Jinshanling Great Wall

Jinshanling Great Wall Highlights: Must-See Features and Attractions

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Jinshanling Great Wall stands at the border between Luanping County of Chengde City and Miyun County of Beijing. It is named after the large and small Jinshan between Wuling Peak of Yanshan Mountain and Gubeikou Wohu Ridge. This section of the Great Wall was built along the foothills and offers a broad view. It is a beautiful, magnificent part of the Great Wall dating from the Ming Dynasty. Compared with other parts of the Great Wall, it maintains its well-preserved original appearance—simple and pure, quiet and peaceful. It is an excellent choice for visiting the Great Wall near Beijing.

Watching the sunrise and sunset on the Great Wall, Jinshanling at the border of Chengde and Beijing, a guide to take you on a tour

Having been to Badaling (the least impressive), Juyongguan, Mutianyu, Huanghuacheng, Simatai, I had long heard that the Jinshanling Great Wall is very photogenic, and I was fortunate to visit. This is specifically for self-driving tours, so there is no introduction to public transportation, but there should be a tourist bus from Dongzhimen in Beijing on weekends, leaving early and returning late, you can check for specifics yourself. I arrived at noon the day before, stayed on the Great Wall until sunset, and went up early the next morning, shooting until after sunrise and the sea of clouds. From the West Six-Eye Tower to the East Six-Eye Tower, I walked the entire distance except for not going further east from the corner tower, and I didn't take the cable car either. First, let's talk about accommodation. There are many choices from high-end hotels to guesthouses at the foot of the Great Wall, so there's no need for a lengthy introduction, and booking is convenient. There are few young people at this section of the Great Wall, mostly middle-aged and older groups, and almost everyone has a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Next, let's talk about transportation within the scenic area. If you're not driving, you need to take a scenic shuttle bus from the main gate to the small commercial street at the foot of the Great Wall, which is a bit like the commercial street at Mutianyu, not many shops, there is a supermarket, but the prices are not cheap. Now, let's talk about where the highlights are and how to play. I didn't take a picture of the map, you can search for it on Baidu yourself. There are two ways to get on the Great Wall in the scenic area, one is to take a cable car (but the cable car has already stopped running for sunrise and sunset), and the other is to walk. From west to east, there are 6 walking routes, corresponding to near the West Six-Eye Tower (currently closed for maintenance), Qi Jiguang Square (gentle slope, low position, climbing on the Great Wall is required whether going to the west side Six-Eye Tower or walking east), Sifang Platform, somewhere west of the Little Golden Tower, somewhere east of the Gaojian Tower, and near the East Six-Eye Tower (I didn't go, too far). The cable car goes directly in front of the Little Golden Tower. So how to get up depends on personal physical strength and preferences. On the first day, I went up in front of Qi Jiguang Square, first walked west to the West Six-Eye Tower, and I must say that this part really has a feel to it, with its beautiful ruins. The battlements on both sides have fallen off, leaving only the Youth Road, as if walking on the broad back of a carp, and you can see the wild Great Wall covered with grass after the turn at the West Six-Eye Tower, full of the atmosphere of the ages. Then I returned the same way and walked east to the corner tower. After passing the Gaojian Tower, the climb to the corner tower is the most thrilling, with uneven battlements on both sides and a slope of 60+++, not for the faint-hearted, acrophobic, or those with insufficient physical strength. But the view from the top is really strong, looking east you can see Simatai. Then let's talk about the main sunrise and sunset. First, the sunset, I was on a platform below the Gaojian Tower, with a very good view, both the Little and Big Golden Towers as well as the West Four-Eye and Six-Eye Towers can be captured, with a strong sense of layering in the distant mountains, drones or mobile phone cameras at full force. As for the sunrise, it is recommended to go up from the west side of the Little Golden Tower, you can start climbing at 5 am, and you will find that many elderly men and women have already taken their positions. There is a high slope in the middle from the Little Golden Tower to the Big Golden Tower, with a cliff jutting out, and the cliff is full of camera positions, I must say the middle-aged and elderly are really competitive, I didn't have the courage to go up there. Rather than watching the sunrise, it's actually more about watching the sea of clouds, especially if it rained the night before, you're in luck, from the hazy black to the full sun, the sea of clouds is stunningly beautiful. I also suggest going to the platform west of the Gaojian Tower (the same angle as the sunset, both facing west), again with drones and mobile phone cameras at full force, but be careful, drones are prone to losing signal. Extra tip ☞ The entrance to the scenic area controls and does not allow drones to fly, but no one cares on the Great Wall, as long as you can bring it in, and indeed drones are very photogenic.

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