{"id":8966,"date":"2013-06-05T02:03:16","date_gmt":"2013-06-05T06:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=8966"},"modified":"2017-02-05T13:55:40","modified_gmt":"2017-02-05T17:55:40","slug":"great-wall-campout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/great-wall-campout\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Wall Campout"},"content":{"rendered":"

Visitors to China almost always swing through the capital. Beijing is not only a city with thousands of years of history, but it’s also the political and cultural center of China. On the top of most travel itineraries in the “Northern Capital” is a visit to the Great Wall<\/strong> (\u957f\u57ce – ch\u00e1ng ch\u00e9ng). Although you can’t actually see it from space (that’s just an urban legend), it is an epic structure that was built way back when from 220-206 BC. Stretching 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500 miles) from the east coast at Shanhaiguan all the way to the Jiayuguan Pass out in western China’s Gansu province, the Great Wall comes in many different shapes and sizes, and cuts through a variety of landscapes.<\/p>\n

From Beijing, you have the chance to visit many different sections of the Great Wall. Most people head to the Badaling<\/strong> (\u516b\u8fbe\u5cad – b\u0101 d\u00e1 l\u01d0ng) section of the Wall. This is due to its convenient location related to the city, the fact that it’s highly developed and easy to walk on, and Chairman Mao’s famous statement about this section – “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a real man<\/strong>” (\u4e0d\u5230\u957f\u57ce\u975e\u597d\u6c49 – b\u00f9 d\u00e0o ch\u00e1ng ch\u00e9ng f\u0113i h\u01ceo h\u00e0n). Should you get stuck on a tour bus headed to Badaling, be prepared to deal with massive crowds of pushy Chinese tourists wearing matching ball caps and following a flag waving, mega-phone wielding tour guide. If it is the old, wild Great Wall which you seek, do yourself a favor and skip out on Badaling.<\/p>\n

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Crowd at Badaling – from China Travel Guide.<\/p><\/div>\n

For those more interested in fresh air, fantastic scenery, and a challenging hike, it’s better to head to some of the sections of the Wall that have not experienced much restoration. Near Beijing, some options include the Jiankou<\/strong> (\u7bad\u6263 – ji\u00e0n k\u00f2u), Jinshanling<\/strong> (\u91d1\u5c71\u5cad – j\u012bn sh\u0101n l\u01d0ng), and Simatai<\/strong> (\u53f8\u9a6c\u53f0 – s\u012b m\u01ce t\u00e1i) sections. At these more remote sections of the Wall, you won’t find so many people, and you won’t be pestered by hacks trying to sell you postcards and t-shirts.<\/p>\n