy. In 2009, a newly married couple fell to their deaths from the Jiankou Great Wall after being startled by lightning. On their way to the Wall from a tourist garden in Xizhazi village, a Wall ranger tried to persuade them from going but they would not listen to it, and they never came back.
A recent rescue mission took place on Friday, May 4th 2012. A woman was injured after she fell 10 feet off a cliff near the “Sky Stairs”, the famous scenic spot with a precipitous stair at Jiankou. The woman is around 30-year-old from Shandong province, who visited Jiankou along with other 30 hikers of her party. She luckily landed at the feet of the two hikers in front of her.
Kingsley "the great" at the start of our hike.
A little history:
The Chinese started to build the Great Wall in the 7th century BC to protect the Chinese Empire from invasions from nomadic tribes and military groups. Qin unified China in 221 BC and soon began the greatest project in human history by joining and extending the walls built by previous states. The Great Wall stretches over 5,000 km long. Before the use of bricks, the Chinese used earth, stones and wood to construct the wall.
After the Qin Dynasty, the Great Wall was renovated from time to time. The Great Wall was mostly rebuilt in the the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the project took about 200 years to complete. The great wall seen today is mainly the Ming Wall.
If you look carefully at published Great Wall photographs you will find that most of the pictures are taken from Jiankou section of the Great Wall. Due to its remote location, unique style, steep mountains and beautiful scenery, Jiankou Great Wall has become a photographic hotspot 'Jiankou', is translated as 'Arrow Nock' in English, because the shape of the mountain is like an arrow, with the collapsed ridge opening as its arrow nock.
Located in the mountain ridge of Xizhazi Village, Jiankou Great Wall was an important section of the wall in Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Owing to the need for renovation, the wall is now regarded as one of the most dangerous sections of the Ming's wall. It was built from the local material - dolomite. The large pieces of white rock make the wall striking to the eye at a distance.
The brave hikers + guide (far left). I am so mad that Kingsley and I forgot to dress the for the hike...next time we will be better prepared.
There are many famous sections of Jiankou Great Wall, such as 'The Nine-Eye Tower', an important command post during the ancient wars. It has three layers, and there are nine holes which look like nine eyes on each side. 'The Beijing Knot' is the meeting point for three walls coming from different directions.
'The Sky Stair', seen in the photo below is a precipitous stair whose angle of elevation is 70 to 80 degrees. It leads to 'The Eagle Flies Facing Upward', a watch tower built on the lofty peaks. It is so dangerous that even eagles have to fly facing upward to reach the top.
Of course this is the section that Kingsley desperately wanted to climb and probably paraglide off as well. There was NO WAY the rest of us were going up that section so Kingsley and the guide climbed it together. About a third of the way up Kingsley's common sense apparently suddenly returned to him and after a quick photo op he climbed back down.
To be honest we didn't know anything about the hike before we started the climb but it exceeded our expectations in so many ways. Despite the obvious danger it was one of the most beautiful hikes we have ever been on!
Jiankou Great Wall is one of the most spectacular and rewarding sections in Beijing region. It is also one of the most dangerous one among the different sections of Great Wall in Beijing. Jiankou (Arrow Nock in Chinese) is very “wild” and uneven at certain parts.
Every year, dozens of hikers are stranded, injured or even killed at this unrestored relic after encountering rugged and difficult terrain or bad weather. According to Beijing Fire and Rescue Service’s Huairou district detachment, about 66 percent of all the rescue missions happens at Jiankou.
The fire fighters near Jiankou are kept busy. In 2009, a newly married couple fell to their deaths from the Jiankou Great Wall after being startled by lightning. On their way to the Wall from a tourist garden in Xizhazi village, a Wall ranger tried to persuade them from going but they would not listen to it, and they never came back.
A recent rescue mission took place on Friday, May 4th 2012. A woman was injured after she fell 10 feet off a cliff near the “Sky Stairs”, the famous scenic spot with a precipitous stair at Jiankou. The woman is around 30-year-old from Shandong province, who visited Jiankou along with other 30 hikers of her party. She luckily landed at the feet of the two hikers in front of her.
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China,
Travel Adventures
You are so brave and adventurous!
Well done ! These are great pictures of the Great Wall! Which reminds me... I should go through my Inida pictures and post some. I log on to your blog on a regular basis. Having read this I thought it was rather informative. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
I also found a great blog of Jinshanling travel tips, I'd love to share it here with you and for future travelers. http://www.wildgreatwall.com/how-difficult-is-it-to-hike-from-jiankou-to-mutianyu/
Well done ! These are great pictures of the Great Wall! Which reminds me... I should go through my Inida pictures and post some. I log on to your blog on a regular basis. Having read this I thought it was rather informative. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
I also found a great blog of Jinshanling travel tips, I'd love to share it here with you and for future travelers. http://www.wildgreatwall.com/how-difficult-is-it-to-hike-from-jiankou-to-mutianyu/