Posted by Rabbit60
Visiting China? The Great Wall visit was on the top of my things to do list, just unbeleivable! We went early and glad we did, as the crowds were gathering on the descent...lucky! Do wear warm clothing as not only did it snow but the ice makes for a slippery walk....enjoy!!
Posted by Marielexoteria
One of the most visited Beijing tourist sites is the Great Wall. There are 4 places where one can visit the wall to, from Beijing: Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai and Jinshanling, Badaling and Mutianyu being the most visited due to their proximity to the city. We chose Badaling, which is the closest one to Beijing and easily accessible by bus or train.
We decided to take the train there and arrived sometime after noon. There was pretty much no queue to buy the ticket (as of Oct 2009, 45 RMB). Once we got in, we decided to walk/climb counterclockwise to avoid some of the bus tours that were already there. The day we arrived the sky was clear (sort of), it was warm and we had great visibility and it made the climbing, even the steep parts, easier.
The Wall was built in sections along several provinces in China to protect the country from invaders. The whole structure was built during several Chinese dynasties, utilizing the mountains and the natural defenses, such as barriers and rivers. The Wall itself is about 8 km long.
One thing I noticed while climbing and catching my breath is that most bricks had inscriptions and dates but I can't say if the inscriptions are names of important people in history or the kind of "(name) was here".