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Peach Blossoms at Jiankou Great Wall

Wednesday, April 6th, 2022

Jiankou Great Wall is one of the most ruined and treacherous sections of the Great Wall built in Ming Dynasty ( 1368 – 1644). It meanders along the mountain ridges at the sea-level of 1141 meters in Badaohe Township. Xizhazi Village is located below the massive Jiankou Great Wall, about 38km northwest of Huairou District and 120km north of downtown Beijing.

The whole chunk of the winding Wall looks like the shape of “W”, similar to a full bow, hence the name of Jiankou which literally means “Arrow Nock”. In the past few years Jiankou Great Wall has become the most photogenic of all the sections around Beijing due to its rugged and overgrown bits of the Wall perched on the steep cliffs and peaks. Jiankou Great Wall is the most wanted place for photographers and hiking enthusiasts.

“Spring Flowers”, “Sea of Clouds”, “Golden Autumn” and “Snow Scene” are the four wonders of Jiankou Great Wall. Mid-April is the best time to see spring flowers, or specifically the peach blossoms in Jiankou Great Wall.

Yes, there are tons of online trip reports on the incredible steepness of the Upward Flying Eagle Tower, Tianti (Sky Ladder) and Beijing Knot along Jiankou Great Wall. We are not advising anyone to scramble that section if you don’t have any mountain or rock climbing experience armed with special equipment though maybe you are an experienced travelers.

We suggest you start from Zhengbeilou Watchtower on Jiankou Great Wall ( east of the Upward Flying Eagle Tower and Sky Ladder), walk eastwards along the rugged Wall and get to the restored Mutianyu Great Wall, a relatively easy walk with stunning views.

For more information on the hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu, check out the link: Walk fr o m Jiankou Great Wall to Mutianyu Great Wall.

Attached below some photos of the peach blooming Jiankou Great Wall.

The Upward Flying Eagle Tower and Sky Ladder viewed from Zhengbeilou Tower

Peach Flowers around the famous Zhengbeilou Tower

Peach Blossoms along the rugged Jiankou Great Wall

Wild Blooming Peach trees overgrown on the Wall

Snow-like Peach blossoms blanket the Wall and the mountain

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:

Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Autumn Tour
Great Wall Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Tours
China City Tours
China Tour

How to Hike Mutianyu Great Wall

After buying the entry ticket, you should take the shuttle bus behind the ticket office. You are required to buy a 10 yuan ferry shuttle bus. The ferry Shuttle Buses are 2.5km away from the Starting Points for the Mutianyu Great Wall.

When you get off the ferry shuttle bus, you need to walk along an accessible stone path (600 meters long ) leading up first to the entrance area for chairlift ( or toboggan down ), second to the walking path up to the Wall and last to the area for cable car up to the Wall respectively.

The Cable Car Station is at the end of the 600-meter stone slope. That said, there are three ways to go up to Mutianyu Great Wall.

1) Taking a chairlift to the Great Wall – to the 6th Watch Tower ( or take a toboggan down).
2) Walking up the Great Wall along the stone steps (like a mountain hike – 30 minute hike ) – to the 10th or 8th Watch Tower
3) Taking a cable car up to the Great Wall – to the 14th Watch Tower
Click the Map of Mutianyu Great Wall for more information.

the platform below the 14th tower at Mutuanyu — the platform below the 14th tower at Mutianyu

Mutianyu Great Wall has 20 restored towers dotted on the wall snaking the ridge for about 3000 meters. The watch towers at the Mutianyu Great Wall are distributed at short intervals.

the 13th and 14th Towers at Mutuanyy — the 13th and 14th Towers at Mutianyu

Price Information:
Entrance Fee Adults: 45 yuan ( 25yuan if you have valid student card)
Children between 1.2 meters and 1.4 meters in height: 25 yuan
Children less than 1.2 meters in height are free of charge
Cable Car：100 yuan（single way ); 120 yuan ( return )
Chairlift + Slide: 120 yuan ( 100 yuan for single )
Ferry Shuttle Bus: 15 yuan

Opening Hours:
April to October: 8:00 -17:00
November to March: 8:30-16:30

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:

Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Autumn Tour
Great Wall Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Tours
China City Tours
China Tour

Hike from Zhuangdao Kou Village to Er Dao Guan Village

Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Pass is located on the mountain sandwiched by Zhuang Dao Kou Village down in the south and Er Dao Guan Village up in the north.

So to walk through the Zhuagdaokou Great Wall Pass, we are required to hike south from Zhuang Dao Kou Village, climb up to the mountain valley, pass through the Great Wall through the gateway (Zhuang Dao Kou Pass), then continue to trek on the mountain north of the Great Wall, before we reach Er Dao Guan Village down the mountain.

The Zhuang Dao Kou Village Signboard ( the left side leading up to the village)

The walk from Zhuangdao Kou Village to Er Dao Guan Village through the Great Wall pass takes approx. 1 and half hours.

Zhuangdaokou Great Wall

Zhuangdaokou Great Wall spanning between Zhuang Dao Kou Village and Er Dao Guan Village is actually part of Huanghuacheng Great Wall. Zhuang Dao Kou Village is located directly at the foot of the Zhuang Dao Kou Pass of the Great Wall, hence the name of Zhuang Dao Kou Village.

Er Dao Guan Village literally means “Second Great Wall Pass Village”. It is located at the foot of the ancient pass of the second Great Wall paralleling the Huanghuacheng Great Wall to the north. The second Great Wall was built aimed at increasing the defence power of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall in Ming Dynasty.

Accompanied by my co-worker Xiao Hao, I started the maiden hiking trip. We reached the entrance to Zhuang Dao Kou Village at 10:00am. A huge signboard stands at the fork indicating the road to the village on the right side.

Through Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Pass

Walking along the dirt path in the village. Zhuangdaokou Village is under the jurisdiction of Jiudu Town of Huairou District, Beijing. Now it has 110 households with 305 villagers.

A zigzag trail leading up to the Pass from the village

Passing through the village, we soon found the route up to the Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Passt. It was an unpaved train, dusty, sandy and stony.

The four eyes are met as if they knew each other in before

On the way up to the Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Pass, happened an interesting thing that a village dog swaggered following us. Village dogs are often seen running about the roads or streets in the villages, receiving less affection than their urban counterparts.

A lonely village dog seeking a potential master’s love

We tried to forget the dog, speeding ours steps marching towards the pass. Twenty minutes later, the Zhuang Dao Kou Great Wall Pass is in sight. You can easily walk up the Great Wall on the right side if you are interested in the Great Wall hiking.

I turned back and found the dog still following us.

Look back at the Zhuangdaokou Great Wall

To our pleasant surprise, the dog is still following us despite of the snow mountain road. What a poor dog!

The dog is still following us despite of the snowy mountain road

Xiao Hao again bends over to say hello to the dog

Then, next happened an unbelievable thing! The dog jumped up to a soil mound and posed in front of us like a film star with the Zhuangdaokou Great Wall as a backdrop! I have no time to waste shooting him!

We continue to walk along the muddy trail leading to Er dao Guan Village. Over one hour’s hike, we spot the signal tower and we know the Er Dao Guan Village is below the tower. We are happy that our crossing this time is close to success!