Hiking the Great Wild Wall of China

Backpacking through China was an unforgettable experience. Compared to traveling in the United States, Europe, or even Hong Kong, China is an entirely separate world. The cultural differences are stark, but I still learned quite a few lessons. Yes, they have a communist government, the food is entirely different, most major companies are blocked on the internet, and education/work are strictly valued. But when talking with individual people, I noticed that we aren’t really so different. Just like any other place I’ve visited, I find people to be kind, welcoming, and enthusiastic about life.

And in addition to the wonderful people, the natural side of China is breathtaking. From East to West, China has so much to offer.

Starting my trip off in Beijing, I immediately made moves to see the Great Wall. Just like any touristy area in another country, hostels had tours available. But these don’t necessarily show the true, local side of a country. They would put you in a chartered van with other foreigners, give you lunch, take you to a place where everyone else goes, and basically do everything for you. And this isn’t bad for everyone; I’m sure some people would rather enjoy the experience. But it’s not for me. I wanted to plan everything on my own. By doing so, I believe I have more of an adventure, meet locals, and try to survive on my own in a totally new world.

So, I began by finding out exactly where I wanted to go. The Great Wall is, well, great. With thousands of kilometers of wall to choose from, where do you go? Well, I knew a friend who just recently backpacked China. And she recommended that I visit Jiankou, a rugged and wild part of the Great Wall. So, I Googled the transportation to the nearby city of Xizhazi. I could take a couple of buses, or a taxi. I decided on the buses because they’re always more prone to adventure. After navigating my way around by signs all in Chinese, and catching the first bus to a city north of Beijing, I caught a local bus to Xizhazi. I was the only foreigner on the bus. The section of wall I was hiking was not popular with foreign tourists. So, the only people on the bus were locals of the village.

Once I arrived, I set up my gear and set off to hike the wall. After reaching the top of the wall, I hiked along for a bit. The top of the wall was broken and crumbling, with trees growing out of the top, but there was a clear footpath. After a short while, I came to a section of wall that was so steep and hazardous, that I couldn’t believe that people climbed the part. I decided to take a rest and think about whether or not I wanted to continue. As I was snacking, a group of local tourists from Shanghai approached. Yao, one of the people in their group who spoke a little English, started talking to me about the hike. He offered me to show me the ropes, or lack thereof. I ended up joining their hiking party and it was the best decision of my trip in China.

Although it was a little difficult at first with the language barrier, we had a great time hiking the ruins of the Great Wall together. Yao, who knew quite a bit about the wall, informed us as a tour guide would have. I also met Andrew and Lucy, who owned their own headwear manufacturing business. They had clients in the United States and Canada, some of which I’ve actually bought clothes from. I met another couple, May and 汪舰. May owned a yoga studio, and 汪舰 was a software engineer like myself. And all of the others were equally as interesting, but they didn’t speak much English, so it was difficult for me to get to know them. Regardless, we all bonded along the hike. They treated me as if I was a long-term friend of their group. They invited me to hike 30 kilometers with them tomorrow, and to a dinner that night.

After we arrived at their guest house in Xizhazi, they talked with the owner to get me my own room. I was so thankful, because I was actually planning on camping along the wall, and it was below freezing that night. As the table for dinner was being setup, I started to realize what was in store. An enormous table, with an equally as large lazy-suzan, was brought out. The table fit eleven people, and the lazy-suzan fit all of the food. In China, it is customary for everyone to share the food. From the rotating lazy-suzan. All of the dining utensils, including plates, bowls, chopsticks, and teacups were individually wrapped in plastic. Apparently, many Chinese restaurants outsource dishwashing, and the outsourced company returns the dishes wrapped. When the food actually came, I was stunned by the intoxicating aromas of so many dishes. I can’t remember any of the names, but all of the flavors were so vivid. Except when I accidentally took a bite of fermented tofu. As a toast to new friends, we drank Chinese rice wine. Once finished, we rested up for our big hike tomorrow.

In the morning, we had a quick breakfast before starting our journey. We would hike from Xizhazi to Mutianyu, the touristy and restored section of the wall. It was a fantastic day full of adventure. I bonded with my new-found friends by soaking in the views, sharing our lunches with each other, and taking so many pictures of everyone. I don’t think I’ve ever really posed for a picture until this trip. They really showed me how it’s done!

When we arrived at the touristy parts, the difference was shocking. The wall had been completely restored, and there were hoards of people. I didn’t like it at all. So hurried through as fast as we could. And after hiking back to the start, my friends helped me get back to Beijing. We said our goodbyes and they were quite sad, even though they were only temporary.

At the end of my China trip, I spontaneously decided to visit Shanghai to stay with Andrew, Lucy, and their two boys. We met up with the entire group for another enormous dinner, tried yoga at May’s yoga studio, made baozi (dumplings), and explored Shanghai. I’m so thankful to have met all of these extraordinary people by chance on my Great Wall trip. I will never forget them and I hope they visit me one day at my home.