The Great Wall

I couldn’t wait to experience the Great Wall of China.

It’s something I’ve known about since I’ve been a child. Something I learned about in grade school. And recently I was astounded by a Great Wall documentary. The Great Wall of China is a UNESCO World Heritage and one of the seven new wonders of the world. The wall spans close to 13,000 miles and was build over several periods starting around 700 BC. It is recognized for its immense scale, historical significance and being the longest human structure ever built.

The wall goes on and on, across the mountains as far as you can see

High Expectations

For me, no trip to china would be complete without a visit to the great wall. I wanted to see it, photograph it and walk along the top. I was thrilled our photography trip would overnight nearby the wall providing both a sunset and a sunrise opportunity to photograph it.

I was like a little kid, I could not wait to see it in person. I envisioned stonework zig zagging across the valleys and disappearing over the horizon. As we drove out from Beijing and neared the wall I could see it on the crest of the nearby mountains.

Would it meet my expectations? Would it be crowded? Would it be ticky, tacky and touristy?

Or would the wall and the experience be great?

A 13,000 mile wall and I never thought about there being different sections to visit.I just imagined one long wall where visitors started at one point and would slowly disperse based on their physical condition. That is why I could only imagine lots of crowds. I assumed I might have to hike a long way to leave the crowds behind.

I was thrilled when our guide said we were going to a less popular section because he thought it was better for photography. This was music to my ears, but then I wondered, if it is less popular, was also it also less spectacular?

The Jinshanling Great Wall

We visited the Jinshanling Section of the Great Wall. Roughly 2 1/2 hours ride from Beijing, it is one of the best-preserved and most photogenic parts of the Great Wall with many original features. It received its name because it was built on the Greater and Lesser Jinshan (‘Gold Mountain’) Ranges, This section of the wall connects the Simatai Great Wall in the east and Gubeikou Great Wall in the west. The Great Wall at Jinshanling was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), initially from 1368 to 1389, and then rebuilt in 1567 and 1570.

The amazing mountain ranges surrounding the Great Wall. I love the layers.

The Wall Experience

From the hotel, a short hike up a mostly paved path brought us to a gatehouse on the wall. From there we could explore in either direction. The choice was up the stairs to the left or up the stairs to the right. We chose up to the left. The steps were not as rough or decrepit as I expected, yet, they weren’t easy either. A single step ranged in height from 3 inches to 18 or more inches. Stair height and width were uneven and there was no pattern to them. The wall seemed to be all stairs. Exploring meant either going up or down the stairs. With a 20 pound pack of camera gear on my back it was quite a workout no matter which way I went.

I had just hiked up this section of wall, yes, it is all stairs, another tourist helps provide scale

My eye was looking for patterns, for S-curves, and for angles that provided a sense of scale, and they were everywhere. Despite the light being harsh, I couldn’t stop “clicking”.

The wall seemed to go on forever along every hilltop

Golden light as the sunset (you can just make out a few other visitors on the wall). For the most part, we had it to ourselves.

We enjoyed a sunset with no clouds, just a simple starburst. Fortunately, we had tomorrow morning

Trucking up the uneven stairs in the pre-dawn darkness, was a challenge. I set-up on the wall looking over the valley towards the brightening sky and waited for sunrise and waited. We had clouds, but they didn’t light up.

You can faintly make out the wall, and the odd shapes on the ridge line are the towers in the distance

The soft light filtering through the clouds was beautiful, and I tried to make the most of it. Pausing every so often to “enjoy” the moment.

Pausing to enjoy the view through the window of a guard tower

The clouds created drama and seem to lengthen the blue hour

As the light got brighter, the clouds got more interesting.

The morning clouds provided soft light that enriched the colors

Was the wall great?

One of the last shots of the morning showcasing a few stairs and the wonderful clouds

Yes, the Great Wall was indeed great. Yes, it wound around the tops of the mountains. Yes, it was amazing to walk. And Yes, we had the wall almost to ourselves. It was a near perfect experience, just not long enough.

I could have spent a week on the wall, hiking it, exploring it, and photographing it. Perhaps, it is a reason to return to China in the future?