Dear Daniel,
I have just returned home from my week in Beijing and want to thank you, Paul Song and your wonderful team for looking after me so well doing my stay in Beijing. It was an awesome stay and I managed to do all the things I wanted to do and that included the long walk on the Great Wall, which although a challenge was with the help of your guides great. I managed the 4.5 hours and enjoyed almost every minute, sure a cable car and the walk off the wall through the country side did help, but the whole day with perfect weather and a great team will remain one of my most treasured memories.
I will certainly be recommending you to my friends and will write a bit about the trip on several websites.
I am also sure I will come back to Beijing sometime in the future. As I have told Paul, next time I would like to come to your office and met you both.
Thank you and your team.
Sincerely,
Penny
Penny Eames
Waikanae
New Zealand
Hike from Jinshanling Great Wall to Simatai Great Wall:
Features: wild, ruined, preserved and original
Hiking Area: East Jinshanling and west Simatai ( 30 towers, 2 passes, 12 km)
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Hiking Level: intermediate
Cable car: available
The hike from the east Jinshanling Great Wall to the west Simatai Great Wall is the most challenging part of our 5-day Great Wall hike trip. During the 12-km hike, we will pass over 30 buildings (towers) - east Jinshanling 15 tower and west Simatai 15 towers, and two of the three passes on the Jinshanling Great Wall. There is a cableway up to the Jinshanling Great Wall. If you take a cable car up, you will skip over 5 watch towers. I choose to climb up the mountain, so I can trek across 30 towers and 2 passes. I don't suggest you use the cable car since it is very slow and unnecessary. The fact is that it is very easy to walk up to the Great Wall.
Shalingkou Pass
I walk up the mountain to the Shalingkou Pass, where I start my Jinshanling-Simatai hike eastward. The Shalingkou Pass was the mountain pass for the passage of people with horses and goods.
1. East Terrace
The first buidling I meet when I hike eastward from the Shalingkou Pass is the East Terrace. It is a roofless building leading up to the next tower.
2. Black Tower
This watch tower is called"Black Tower". Most of the towers on the Jinshanling Great Wall have two tiers and two doors - east door and west door. But the Black Tower has three tiers - underground, middle and upper. The Black Tower also has two doors, but its west door is an underground door. The underground door has a narrow and covert stone passage leading to the middle and upper floors. In a fight, if the underground is taken up by enemies, the soldiers on the middle and upper floors still have an advantageous place to wipe off the enemy down below. Why "Black Tower"? The legend has it that the Jinshanling Great wall was maintained and strengthened by Qijiguang (1528-1588),who was the general and commander along the Great Wall then. An old general from Ningxia also wanted to come here for building the Great Wall. His wife had died years before. His only daughter, nicknamed"Black Girl", was worried about her father's health and insisted in coming with him. Under her daugher's constant request, the old general had to agree with her. Black Girl followed his father, trekking through the numerous rivers and mountains. Finally they arrived here. She also took part in the construction of the Jinshanling Great Wall. One day, a newly built tower was set on fire by the lightening. Seeing the tower on fire, the Black Girl charged into the fire without any hesitation, trying to fight the fire. Then the tragedy happened. She was burned to death. All the soldiers were extremely sad and told the old general of his daughter's death. Her father said her daughter had died for her country and she was worthy of her sacrifice. The soldiers rebuilt a new tower based on the original burned tower. They named the tower"Black Girl Tower" in memory of 'Black Girl". After generation and generation, the name of the Black Tower became "Black Tower" instead of "Black Girl Tower".
3. 1st Building ( tower )
The watchtowers on the Great Wall are either one tiered or two-tiered. They are hollow inside. On the first floor there are some windows for shooting arrows. The soldiers could stay overnight inside.
4. 2nd Building ( tower )
The roofs of the towers on the Jinshanling Great Wall are varied in shape. Some are flat, arched, quadrangular or octagonal. One of the unique features of the Jinshanling Great Wall is the horse-refraining walls to keep off the horse, a good place to put up a resistance.
5. Little Jinshan Building ( tower )
Little Jinshan Building was a most celebrated tower. The little Jinshan Watch Tower was built by soldiers from Zhanjiang led by Qi Jiguang, a famous general in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). To remind themselves of their hometowns, the tower was named after a pavilion's name in the Jiangxin Island in Zhanjiang.
6. Large Jinshan Building ( tower )
It is also a famous tower on the Great Wall, a must see tower. On the top of the tower is a small room used as the soldiers' rest room. The tower was named large Jinshan which was also named after a famous pavilion in the Jiangxin Island in Zhanjiang. Actually the name of the Jinshanling Great Wall is taken from the two famous watch towers.
7. Yaogou Building ( tower )
It is a ruined watch tower, now roofless and rundown. It is named after a valley nearby - "Yaogou Valley".
8. Unnamed Building ( tower )
There are some unnamed towers. This is the first one. It is a two-holes ( embrasure window) with high horse-refraining walls.
On the way to the next building - Houchuan Pass
Houchuan Pass
This is the second mountain pass on the Jinshanling Great Wall - Houchuan Pass. The Great Wall Pass was a passage for military personnel and local people from both sides of the Great Wall.
9. Houchuan Building (tower )
It was a fortified watch tower built on the Pass. The pass was built to protect the Pass.
10. Shazi Building ( the second from the right )
It is a 4-holes tower. Now it is quite ruined and hollow inside. We take a rest in the tower. Some local farmers sell drinks and tourist books. It is a real good place for relaxation before you start with the most challenging hike to the General Tower and the Corner Tower ( the steepest part of the Jinshanling Great Wall ).
11. General Building ( the tower )
The hike up to the General Tower is quite difficult. It is very treacherous! The tower was speccially made for high-ranking officers.
After hiking up the General Tower, we find that we have to walk down, then again hike up very steep steps before we march towards to another excessively high Corner Tower.
12. Corner Building ( tower )
Our walk up to the Corner Building is also a touch task.
It is a long walk from the Corner Tower to the next tower eastward - "Unnamed Tower"
13. Unnamed Building ( tower )
Walking down to the Unnamed Tower
The Unnamed Tower leads to the Black Tower next.
14. Black Tower
It is a 3-hole watch tower with the horse-refraining walls.
It is a long walk from the previous tower to the Black Tower.
15. Tower with three holes
It is called "three-eye tower". The three holes are on its north and south walls.
Waking up the three-ete tower
16. Tower with five holes
This tower is locally called "5-eye Tower". The 5 holes are on its north and south walls.
Marching towards the 5-eye tower
17. Little Arc-roof Building
It is an arc-roof tower. The door is high over the steps. We have to make a detour.
18. Large Arc-Roof Building
We have a break by the west side the tower to keep from the scorching sun. It is lunch time. We sit down and enjoy simple box-meal - milk, water, bread and hams.
From the Large Arc-roof Tower to the Nianzigou Tower, you will find some wall bricks carved with Chinese characters - literal bricks. These literal bricks tell when the bricks were made and who made it.
19. Nianzigou Tower
This tower takes its name from the valley nearby - "Nianzigou Valley".
20. San Yan Lou ( Tower )
San Yan Lou literally means "three-eye building". In this building, you have to buy the entrance ticket to the Simatai Great Wall. So to hike from the east section of the Jinshanling Great Wall, you have to buy two tickets both for Jinshanling and Simatai. If you tomorrow want to climb the east section of the Simatai Great Wall, you don't have to pay since you are already in the Simatai area.
21. Si Yan Lou ( tower )
Three-eye building
22. Henggou Building
This tower is named after the valley nearby - "Henggou Valley".
Walking to the Henggou Building
23. Unnamed Building
24. Unnamed Building
Walking from the Unnamed Building ( tower 24) to the next two unnamed buildings ( Tower No.025 and No.26 )
25. Unamed building
26. Unamed buildingv
p31
We are walking towards to the Unnamed Tower No.26 and the Little Hutong Building.
27. Little Hutong Building
28. San Yan Lou
I pose before San Yan Lou, which literally means "three-eye building". My backdrop is the overall view of the east section of the Simatai Great Wall.
29. Corner Building
This is the last tower of the west Simatai Great Wall or the first tower if you hike from the west Simatai to the east Jinshanling.
30. The last Tower for our trip today
This is also the first tower of the east section of the Simatai Great Wall.
The Mandarin Duck Lake cuts the Simatai Great Wall into two parts - east part and west part. The two parts are linked by a suspension bridge. So we have to walk across the suspension bridge from the west Simatai to the first tower and the second tower of the east Simatai Great Wall.
Then we hike through the second tower of the east Simatai, and walk to our lodging hotel - Great Wall Hotel by the lake.
Remark: Some local farmers, or the local hawkers you may call them, keep an eye on each individual tourist and follow them from the beginning to the end everyday! They make a living by being a little useful for you during your hike in the hope that you will at last buy some their tourist books or souvenirs. Don't be frustrated by these dutiful farmers. To pay a little to know more about local life is not a bad thing. Enjoy your trip!
