不 到 长 城 非 好 汉
"He who has not been to the Great Wall is not a true man!"
- Mao Zedong, October 1935
China has always been in the Top 10 list of countries that is difficult to get a visa from so I have always imagined that traveling to China is like squeezing water from a stone. Seeing the Land of the Red Dragon can happen only on the twelfth of never, so I thought. But tables do really turn! And they say that when it rains, it pours so you have to get your head ready for a torrential blessing. I set foot in Beijing at the start of its winter as a result of a long-overdue plan. The temperature was hovering from -4°C to -1°C when I arrived at the airport with 0.8 mm precipitation. The trip was technically unplanned but it was something that I have prepared for a long time.
Big surprises really come in small packages and unexpectedly, I was invited to see one of the seven wonders of the world on my very first day, just as when the winter season decides to pour an overwhelming amount of snow. My first experience with it is maddeningly unforgettable. Having been raised and lived in a tropical country all my life, where the sun shines 365 days a year, it's quite stupefying to see ice crystals falling from the clouds, all white and shiny, like angels flying from the heavens on a chilly day in winter. While everyone else takes shelter from the snowfalls, people like me take advantage of taking selfies while snowflakes fall on my head. It's an awkward, yet fulfilling experience.
How Great Thou Art
The Great Wall of China has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987, known to be the most recognizable emblem of the country, and is one of the most monumental creations of man in history. The walls served as a fortification against invasions from barbarian nomads initially conceived in the 3rd century B.C. although the 13,000 miles long Great Wall of China that we know today was only constructed during the Ming Dynasty in the 1300s. Notwithstanding the fact that many sections of the wall have deteriorated in time, the Great Wall of Badaling as it is more widely known is the most preserved and was reconstructed in the 1950s, which paved the way to be the most visited section of the walls today. And I'm proud to be one of the millions of people who have come to visit this historical site.
Up Against The Wall
I've heard so many stories and read a lot of blogs about how extremely difficult to go to The Great Wall of Badaling. More often than not, visitors opt to join a group tour arranged by local travel agencies. I know that there are hundreds of known advantages of touring abroad with a group of people, most of them you have not met before, but I haven't really experienced such as I always travel alone. I think it only defeats the purpose of getting into an adventure, in my own definition of it, if I go that route.
Most visitors arrive in Badaling through S2 trains from Beijing North Railway Station for only CNY 7 but it takes an hour and a half travel. Some prefer faster trips so they take the bullet train for a higher rate of CNY 29 but takes visitors to Badaling Great Wall Railway Station in just 30 minutes. Group tours usually arrive from Bus 877 which picks up passengers from Deshengmen although it takes the same travel time as S2 trains with even higher fare at CNY 12. Another bus option is to take Tourist Bus Line 1 from Tiananmen Square for CNY 20 which takes visitors straight to the Guntiangou Parking Lot.
I stayed at Jinjiang Inn at Fangshan, Beijing and I was glad to have met my host and his associate, who made it possible for making me visit the Great Wall in Badaling on my first day in their city. I was privileged to get to Badaling in a private car, a Beijing Benz Class W205, which was driven by my host. The three of us took the 6th Ring Road northwards and drove for 1 hour and 30 minutes until we reached the Chaxi roundabout where we parked the car and disembarked. Private cars are restricted from this point so the city government provided free shuttle buses to get visitors to the site. We boarded the next available bus and we were taken to the drop-off site at Guntiangou Parking Lot in about 10 minutes.
It was already 12:50 pm so we decided to have a quick lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is about 650 meters walk from the drop-off site. KFC is known to be the most popular American fast-food chain in China, leading consistently ahead of McDonald's, so it's not surprising to see Colonel Sanders' chicken in a tourist-infested place like this. It is highly recommended to stuff yourself since climbing at a high altitude requires a lot of energy. Dining here at lunchtime is a terrible idea as it is jam-packed with people from all walks of life so expect a little difficulty finding an available table quickly.
Off The Wall
The Badaling Great Wall is divided into 2 sections - the North and the South. The latter is shorter with only 7 watchtowers to pass through but it has an easier trail and its slopes require less energy to climb. It is highly recommended for first-time climbers especially those who have kids. Fewer visitors take this route, however, although it is more advantageous to those who would like to take photos and don't want to have a large crowd in the background. The North, on the other hand, is the more preferred section for most visitors as it is longer and has more breathtaking views, showcasing its picturesque backdrop of mountain ridges. There are 12 watchtowers to pass through but its slopes connecting them wind up and down and are more dangerous especially on a snowy day like this. I didn't get to choose which side to go to. I was led to take the North Section. One important thing to note for foreign visitors is to always bring your passport with you as there are several checkpoints at the entrance gate. Surprisingly, I was never asked for my passport at the checkpoint, which I think is a good reason for being escorted by two other Chinese nationals.
My host's associate and I started climbing the North Section at 1:20 pm and the first 5 watchtowers seemed convenient as they are all downhill paths and most of them are not that steep. The temperature is at -2°C and the callous winter wind continuously nipped my frozen face numbing it and making my breath icy. There were several instances where local Chinese visitors amicably ask me to take their pictures, and they get shocked whenever I tell them I don't understand them and I respond in English. I am sure that I don't look Chinese but I don't know why I always get mistaken as one. After a series of obstacles and death-defying climbs, I reached the 8th watchtower not realizing that I was already at the highest point of the entire Badaling Great Wall. The views are totally breathtaking from here and if you'll look back at where you came from, you'll be in complete awe!
Climbing the last 4 watchtowers is high-risk and unsafe. A cableway is available to take visitors back more conveniently to the ground at the Great Wall Museum if they don't wish to carry on. Mao Zedong's legendary quote "he who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man” engraved in a stone stele can be found in the 8th watchtower, which motivates people to complete the expedition. The distance between the 8th and the 9th watchtower is the longest and most exhausting.
The trail from the 11th to the 12th watchtower is the scariest and the most dangerous. A long portion of it doesn't have steps and the snow makes it impossible to walk at a normal pace so you'll have to pull yourself up from the guard rails at the sides. It's not advisable to stay long in between embrasures because of the strong, icy winds that blow from the mountains which could frost up your face. While I was struggling to pull myself up at the side rails, a little girl from above the slope slipped from her mother's grip suddenly came sliding down at full speed. Her stricken mother panicked and slid herself downslope attempting to stop her daughter from falling. Luckily, my other hand was free and I was able to grab the kid's puffer jacket while another man from the other side of the wall stuck out his umbrella for the mother to hang on to. We were able to pull them back to safety. The end of the upslope is a blocked watchtower which is an indication that no further climbing can be done beyond it.
I reached the 12th watchtower at 3:05 pm.
When Your Walls Come Down
Reaching the 12th watchtower of the Great Wall of Badaling is tough but going back to where you started is more challenging. With only a quarter of your energy left, it is less exhausting to just go with the pull of gravity but you need more effort in holding yourself up to anything to keep yourself from sliding down. There is a more convenient option to descend without going through all the watchtowers again from the 12th watchtower by following a trail going to the Bear Garden. My host's associate still looked oozing with so much energy that he started his descent with so much ease but I was noticeably grappling my way down. Significantly, all the views going down are more breathtaking and jaw-dropping that I couldn't help but be in awe. All the directions I point my camera to are inexplicably mesmerizing.
The descent only took us 52 minutes. One factor is that there were no more visitors climbing at that time and everyone is moving in the same direction. People are rushing to get back to the base before the sun sets in at 4:50 pm. Another reason is that the snow has started to thaw and the walkways became more slippery. You can slide on your way down easier and faster, albeit more dangerous on areas where big crowds await below that you may crash into.
If Walls Could Talk
Climbing the Great Wall of China during the winter is a horrible idea. Clambering up this monstrous, ancient wall is never a walk in the park. It is tantamount to battling a mythical dragon surpassing its vertigo-inducing heights, death-defying slippery slopes, and confronting the hazards of acclimatization. If the weather is not a concern, one good reason to visit the place in a low season like this is that it's the cheapest time to go around. Not to mention that during these cold winter months, there are fewer tourists, thus, it's less crowded. Just make sure to gear up accordingly to battle the biting cold.
I'm a proud brown monkey from a tropical country who has survived climbing the highest peak of Badaling at 2,913 feet and pulling through all 12 towers of the north section of The Great Wall of China at a -2°C temperature. The breathtaking photos can mask the perils but they surely capture the euphoria of being part of this adventure!
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