Route 2AC: Self-Managed Great Wall Camping at Huanghuacheng-Xishuiyu-Mutianyu

Day 1: Beijing-Huanhuacheng-Xishuiyu Hiking and Camping

In the morning your guide will pick you up from your hotel, and will be driven directly to Huanghuacheng (or Huanghua Great Wall). After a short walk around the dam on the Huanghuacheng Reservoir, we will start our hike westward to Xishuiyu. The Huanghuacheng (Yellow Flower City) Great Wall is a beautiful tourist spot combining mountains, lakes and ancient Great Wall. It is the latest section to become popular with hikers. It provides a challenge for hikers because the paths are steep and out of repair. Huanghuacheng is divided by lakes and some parts are even immersed in the water, which is a very unique characteristic, distinguishing it from other sections of the Great Wall.

A general named Cai Kai, who led the construction of Huanghuacheng Great Wall, was beheaded after completion of his task, because the emperor mistakenly believed other ministers’ lies that his job was sloppy. But when a survey report, stating that the walls were solid, steep and exemplified the finest workmanship, reached the emperor, the emperor realized that he had misjudged General Cai Kai. The emperor ordered a tomb and memorial stele to be erected in honor of the loyal general. He also had the characters 金汤 (Jin Tang), meaning firm and solid (literally ‘metal soup’), inscribed on the face of a huge rock below the wall. So the Huanghuacheng section of the Great Wall is also called the Jintang Great Wall. There is a lake and a reservoir nearby. The crescent shaped reservoir is called Huanghuacheng Reservoir, while the name of the lake is Jintang Lake.

The Great Wall at Huanghuacheng is surrounded by mountains with verdant vegetation, lots of blossom and other seasonal beauty. During summer, the countryside around the Huanghuacheng Great Wall is swathed in yellow, as masses of wild flowers come into bloom. The highest point of the wall is a broken watchtower, and from there you will have a wide panoramic view of the whole valley. From this summit the Wall dives steeply downwards into the valley. The Gate is located at the bottom, an opening in the wall, which connects the Zhuangdaokou village on the inside, with the still-well-preserved Yaoziyu Castle, built in the Ming Dynasty, on the outside. Over the top of the passageway is another watchtower where we will rest a short while before continuing on.

From here we will continue to trek westward, climbing towards the broken wall to our destination, a peak overlooking Xiaoxihu Lake. It is here that we will stop for a filling and refreshing lunch that will replenish your energy.

Most of the Great Wall around Xishuiyu is in reasonably good,

You will camp overnight once we have found a suitable watchtower to sleep in. As this is a self-managed program, you will be responsible for providing your own camping equipment (sleeping bags, pads, etc. while tent is not necessary). However, in the event of inclement weather, we will provide you with lodging at a nearby inn (Good Fortune Restaurant and Inn).

The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is a masterpiece of restoration, with 22 original style watchtowers. Mutianyu [moo-tyen-yoo], meaning 'Admire Fields Valley', is the longest fully-restored Great Wall section open to tourists. The wall, built with slabs of granite, is 22 km (14 miles) long, seven or eight meters high and four or five meters wide, crenellated on both sides. With the greens of pines and cypresses covering ninety percent of the surrounding area, the scenery here is beautiful all the year round. The Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall has 1500 years of history (see below) and today's wall is a replica of the fortifications of 1568. Construction began on this section of the Great Wall in the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577). During the reign of Emperor Hongwu (1368-1398), General Xu Da rebuilt the Great Wall on its original foundation. Mutianyu Pass was fortified in 1404 (the 2nd year of Emperor Yongle's reign) with a rare triangular formation of three interlinked watchtowers. Construction was finished on the wall at Mutainyu, as it now stands, when General Qi Jiguang was transferred the area to command the garrison in 1568 (the 2nd year of Emperor Longqing's reign).

At about noon we will make the drive back to Beijing, where you will be dropped off back at your hotel.

Mutianyu Toboggan (German technology)

Optional Toboggan Run at Mutianyu (extra) You'll surely be intrigued about taking the toboggan down from Great Wall to the entrance gate down the hill. You can ride as fast or as slow as you want. However, it is also a driving test. One person to a toboggan, you have a little handle with which you press down to go faster and pull up to stop. But if you are not intentionally pushing it, it will slow down anyway. "It is funny when we Westerners are on there, because we like to go a bit quicker than the Chinese (read a lot quicker) and you hear the shrill voices of locals shouting "brake! brake! Slow down!" It is hilarious. Go on it even if it is just to hear that." --taylorstonebridge on LonelyPlanet   People at age 70 have managed the riding successfully. Can you?