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Trekking on the Great Wall |
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Air Tickets , Train Tickets, Transportation and Transfer Reservation |
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Starting from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east along the Bohai Bay, the Great Wall zigzags its way to the west along the undulating mountains, with a total length of 6,700km, it extends to the Jiayuguan pass in Gansu Province in the west desert. It is one the most famous man-made projects in the world.
Construction of the Great Wall started in the 7th Century BC. The vassal states under the Zhou Dynasty in the northern parts of the country each built their own walls for defense purposes. After the state of Qin unified china in 221 B.C., it joined the walls to hold off the invaders from the Xiongnu tribes in the north and extended them to more than 5,000 kilometers. This is the origin of the name of the Great Wall.
The Great Wall was renovated from time to time after the Qin Dynasty. A major renovation started with the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, and took 200 years to complete. The wall we see today is almost exactly the result of this effort.
Two itineraries are selected carefully for you. Trekking along the Great Wall provides a unique opportunity to learn the Great Wall, to learn Chinese culture.
Our detailed itineraries provides descriptions of the various parts of the Great Wall which we have planed for you. |
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Beijing 6 days / 5 nights
◆ D1. Arrive in Beijing,
transfer to hotel.
◆ D2.
Visit the Tian'anmem Square, the Forbidden City,
tour guide will brief the history and the current situation
of the Great Wall. Peking roast duck dinner in the evening
at the famous hundred-year old restaurant: Quanjude Roast
Duck Restaurant.
◆ D3.
Whole day tour to Badaling Great Wall and Mutianyu Great
Wall.
Badaling Wall, a typical section of the Great Wall. Built of stone slabs in its foundation, it is
consolidated in its bulk with solid bricks. Measuring 7.8 meters high and 5 meters wide on its
top, five horses and ten soldiers can march abreast on the top of the wall. There is a
watchtower at every interval of 60 - 70m.
The fortress at Badaling occupies an area of over five thousand square meters. The wall
around is roughly 7.5m high and 4m thick. There are gates on the east and west sides.
Badaling is the spot of commanding elevation for the whole Juyongguan complex. An ancient
saying goes: "What is impassable at Juyongguan Pass lies not on the pass itself, but on
Badaling." If Juyongguan Pass can be compared to the gate of the capital, then Badaling
ought to be the key to this gate. It should not be surprising, therefore, that we find a placard
above the west gate of the fortress which reads: "the outer garrison of Juyongguan," and
one above the east gate which reads: "the key to the north gate of the capital".
Mutianyu Wall, located 70km to the north of Beijing, steeper in parts than at
Badaling. This section of the wall is crenellated for watching and shooting at the invading
enemy. Some of the battle forts on the wall are as closed as 50km apart. The area is thick
with trees, and the view from the highest elevation of the wall is superb. There are fewer
people about because the location is less accessible than
Badaling.
◆D4. In the morning, the tour motorcoach will take you to Miyun County, the four hour trekking
from Simatai Great Wall to Jinshanling Great Wall, 10km long, is
exciting and fascinating. Box meal is served on the Great Wall. After the exciting trekking, each member would be
issued a Great Wall Certificate by the local authority. Back to Beijing, dinner.
Simatai Wall, built in 1570 in the Ming Dynasty, which is known for its wonderful,
precipitous and fantastic location, is sited at Gubeikou Town in the north-east of Miyun
county of Beijing. It's also the only part of the Great Wall which keeps the original feature
of the Ming Dynasty. It not only incorporates the different characteristics of each part of the
Great Wall, but also has some styles which are the only one of their kind. Professor Luo
Zhewen, a famous specialist of Great Wall, says: " The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese
buildings, and Simatai section is the best of the Great Wall." This part of Great Wall was
noted by the UNESCO as one of the World Cultural Heritages.
Jinshanling Wall, situated 5km east of Gubeikou town, Miyun County, Beijing. Five
passes of varying sizes and sixty-seven watchtowers in different forms are scattered along its
length of 10.5km. As its name suggests, it is built over the Greater and the Lesser Jinshan
Mountains.
The Jinshanling Wall is laid out against a wide horizon. Imposing in appearance while
rigorous and intricate in its system of defense, it is one of the most outstandingly built
sections of the Great Wall.
The Jinshanling Wall is well provided with watchtowers, the average interval between
adjacent ones measuring only about 100m, contraction to 50 - 60m where the topography
causes complications. Qijiguang (a famous general of the Ming dynasty) specifies that every watchtower should be within the reach of cannons from an adjacent one; that is to say, adjacent watchtowers should be able to offer mutual support, thus shielding the wall in between from dangers. All the watchtowers are set up at points of commanding elevation. Because the walls slope steeply up towards the watchtowers, terraces have to be built on the walls. On each of these terraces there is a set of shorter walls, about 2.5m high. On these walls there are peepholes and shooting holes. These shorter walls, which shield two thirds of the surface of the main wall, are known as " barrier walls". They constitute a kind of structure unique to the Wall around.
The watchtowers at Jinshanling are cast in a great variety of forms; some cubic, some
compressed, and some convoluted. They are all in two storeys. The lower storey serves as a
lodge for the soldiers and a storeroom for weapons and supplies. Protruding walls are
constructed on the outward side of the upper storey, while in the middle of this storey stands
a small house known as "scull of the tower", sometimes also called "bed-house", which
serves as a shelter or resting place for the soldier on guard. There are arrow openings on the
lower storey of the watchtower. The number of such openings varies from tower to tower.
On the Jinshanling Wall, there is a watchtower that is outstandingly large. On the terrace on
its southern side there is a storehouse. A wall of a hundred meter extends north from this
tower along a ridge, until it reaches the confluence of some gullies. At this terminating point
there is also a watchtower. A pair of circular beacon towers overlook the confluence. This
peculiar watchtower is not only equipped with such defensive devices as barrier walls, it is
also shielded with an arc of compound wall on its outward side. On a slope some 60m from
the compound wall stands a double fort. The intricate system of defense built around the
tower indicates that it is not an ordinary watchtower. It might have been what is known in
some historical records as the "Commanding Tower", where the command post for the
forefront of defense action is to be found.
Near the eastern end of the Jinshanlint Wall a mountain soars steeply towards the sky. The
Great Wall climbs up the mountain along the sharp ridge, until it reaches the summit which is
nearly a thousand meters above sea level. On the summit stands a watchtower. It is said that
looking out from the tower at dawn on a fine autumn day, one may be able to see the lights in
Beijing; hence the name "Capital-in-sight Tower". The walls built upon the ridge are mostly
non-compound in structure. Shooting holes are scattered all over the walls. And shooting can
be done in any posture appropriate. Walls of this sort are known as "walls for actual fighting", and can only be found on the Jinshanling Wall.
◆ D5. The morning is free
at your leilure. After lunch, you will visit the Temple
of Heaven--the essential work of temple architecture in
ancient China.
◆ D6. After breakfast, transfer
to the airport, leave China.
Beijing: Asia Vision Hotel
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Tour route Code |
SRT-001 |
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Package tour cost per person (2-5 pax) |
1095USD SRS:194USD |
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Package tour cost per person (6-9 pax) |
790USD SRS:194USD |
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Package tour cost per person (10+ pax) |
550USD SRS:134USD |
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Notes:
1. Tour cost includes: airport/hotel/airport transfers, 3-star hotel accommodation based on double occupancy + breakfast, lunch and dinner at local restaurants each day, sightseeing tours including coach and admission tickets, local guide (national guide for groups of over ten pax), insurance fee and transportation from city to city.
Tour cost excludes: China visa, international in/out transportation fee, any airport tax and all
private expense.
2. Above rates are in US dollars and valid from April 1,
2001 through March 31, 2002.
3. All prices are per person based on twin sharing of hotel rooms.
4. CPITS reserves the right to substitute hotels whenever necessary.
5. Prices are subject to change without prior notice.
6. The items in the itinerary are adjustable according to the concrete conditions.
7. Booking details: Please see Reservation Procedure and Cancellation Policy
8. SRS: Single Room Supplement |
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Beijing - Qinhuangdao - Beijing - Dunhuang -
Jiayuguan Pass - Xi'an - Shanghai
16days / 15 nights
◆ D1.
Arrive in Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, transfer to hotel.
◆ D2.
Beijing
Visit the Tian'anmem Square, the Forbidden City, your tour guide will brief the history and
the current situation of the Great Wall. Peking roast duck dinner this evening at the famous
hundred-year old restaurant: Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant.
◆ D3.
Beijing-Qinhuangdao
Take tour coach to Qinhuangdao, visit Meng-Jiang Nu Temple, trekking along the Great Wall, from Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head) section to the First Pass Under Heaven - Shanhaiguan Pass. The three hour walking, proximately 5 km, enables you to see the starting of the Great Wall - Shanhaiguan Pass and the Great Wall amid the sea - Laolongtou.
Shanhaiguan Pass, located in present-day Shanhaiguan District of Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province. It is the most important pass on the eastern half of the Ming Great Wall. The pass overlooks the Bohai Sea in the south, and leans against the Yan Mountains in the north. A passage of the utmost
strategic importance, 10km in width, runs between the sea and the mountain range. This has always been a strongly fortified area ever since the Sui dynasty. In 1381, Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, set up fortifications in this area. From then on a sub-wall, branching off around the Yan Mountains and extending southward up to the seashore, became attached to the Great Wall. The corridor linking the northeast with the central heartland was thus blocked up in the middle. The fortress for this sub-wall was erected as if set against the Great Wall in the east, arising as it were between mountains and seas. It was hence called "Shanhaiguan", literally corresponding to "Mountain-sea Pass". A couplet formerly written on scrolls and hung on the pillars of a renowned hall claims that this is the top-ranking fortress along the Great Wall, and that it occupies a position of unparalleled strategic importance, a key position controlling the access to the two capitals. Xiao Xian, a presented-scholar of 1472 and a well-known calligrapher, has written down on a large horizontal placard the words "The First Fortress Under Heaven" in a most forceful style. Today the placard can still e seen hung high outside a tower at the eastern gate of the fortress.
Shanhaiguan Pass has five constituent forts, integrated with the Great Wall and a number of
beacon towers. The fort now open to the public is the principal constituent of the whole
complex. This main fort measures 4.3km in perimeter, and occupies an area roughly in the
form of a square. It has four gates on its four sides, each originally having a tower on top, now only the tower on top of the east gate remains. The terrace at the east gate reaches a height of 12m, and the tower above it is 13.7m in height. The tower consists of two storeys. The upper storey is a wooden structure, with painted decorations in Ming Style, and the four wing-like corners of the eaves are decorated with ridges in the forms of beasts in different postures. The lower storey is built of brick and wood. The east, the north, and the south sides of the tower have a total of sixty-eight openings for arrows, each with a cover painted as a target with concentric rings. When invaders approach, these windows will be opened allowing arrows to be shot out.
The pass is strictly on guard against invasion from every side. The gates on the four sides of the main fort are each shielded with an urn-like fortified enclosure. The urn fortification outside the east gate is further protected by a web-like fortification. Surrounding the main fort is a moat measuring 10m deep and 20m across. To increase the depth of the defense system, a fort of "far-reaching dignity" is set up a kilometer from the east gate. The main fort is also flanked on the north and south sides with wing forts. At the spot where the Great Wall meets the sea there stand a "sea-pacifying" fort, to guard against invaders raiding from the sea.
Old Dragon's Head, in Mid-Ming dynasty, when the famous general Qi Jiguang was the commander, he ordered the building of an extension that protruded the Great Wall over twenty meters into the sea. The protrusion is the well-known "Old Dragon's Head". Built of stone slabs and originally about ten meters high, Old Dragon's Head has long fallen into ruin. At the "sea-pacifying" fort near Old Dragon's Head there still stands a stone tablet inscribed with a phrase of four words meaning "heavens open with a vista of mountains and seas". The characters inscribed are said to have been the handwriting of General Qi.
Temple of Meng-Jiang Nü, the tale of "Meng-Jiang Nu bringing down a section of the Great Wall with her tears" is one of the four great legends of China. When the Great Wall is being built under the order of Emperor Shihuang of Qin dynasty, so the legend goes,
Meng-Jiang's husband does not return after a long time, Meng-Jiang travels a thousand Li in search of him, until she reaches Shanhaiguan, where she finds that her husband has already died of exhaustion beneath the Wall. Meng-Jiang Nu bursts into tears, and her tears bring down a section of the Wall as long as eight hundred Li. To protest against the harsh rule of the Qin emperor,
Meng-Jiang takes her own life by throwing herself into the sea. The legend has it that the third block of reef at the sea southeast of Meng-Jiang's Temple is the grave of the poor widow.
◆ D4. Qinhuangdao-Beijing
Take tour coach back to Beijing, the afternoon is at your leisure.
◆ D5. Beijing
Whole day tour to Badaling Great Wall and Mutianyu Great Wall.
Mutianyu Wall, located 70km to the north of Beijing, steeper in parts than at
Badaling. This section of the wall is crenellated for watching and shooting at the invading
enemy. Some of the battle forts on the wall are as closed as 50km apart. The area is thick
with trees, and the view from the highest elevation of the wall is superb. There are fewer
people about because the location is less accessible than Badaling.
Badaling Wall, a typical section of the Great Wall. Built of stone slabs in its foundation, it
is consolidated in its bulk with solid bricks. Measuring 7.8 meters high and 5 meters wide on
its top, five horses and ten soldiers can march abreast on the top of the wall. There is a
watchtower at every interval of 60 - 70m.
The fortress at Badaling occupies an area of over five thousand square meters. The wall
around is roughly 7.5m high and 4m thick. There are gates on the east and west sides.
Badaling is the spot of commanding elevation for the whole Juyongguan complex. An
ancient saying goes: "What is impassable at Juyongguan Pass lies not on the pass itself, but
on Badaling." If Juyongguan Pass can be compared to the gate of the capital, then Badaling ought to be the key to this gate. It should not be surprising, therefore, that we find a placard above the west gate of the fortress which reads: "the outer garrison of Juyongguan," and one above the east gate which reads: "the key to the north gate of the capital".
◆ D6.
Beijing
In the morning, the tour motorcoach will take you to Miyun County, the four hour trekking
from Simatai Great Wall to Jinshanling Great Wall, 10km long, is exciting and fascinating.
Box meal is served on the Great Wall. After the exciting trekking, each member would be
issued a climbing certificate by the local authority. Back to Beijing, dinner.
Simatai Wall, built in 1570 in the Ming Dynasty, which is known for its wonderful,
precipitous and fantastic location, is sited at Gubeikou Town in the north-east of Miyun
county of Beijing. It's also the only part of the Great Wall which keeps the original feature
of the Ming Dynasty. It not only incorporates the different characteristics of each part of the
Great Wall, but also has some styles which are the only one of their kind. Professor Luo
Zhewen, a famous specialist of Great Wall, says: " The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese buildings, and Simatai section is the best of the Great Wall." This part of Great Wall was noted by the UNESCO as one of the World Cultural Heritages.
Jinshanling Wall, situated 5km east of Gubeikou town, Miyun County, Beijing. Five
passes of varying sizes and sixty-seven watchtowers in different forms are scattered along its
length of 10.5km. As its name suggests, it is built over the Greater and the Lesser Jinshan
Mountains.
The Jinshanling Wall is laid out against a wide horizon. Imposing in appearance while
rigorous and intricate in its system of defense, it is one of the most outstandingly built
sections of the Great Wall.
The Jinshanling Wall is well provided with watchtowers, the average interval between
adjacent ones measuring only about 100m, contraction to 50 - 60m where the topography
causes complications. Qijiguang (a famous general of Ming dynasty) specifies that every
watchtower should be within the reach of cannons from an adjacent one; that is to say,
adjacent watchtowers should be able to offer mutual support, thus shielding the wall in
between from dangers. All the watchtowers are set up at points of commanding elevation.
Because the walls slope steeply up towards the watchtowers, terraces have to be built on the
walls. On each of these terraces there is a set of shorter walls, about 2.5m high. On these
walls there are peepholes and shooting holes. These shorter walls, which shield two thirds of
the surface of the main wall, are known as " barrier walls". They constitute a kind of
structure unique to the Wall around.
The watchtowers at Jinshanling are cast in a great variety of forms; some cubic, some
compressed, and some convoluted. They are all in two storeys. The lower storey serves as a
lodge for the soldiers and a storeroom for weapons and supplies. Protruding walls are
constructed on the outward side of the upper storey, while in the middle of this storey stands
a small house known as "scull of the tower", sometimes also called "bed-house", which
serves as a shelter or resting place for the soldier on guard. There are arrow openings on the
lower storey of the watchtower. The number of such openings varies from tower to tower.
On the Jinshanling Wall, there is a watchtower that is outstandingly large. On the terrace on
its southern side there is a storehouse. A wall of a hundred meter extends north from this
tower along a ridge, until it reaches the confluence of some gullies. At this terminating point
there is also a watchtower. A pair of circular beacon towers overlook the confluence. This
peculiar watchtower is not only equipped with such defensive devices as barrier walls, it is
also shielded with an arc of compound wall on its outward side. On a slope some 60m from
the compound wall stands a double fort. The intricate system of defense built around the
tower indicates that it is not an ordinary watchtower. It might have been what is known in
some historical records as the "Commanding Tower", where the command post for the
forefront of defense action is to be found.
Near the eastern end of the Jinshanlint Wall a mountain soars steeply towards the sky. The
Great Wall climbs up the mountain along the sharp ridge, until it reaches the summit which is
nearly a thousand meters above sea level. On the summit stands a watchtower. It is said that
looking out from the tower at dawn on a fine autumn day, one may be able to see the lights in
Beijing; hence the name "Capital-in-sight Tower". The walls built upon the ridge are mostly
non-compound in structure. Shooting holes are scattered all over the walls. And shooting can
be done in any posture appropriate. Walls of this sort are known as "walls for actual fighting", and can only be found on the Jinshanling Wall.
◆ D7. Beijing
The morning is free at your leilure. After lunch, you will visit the Temple of Heaven-the
essential work of temples in ancient China.
◆ D8. Beijing-Dunhuang
After breakfast, transfer to the airport, fly for Dunhuang.
◆ D9.Dunhuang
Visit the Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha Dune and the Crescent Moon Spring.
Mogao Grottos, 25 km southeast of the county capital of
Dunhuang, stand as a veritable
treasure of ancient art works. With the earliest ones built around A.D. 366, the four hundred
and ninety-two grottoes have preserved numerous murals and works of sculpture from such
diverse dynastic periods as the Northern Wei, the Western
Wei, the Northern Zhou, the Sui,
the Tang, the Five Dynasties, the Song, the Xixia, and the Yuan.
The Spring of Crescent Moon, situated among the mountains and rivers around the northern
base of Mount Mingshan, Dunhuang, this is a limpid spring with the shape of a crescent. The
spring is surrounded on all sides by dunes. Sand blown into the air by wind invariably passes
over the spring and never falls into it. For this reason the miraculous scene of having a spring inside a desert has remained intact for thousands of years.
◆ D10. Dunhuang-Jiayuguan
Take tour coach to Jiayuguan
◆ D11. Jiayuguan
Visit the Jiayuguan Pass Tower - the western starting
point of the Great Wall, the Museum of Great Wall, and
the Overhanging Great Wall.
Jiayuguan Pass, 7km northwest of Jiayuguan City in Gansu,
Jiayuguan Pass is the last fortress at the west end
of the Ming Great Wall. South of the pass soar the snow-clad
Qilian Mountains; and north of it loom the Black Mountains,
laden with layers and layers of dark rocks. Complementing
this scene are vast stretches of Gobi areas in the West.
The pass stands on a corridor leading towards the Western
Borders. The ancient corridor, well known as the "Silk
Road", is today eclipsed by the Gansu-Xinjiang Highway
and Railway. The setting up of five massive barriers
at this district by the Han government has set the example
of fortifying the pass for succeeding dynasties.
The existing fortifications at Jiayuguan Pass were first
built in 1372 by Feng Sheng, Grand General for External
Campaigns, and were brought to perfection in 1574.
Jiayuguan has been acclaimed as "The Strongest Fortress
under Heaven". With a perimeter of only 733m, it is
not impressive in terms of its size; its strength lies
instead in the intricacy of its defense system and in
the imposing appearance of the whole structure.
On a piece of land with an area of some thirty-three
thousand square meters stands the whole architectural
complex of the pass, with an inner fort, an outer fort,
a web-like barrier wall, an urn-like barrier wall, a
command post for the itinerant officer, a temple for
the warrior-god, a pavilion for the scholar-god, and
a terrace for public functions, built layer upon layer
and screen after screen. A fort tower is built respectively
over the front gate, Touyuan Gate, and Guanghua Gate.
The one over the front gate was burnt down long ago.
The two existing towers are both 17m high, and both
are three-storeyed. The lowest storey is built of brick
and wood, while the upper two storeys are wooden structure.
The roofs of the towers are covered with glazed tiles
in green; and all the ridgepoles and beams are carved
and painted. The whole structure appears colorful and
magnificent. The section of the Wall around Jiayuguan
Pass is built of rammed loess or sun-dried mud bricks.
The inner wall is 4m high, its outer side being shielded
by a brick-stacked wall of a height of 1.7m. On the
brick wall are shooting holes and peepholes. A corner
tower is built upon each of the four corners of the
inner fort. The two corners of the west web-barrier
are even equipped with arrow-shooting towers.
The front gate of Jiayuguan Pass faces west. On the
horizontal tablet above its archway are the three characters
"Jia-yu-guan". On the stretches of Gobi areas outside
the west gate stands a stele with the words: "The strongest
Fortress Under Heaven", in four characters. Certain
archives inform us that there was originally a large
horizontal placard with the same words (though in six
characters instead of four) hanging on the facade of
the tower over the front gate. It was burnt to ashes
together with the tower.
Built of rammed loess and measuring 50km in length and
4m in height, the section of the Great Wall commanded
by Jiayuguan Pass reaches as far south as the Qilian
Mountans, extends north as far as the Black Mountains,
and to the east joins the Wall at Hexi Corridor.
It is said that in the construction of the forts at
Jiayuguan Pass, a precise plan for the use of building
materials was laid down. When the construction was completed,
only one brick was left. The brick was eventually placed
on the eaves at the rear of the tower at the "Gate of
Report Submission" of the west urn-barrier. There seen
by everyone but could not be reached by anyone, the
brick stands as a reminder of the ingenious planning
of the builders.
◆ D12.Jiayuguan-Xi'an
Fly to Xi'an
◆ D13. Xi'an
Visit the Terra Cotta Army, Huaqing Hot Spring, Greater
Wild Goose Pagoda, Stone Stele, and the Ancient City
Wall.
◆ D14. Xi'an-Shanghai
Fly for Shanghai.
◆ D15. Shanghai
Visit the Band, Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Garden, Pudong
Development Zone, and the
Nanjing Road.
◆ D16. Shanghai
Transfer to the aieportport and leave China by air.
Beijing: Asia Vision Hotel
Qinhuangdao: Qinhuangdao Grand Hotel
Lanzhou: Jincheng Hotel
Jiayuguan: Jiayuguan Hotel
Dunhuang: Dunhuang Hotel
Xi'an: Bell Tower Hotel
Shanghai: Longmen Hotel
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Tour route Code |
SRT-002 |
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Package tour cost per person (2-5 pax) |
2441USD SRS:482USD |
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Package tour cost per person (6-9 pax) |
1916USD SRS:482USD
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Package tour cost per person (10+ pax) |
1496USD SRS:362USD
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