Jiankou Great Wall

Chinese name: 箭扣长城 (Jiankou Changcheng).
Location: lying in Badaohe Township in the north and Bohai Town in the south, Huairou County, Beijing City.
Ticket: CNY20.
Opening time: 07:00-17:00.
Best time for visit: June to October.
How to get there: take bus No.916 at Dongzhimen Coach Station (东直门长途汽车站) in Beijing and get off at Yangjiayuan (杨家园) of Huairou County (怀柔), then go to the Yujiayuan Coach Station (于家园车站) and take a bus to Xizhazi Village (西栅子村), which is the base of board and lodging for most travelers to Jiankou Great Wall. Please note that the buses from Huairou to Xizhazi leave at 11:30 and 16:30, and the buses from Xizhazi to Huairou leave at 06:30 and 13:00.
Travel tips:
1. Some sections of Jiankou Great Wall have several branches and are quite steep, so it is suggested to go in company of others and take along gloves in case of getting your hands hurt when climbing.
2. Some sections of the way between Jiankou Great Wall and Mutianyu Great Wall have been collapsed, so it is suggested to pay attention to safety for those who planning to hike from one to the other of them.
3. There are hardly cell phone signals on Jiankou Great Wall.
4. Travelers need to take along lunch, because no food but bottled waters are sold on the Great Wall.
5. No sabotage and do not leave rubbish on the Great Wall.

Introduction to Jiankou Great Wall

Located 10 km west of Mutianyu Great Wall, 30 km from county seat of Huairou, Jiankou Great Wall stretches for more than 20 km and is well-known for being the most precipitous great wall constructed in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Jiankou, literally “drawing bow”, comes from the terrain it lies on, which displays a shape of W. It connects Mutianyu Great Wall in the east and links the Dazhenyu Great Wall in the west, with several landscapes such as the Beijingjie (北京结), the Northern Building (正北楼) and the Sky Ladder(天梯).

Exposed in the open air for hundreds of years, Jiankou Great Wall has been being severely air-slaked, but its original and majestic appearance that attracts pathfinders from home and abroad to visit it in spite of its extreme craggedness on some sections. Some hikers have found out that it is easier to walk along Jiankou Great Wall from east to west and some collapsed sections made them walk out of the great wall. The Sky Ladder built at a gradient of 70 degrees has steps of 40-50 cm wide and people need to use both hands and feet to get across it.

No matter it is sunny, rainy or snowy, different beauty of Jiankou Great Wall can always be found in all seasons, which makes it a section with a high exposure rate in various picture albums of the Great Wall as well as a frequented place for shutterbugs.

Recommended Reading:  China Great Wall Hiking