Introducing the Great Wall at Jiankou
The Great Wall at Jiankou is located at Xizhaizi Village, 30 km from Huairou District, and 75 km from central Beijing. This section of the Great Wall is a photographic hotspot due to its unique style, steep mountains and beautiful scenery. Most of the stunning pictures of the Great Wall books and postcards are taken from Jiankou. Jiankou could be translated as “Arrow Nock” in English, because the shape of the mountain there looks like an arrow or alphabet W, with the collapsed ridge opening as its arrow nock. Originally Jiankou Great Wall was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was restored largely in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It connects to the Mutianyu Great Wall in the east (10 km away) and Huanghuacheng Great Wall in the west. It’s one of the most dangerous and steep sections of the Ming Great Wall. It stretches from the “Ox Horn Edge Wall” in the east to the “Nine-Eye Tower” in the north via the “Beijing Knot”, with a total length of more than 20 kilometers and 28 watch towers. Jiankou Great Wall was mainly built with dolomite which is different from the bricks used for building Mutianyu and Simatai Great Wall. So the base of Jiankou Great Wall is much harder and stronger, as well as steeper and higher compared with other sections of the Great Wall in Beijing. The Great Wall at Jiankou has fallen into disrepair and this, along with its location along a mountain ridge bordered by jagged cliffs and steep drop-offs, makes it very dangerous to climb. It can be accessed from either the south side or the north side. The south side (Front Jiankou) is much easier to reach from Beijing, but to climb up the Wall is much longer and steeper. The north side (Back Jiankou) is a longer route from Beijing but provides much easier access to the Wall and also allows people to reach more places on the Jiankou Great Wall. Access from the north is from the Xizhazi village, while access from the south is from the Wofo Mountain Villa. Many parts of the Jiankou Great Wall are in pretty good condition, while some other parts are badly deteriorated. The most commonly climbed areas are in good condition.