Where to see a superb sunset over the Great Wall of China?
Accessible from Beijing, the Jiankou wall offers a superb setting for hiking and, above all, a magnificent spectacle at sunset. Go to the level of “ escalators of paradise ”.
The portion seems slightly sloping. Several dozen steps to gain height. Quickly, very quickly. Breathless, back soaked, and staring at the top. To win his internal conflict against vertigo. The “ stairways to paradise” are well worth their informal nickname. Because they dominate the wall of Jiankou, in the middle of the mountain and very close to the sky. Up there, adrenaline gives way to ecstasy. That of a daily show. And yet unique.
A portion of the wall hitherto invisible
The rays of the sun begin to fade on the other side of the Wall, towards Mutianyu. The guard towers, one by one, disappear into the shadows. We must then hurry. Because the show takes place at a ten-minute walk, a stroll, alone on the Wall. Two laps later, the show takes on another face. The light of day is fading, the sun is dozing gently. Before lying down behind the mountain. Some of its persistent rays then discover a portion of the Wall hitherto invisible.
The silence prolongs this moment. At nightfall, the return to the village of Xizhazi, at the foot of the Wall, takes place in a haze of wonder. Alone in the dark. Guided by the only bright memory of this setting sun.
From Dongzhimen Station, take bus 916 to Huairou. From this city, then take the H25 to Xizhazi, the starting point for hikes on the Jiankou wall.
