Waddle on the Great Wall in Beijing
As one of the most iconic structures in the world, the Great Wall of China has always fascinated us. This timeless wonder, which stretches over 21,196 km (about 13,000 miles), is a testament to the ingenuity and determination of the ancient Chinese people. The Great Wall has stood the test of time and remains a symbol of China’s rich cultural heritage. In this blog post, we will explore the history of the Great Wall and its significance, and of course, we will tell you about our waddle on it.
The epic Great Wall does not need a great introduction. It’s the Great Wall, and you are not from this planet if you never heard about it.
Before we move to the usual practicalities, here are some tips and initial impressions.
- There are open parts of the Great Wall and closed ones that you cannot enter. A policeman is guarding them, but even if you go further, they won’t stop you. However, be aware you are entering them at your own risk. The closed parts are dangerous and fall apart more than the opened ones.
- Book your trip in advance and get on the first bus. We always point out that you should come first, though we can’t point it out enough with this trip. Speaking from experience, we were the first group to reach the top and enjoyed our waddle with only a few people. It was packed with tourists when we were going back down.
- One thing that surprised us was the height of the Great Wall. It is not a super tall nor a super scary wall. In some places, yes, it is pretty tall, but there were also parts when I could jump down quickly and climb back up.
Other interesting facts to know about the Great Wall
- The length of the Great Wall is 21,196.18 km (13,170.7 mi).
- It is more than 2,000 years old.
- Chinese name is 长城 (Chángchéng /channg-chnng/ ‘Long Wall’)
- Nearly 30% of the Great Wall has disappeared without a trace.
- Glutinous rice flour was used to bind the Great Wall bricks.
- It stretches from west to east in northern China.
- The height is 5–8 meters (16–26 feet), where intact and restored.
- It was not just a wall but also an integrated military defensive system.
- It has the longest building duration and greatest cost in human lives.
- It is among the New Seven Wonders of the World and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
A little bit of history first about the Great Wall
We will keep it short this time, as the wall is over two thousand years old, and this would become a pretty long post. So here are a few interesting facts—the basics.
- The Great Wall was not built by one emperor but in different areas by different states/dynasties to protect different territorial borders. It took hundreds of years to finish it.
- Its history began in the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC).
- Dynasties involved in constructing it were – Zhou Dynasty (770–221 BC), Qin Dynasty (221–207 BC), Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), and Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).
- Each dynasty was responsible for constructing a different part of the wall.
- The purpose was to prevent invasion and to protect the Silk Road trade.
- Building the wall required a lot of work. Many workers died and are buried within the wall (when you think about it, the wall is one big cemetery).
Practical Information before you visit the Great Wall
Booking in advance is a must! If you don’t book your visit to the Great Wall, you might lose your opportunity to see it. We booked our trip way in advance.
There are many opportunities available to find a good tour bus. We took the Morning Mubus to the Mutianyu Great Wall.
However, no matter which company you choose, they all leave from the same place – near the Swissotel Beijing Hong Kong Macau Center. Once you arrive there in the morning, honestly, it will be a mess. The street is covered with parked buses leaving, not at specific times, but when the bus is full. We didn’t grasp the system they have. It looked messy but was somehow working.
When we showed someone who looked like a guide our reservation paper, he sent us a little further down to find a bus that still takes people. However, it turned out to be the best bus in the end. So don’t get confused about the management. Just find a bus to get into. They all go to the Great Wall.
We highly recommend Clair for the tour. Thanks to her, we had the best experience. She was pushing us towards the wall, to hurry and not dilly-dally in the shops we passed, which ended up in us being among the first tours to be up at the wall, and it was almost empty.
Once on the bus, the tour guide for that particular bus will collect the payments for the tour reservation, preferably in cash.
Later once settled, she will give you a little bit of history, and what you can expect, the do’s and the don’ts, so it’s good to pay attention.
There will be two stops with the bus, which can be confusing.
The first one will be in front of a gate for all buses to stop. There is a possibility to use the restrooms there, and it is a marketing tourist trap. We all had to get off the bus and walk a few meters through what looked like a shopping district before we entered the bus again. Save time and money on souvenirs here.
The second stop is at a parking lot next to a traditional restaurant. You come to a gate, get off, waddle through a shopping district, get back into the bus, and finally, it releases you at the parking lot.
Pro tip: take a picture of the plate and the number of your bus. As we exited the bus, we were the only one parking there, but later when we returned, it was packed with buses.
Let’s waddle up to the Great Wall
As we wanted to get up as fast as possible, we also purchased a round-way ticket for the cable car going up and down. It is possible to waddle up through an official route. However, it takes more time, and it will be packed by the time you come up.
When using the cable car, you can end up among the first, as we did. There was no waiting lane (although when coming back down it, there was quite a long one).
Once you get off the bus, you are alone and have about 4 hours to get to the wall, waddle around, and return.
We waddled directly for the cable car and didn’t stop for any shopping or looking around. Were the second in line to get up?
It was a nice view, already getting up. Slowly you see the Great Wall appearing. It gives you goosebumps.
Once you reach the top, it is a pleasure to waddle around and enjoy the 2 000+ years beneath your feet.
What surprised us was the beautiful views of the country you get from the Great Wall. The valleys and mountains around it were breathtaking on their own and very enjoyable, especially if you are as lucky as we are and have the perfect autumn day to enjoy it.
While waddling around, you can see many merchants selling water and souvenirs while sitting on the edge of the wall.
Each section we waddled was great. I enjoyed the highest point of the wall the most, even though we had to waddle up many stairs.
Read also about the Temple of Heaven
Of course, we had a break and a little snack. We sat down on the stairs, and there was one mystery from me in front of my eyes, a trash can in the middle of the Great Wall. Of course, it is excellent on the one hand; let’s not leave trash at such a site; on the other hand, people could take it back down with them.
Also, who is taking it out?
After we waddled one side of the wall, we went for the second one, which had much more towers to offer. Although we only managed to get to the one before we had to head back down. The longer we were on the wall, the more crowded it got.
To give you a sneak peek into how many people are at the wall, below is a video from when we were leaving, and this was the only entry to get onto the Great Wall.
We went back down as we came up – with the cable car. It was fast and efficient, and although the waddle down through the hiking route sounded great, time was of the essence here.
Back down, we had more time and checked out the souvenirs (although still, I do not recommend buying any, there is a shipping area in Beijing dedicated to souvenirs).
Because we knew we would be hungry, we also had lunch at the restaurant next to the parking lot.
It was a pleasant experience as well. As we entered, they put us behind a table with some other locals, not speaking English at all, and we shared a meal at the round table. It was very delicious.
We hope you found some valuable tips!
