Once living in China for over a year now, it is definitely a MUST to visit the Great Wall. And, as we have not yet experienced the trains in China, we decided to combine these two in our “empirical experiences in China” -chart at the same time. We also had two friends visiting from Finland, which was a good excuse to have the trip finally realized.
We had managed to reserve and get four tickets (thanks to some local help…) for the night train D314 from Shanghai Railway Station on Friday night, heading for Beijing South. A slight problem was the fact that all our four beds were not in the same sleeping car, and some of us did not fancy the idea of sharing the cabin with possibly three Chinese guys… But, apparently, the feeling was mutual, as the guys in the other cabin were very eager to swap places with us.
As to the train, it was definitely a very pleasant surprise – maybe I was expecting something more Russian-like experience, but no: the train was very comfortable and clean, without any extra odours, not even in the toilets. The only disappointment was the lack of refreshments in the so called dining car. We could not identify any of contents in the bizarre looking bundles and sachets they were selling there, so we contented ourselves with Heineken, which we could identify, and some surprisingly delicious, though really suspect looking “plates of meat”.
We arrived in Beijing at 7:46 on Saturday morning, and although the train was running extremely smoothly, some of us did not sleep very well. As agreed, we had a driver with a van waiting for us at the station, and we had decided to go straight to the Great Wall.
We chose MuTianYu, which is located 79km northeast from Beijing. We were told that it would be slightly less crowded than the nearby Badaling and Juyongguan sections. Well, “less crowded” in China – we were not the only tourists there…
But it really was a great fresh air break, and a beautiful location. MuTianYu is 2.5 km long section of the Great Wall, with 22 watchtowers along the way. We enjoyed the breathtaking scenery to the valleys on both sides of the Wall, the orchads and pines in the mountains. It would have been possible to take a two-rider chair lift up to the Wall, but we decided to have the exercise and climb up the stairs. In the end, we really got a lot of ups and downs on the way – which was well noted in our calf and thigh muscles the following day…
Starting the climbing
Originally built in the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 – 557), the Mutianyu section was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), and the most recent renovation at Mutianyu took place from 1982-1986. It is built mainly with granite, is 7-8 meters high and the top is 4-5 meters wide. I am not very familiar with all the history of China, but nevertheless it felt quite impressive, imagining the watchmen in the towers, guarding and defending the capital and the imperial tombs and mausoleums from the nomadic tribes from the north.
A great monument, and definitely worth visiting! Just pass the hawkers at the gate, trying to sell you t-shirts and all the touristic crap ever. We were lucky to have a warm sunny day – only in the watchtowers the wind was blowing a bit chilly.
During our weekend stay in the Northern Capital we also visited Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square (Square of Heavenly Peace) with the Monument to the People's Heroes, Mausoleum of Mao Zedong (with an incredibly long line of people hoping to see a glimpse of Chairman Mao), The Great Hal of the People, National Museum of China. Walking around the sunny city we also found our way to the Temple of Heaven, Wangfujing and Qianmen Streets; shopping in silk boutique, tasting green tea ice cream.
Forbidden City corner
Guard at Tiananmen Square
Mausoleum of Mao Tsedong
Qianmen Gate
Temple of Heaven
Monks at the Temple of Heaven
Tourists posing in front of the temple
And, what's a trip to Beijing without eating duck? Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant was recommended by our hotel staff, and appeared to be famous for offering the best Peking ducks in town!
As the saying goes, one who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a true hero. Without visiting the Great Wall, no trip to Beijing or the country is complete. So, we are true heroes now, and our trip is complete.
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