Jiankou

Chinese: 箭口
Pinyin: Jiàn kǒu
English: Arrow nock
Coordinates: 40°27'20"N 116°30'10"E

The Jiankou Great Wall is probably the best known and most popular Great Wall section that is not officially open to the public. The primary reason for its fame is that the mountains on which it is built are more precipitous than most other locations where the Ming Dynasty chose to build the Great Wall in the Beijing area.

Jiankou is one of the best places for a serious Great Wall enthusiast. It has a wide variety of places to climb. It has terrific scenery and offers great opportunities for photographers. It's reasonably close to Beijing. And as the eastern meeting point of the inner and outer Ming Walls, it connects to long stretches of Great Wall in three directions.

However, it should be stressed that Jiankou is dangerous. Some of the inclines on which the wall is built here are extremely long and steep. Every year, visitors have accidents at Jiankou, and fatalities have occurred there. Don't underestimate the dangers of Jiankou and only go here if you have some tolerance for and experience with heights and you are prepared to accept some risk.

Some light, cosmetic repairs at Jiankou were scheduled for late 2012.

Like Zhengbeilou, Jiankou can be accessed from either the south side or the north side. The south side is much easier to reach from Beijing, but the climb up to the wall is much longer and steeper, yet takes you only to the lowest point on the Jiankou Great Wall. The north side is a longer route from Beijing but provides much easier access to the wall and also allows you to reach more places on the Jiankou Wall rather than just one or two choices.

Access from the south is from the area of the Shun Tong hong zun yu yang zhi zhong xin (shùn tōng hóng zūn yú yǎng zhí zhōng xīn, 順通虹尊魚养殖中心, Shun Tong rainbow trout breeding center) near the Wo Fo Shan Zhuang (Wofo Mountain Villa). A nearby village called Zhenzhuquan (Pearl Spring, 珍珠泉) is another commonly referenced access point for reaching Jiankou from the south. From these locations, you can take a relatively long and steep (but not dangerous) trail up the south side of the mountain to Jiankou, or a more difficult (and less safe) trail to Zhengbeilou tower.

The Jiankou Great Wall is accessed from the north side via Xizhazi village. From Huairou you can take a bus or a taxi. The road goes across the Great Wall at Lianhuachi and then heads north and then west to Xizhazi. It's about a one and a quarter hour ride from the Huairou urban area. From the Xizhazi area, there are at least five distinct trails up to the Great Wall.

Many parts of the Jiankou Great Wall are in very good condition, while some other parts are very badly deteriorated. The most commonly climbed areas are in good condition. Once you go north along the outer Wall from the Beijing Knot, the condition begins to worsen.

If you want to see Jiankou, going to Xizhazi village is preferable to accessing it from the south side. If you approach Jiankou from the south, it's a pretty long and steep climb after which you will arrive at the lowest point of this area of the wall. From there you can't safely go too far to the east, so following the Great Wall you only have the choice of going to the west. The other choice you have is to proceed down the other side of the mountain, and then you will be in Xizhazi anyway. It's much easier to start there and you get a lot more options. I believe that the best destinations at Jiankou are Zhengbeilou (sharp north tower) or Jiuyanlou (nine eyed tower). Zhengbeilou will be to your east and therefore you will need to walk down to the road and bypass the very dangerous section of Jiankou, and then back up another trail to get there. Jiuyanlou is to the west, but it's too far to walk from the south side of Jiankou along the Great Wall all the way to Jiuyanlou and expect to return the same day. But from Xizhazi you can easily access either place or even both in the same day if you wish.

Jiankou viewed from the south

We will divide the Jiankou Great Wall into two sections, east and west, using the Jiankou Pass, the place that is accessible to both the north and south approaches, as a dividing point. East of Jiankou Pass is the most dangerous section, so if you start at the Jiankou Pass, you're advised to walk along the wall to the west.

From the low point at Jiankou Pass, you can hike and climb to the west for a great distance. you will proceed towards Yingfeidaoyang, Beijingjie, and Jiuyanlou. It’s a difficult hike, but not as dangerous as going east towards Zhengbeilou. Walking the wall here is very interesting because the terrain on which it's built is extreme. This makes the Great Wall unusual in its design since it has to fit the mountain ridges it follows.

The first major feature that you will reach is called Jiangjunshouguan, or General's Pass. The unusual tower here is offset to the inside of the wall and has no doors or windows.

General's Pass Tower

Just west of Jiangjunshouguan, you will see a trail to the right (north) that leads to Xizhazi. If you pass this trail, you will reach a very steep and narrow uphill section known as Tianti, which can be translated as Sky Stairs or Heavenly Ladder. There's also a Tianti at Simatai, which is always translated as Heavenly Ladder, so it's good to refer to the Tianti at Jiankou as Sky Stairs to avoid confusion.

Sky Stairs viewed from the east

Sky stairs is relatively long and steep slope but it's most famous because it's very narrow. The narrow width of the wall here was dictated by the narrow size of the ridge upon which the wall was built. At its narrowest point, the inside width is about 55.5 centimeters (21.5 inches).

Sky Stairs from below

Tianti is the western slope of a feature that comprises three mountains and is known as Yingfeidaoyang. Yingfeidaoyang can be translated variously as “eagle flies upside-down” or “upward flying eagle”. Some people say its name derives from the fact that it's higher than eagles fly so they have to fly up to get there. Others say it got its name because its contours resemble an eagle, and while I have heard of many places in China where mountain contours are said to resemble tigers, dragons, and more, I usually can't see it. But from Xizhazi, Yingfeidaoyang really does resemble an eagle with outstretched wings. The summit of Yingfeidaoyang is 954 meters (3130 feet) high. Before the central summit of Yingfeidaoyang, a Northern Qi Dynasty wall originally led to the left (southeast) while the Ming Dynasty wall continues to the right (north). But now it's nearly impossible to see the remains of the older wall from the main wall. It is possible to find and follow the older wall but this is very difficult. Continuing on the northern path of the main wall, you will go down for a while and then you are going up another mountain which is quite formidable.

Yingfeidaoyang

When you near the top of Yingfeidaoyang, the wall turns to the right and heads in a northward direction. There is a trail leading off to the left (southwest) which bypasses the very top of the mountain. You really must take this bypass and do not attempt to climb over the very top of Yingfeidaoyang. I probably don't need to give this advice as you will see for yourself how dangerous the last stretch up and down would be. The bypass just circumvents the very top of the mountain and rejoins the wall shortly thereafter. The trail is easy to follow and takes about ten minutes. It goes downhill for a significant distance before turning back up towards the wall on the other side of the peak.

Yingfeidaoyang viewed from Moyashike Great Wall to the west

Rejoining the wall after the Yingfeidaoyang summit and continuing, you will find another path to your right (east) that leads down to Xizhazi. If you continue up to the top of the next mountain, you will reach Beijingjie, or the Beijing Knot, where two major walls meet at the summit of a mountain 966 meters (3170 feet) high. The “inner” (southern) wall, to your left (west), goes to Moyashike and beyond, all the way across the Huairou province. This wall was built of brick and quarried stone block in the later part of the Ming Dynasty. The other branch of the wall leads to the north from here towards Jiumenkou, where the wall branches again with a minor branch going left (west) and the main branch going north. Beyond Jiuyanlou, the wall turns from brick to stone and is significantly older. This is the “outer” (northern) wall which eventually leads through Zhangjiakou.

Beijingjie viewed from the Moyashike Great Wall to the west

While all of Jiankou can be dangerous, the eastern section of Jiankou, which spans from Jiankou Pass east to Zhengbeilou, a distance of about 1 kilometer (3300 feet), is the most severe part. Most people will want to avoid this area entirely. The danger goes hand-in-hand with the fact that some of the architecture you see here is unique and fascinating. It is possible to explore this area if you're used to rock climbing. If you aren't, or if you're in doubt, do not attempt it.

Jiankou's eastern section; Zhengbeilou is at the far left

Starting from Zhengbeilou and walking to the west, the first 230 meters (750 feet) is reasonably level and safe, although there are some unprotected edges with vast drop-offs. Due to the sharp ridge, the construction of the wall has many interesting characteristics including one very narrow spot. After about ten minutes, you will reach a place where the path of the wall actually passes through a small cave, the only place on the entire Great Wall where this can be found. After approximately twenty minutes walking, the wall makes a tight left turn and then a tight right turn, after which it goes down a long and steep incline. This is the spot where most people should turn around and return to Zhengbeilou.

The steep downhill

Beyond this point, the wall goes down two additional very steep slopes before reaching Jiankou Pass, for a total of three very steep sections. The second one has no wall at all; it's just a cliff. It's not purely a rock face; the descent is dirt part of the way and it can be slippery. The last one is the most formidable of all, and would be nearly impossible to pass if it weren't for the fact that there is a side path to the south allowing you to bypass the upper portions.

If you decide you wan to try this dangerous span, you must decide which direction to go. East to west is mostly downhill, making it scarier and more difficult to see where you're going as you descend steep topography using hands and feet. But it does provide the option of seeing only part of this interesting area and then turning around when you become uncomfortable. Going from west to east, which is the generally uphill direction, forces you to tackle the hardest span at first. I have made this trek in both directions, and when people ask me which one I would select to do again, I tell them I don't want to do either one ever again.

Location summary: Jiankou is about 62 kilometers (39 miles) north of downtown Beijing. Jiankou pass is about 0.9 kilometers (0.6 miles) west of Zhengbeilou, about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) east of Jiuyanlou tower, and about 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles) east of Wangquanyu. The path of the Great Wall from Jiankou pass to Yingfeidaoyang is about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles). The path of the Great Wall from Jiankou pass to Beijingjie is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles). The path of the Great Wall from Jiankou pass to Jiuyanlou is about 6.5 kilometers (4.1 miles). The path of the Great Wall from Beijingjie to Wangquanyu is about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles).

Driving directions: For the southern approach, from the Huairou urban area, take X009 northwest for 15.6 kilometers (10.3 miles) to the Mutianyu roundabout. Go straight across the roundabout, turn right at the next road and drive north for about 3 kilometers (1.86 miles), bearing left at one fork in the road. Turn right at Buzi towards Wofo Shan Zhuang and drive about one kilometer to the end of the road. For the northern approach, from Kaifang Road in the Huairou urban area, go north on G111 for about 7 kilometers (4.35 miles). Turn left onto the Fanqi Highway and continue north for about 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) to Lianhuachi. Continue past Lianhuachi for 10.7 kilometers (6.65 miles) to Badaohe village. Turn left and drive for about 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) to Xizhazi village.

Jiankou Great Wall map

The section of the Great Wall between the red and blue paths is one of the most dangerous of any.

I don't recommend you try this unless you are an experienced rock climber and you have a high risk tolerance.

And please take into account that you could damage the wall noticeably while climbing up there. Protection of the Great Wall should be our first interest.

Jiankou Great Wall
Proceed at your own risk . . .

The approach to the Jiankou Great Wall on the north side
Background dominated by Yingfeidaoyang mountain

Great Wall at Jiankou
Zhengbeilou visible in background

Great Wall at Jiankou

Jiankou Great Wall

The Great Wall at Jiankou

Beijingjie (Beijing Knot)

Yingfeidaoyang and Beijingjie

Beijing Jie (Beijing Knot) from Jiuyanlou (Nine-eyed tower)

The Great Wall at Jiankou

Jiankou danger zone

Walking westbound from the low point of the Jiankou Great Wall, Jiankou pass

Looking east from Jiankou pass, but we're going west today

Looking east from a slightly higher vantage point

Looking west

Yingfeidaoyang
Eagles are really flying above - are they upside down?

Extremely steep but in good condition

Heavenly Ladder, or Sky Stairs - the approach to Yingfeidaoyang

One of the narrowest spots on the Great Wall

The northern side of Yingfeidaoyang - very steep but climbable

Looking down the northern side of Beijingjie

Jiuyanlou in the distance

Some sections are in very good condition

From Zhengbeilou west to Jiankou pass

This is the most dangerous part of Jiankou and one of the most dangerous areas along the entire Great Wall of China. Building the Great Wall on this very steep ridge was surely a huge challenge and the result is magnificent even in its current, highly deteriorated state. The difficult terrain resulted in many unusual features of this part of the Great Wall. I hiked this span of the Great Wall in both directions in October of 2010. It was one of my most interesting Great Wall experiences but also one of the most scary.

A very narrow place

Throughout this area you will find the Great Wall fitted closely to the cliffs and rocks

The path of the Great Wall actually passes through a cave.
Here we're looking at it from the east

Here we're looking through the cave from south to north

Here we're looking at the cave from the west

Here we're reaching an area of steep descent

Carefully crafted curves such as those at the top of this photo are common in this area

Here the wall makes a 90-degree turn and then a very steep descent

A shooting hole blocked by a step - something I don’t recall seeing before

Beautiful workmanship on steep downhill

At this cliff, various ladders have been installed over the years.
This one was so poorly constructed it's a wonder anyone would use it.
I free climbed the cliff instead. I understand this ladder is no longer in place.

Looking at the ladder from its base

The top of the ladder didn't look like it would hold much weight.
Notice the brickwork in this location, making the cliff just a little bit harder to climb.

A close-up of the top of the ladder

A nearly-intact tower

The wall following a narrow ridgeline

Inside of a tower. The exit at the far end was very tight.

Here's what made that exit so tight

This spot was very risky to climb and great care was needed.

Here's the same place viewed from above

Not a place to slip or misstep

Not sure what this feature was for, but it looked like part of the original construction.

Another very narrow pass

View of Jiankou Great Wall from Mutianyu Roundabout
The Great Wall is visible all the way from the left side to the right side of this photo.
It gives you a good feel for the Jiankou environment.

Jiankou Great Wall Review

Summary

Jiankou is one of the best places for a serious Great Wall enthusiast. It has a wide variety of places to climb. It has terrific scenery and offers great opportunities for photographers. It’s reasonably close to Beijing. And as the eastern meeting point of the inner and outer Ming Walls, it connects to long stretches of Great Wall in three directions.

Access

Jiankou can be accessed from either the south side or the north side. The south side is much easier to reach from Beijing, but the climb up to the Wall is much longer and steeper. The north side is a longer route from Beijing but provides much easier access to the Wall and also allows you to reach more places on the Jiankou Wall rather than just one or two choices.

Access from the south is from the area of the Shun Tong hong zun yu yang zhi zhong xin (Shun Tong trout farm center) near the Wo Fo Shan Zhuang (Wofo Mountain Villa). From there you can take a relatively easy (but long) trail up the south side of the mountain to Jiankou, or a more difficult (and longer) trail to Zhengbeilou tower.

The Jiankou Great Wall is accessed from the north side via Xi Zha Zi village. From Huairou you can take a bus or a taxi. The road goes across the Great Wall at Lianhuachi and then heads north and then west to Xizhazi. It’s about a 70-minute ride from the Huairou urban area.

Condition

Description

If you want to see Jiankou, I highly recommend you go to Xizhazi village rather than accessing it from the south side. If you access Jiankou from the south, it’s a pretty long and steep climb and you will arrive at the lowest point of this area of the Wall. From there you can’t safely go too far to the east, so you only have the choice of going to the West. The other choice you have is to proceed down the other side of the mountain, and then you will be in Xizhazi anyway. It’s much easier to start there and you get a lot more options. I believe that the best destinations at Jiankou are Zhengbeilou (sharp north tower) or Jiuyanlou (nine eyed tower). Zhengbeilou will be to your east and therefore you must walk down to the road and bypass the very dangerous section of Jiankou, and then back up another trail to get there. Jiuyanlou is to the west, but it’s much too far to walk from the south side of Jiankou along the Great Wall all the way to Jiuyanlou and expect to return the same day. But from Xizhazi you can easily access either place or even both in the same day if you wish.

Zhengbeilou is possibly the most popular spot for photographers anywhere on any Great Wall. The scenery from here is just fantastic. Looking over the entire Jiankou Great Wall, you are looking to the west, so the lighting at sunrise is ideal. It’s no wonder that you see the traditional image of the Jiankou Great Wall from Zhengbeilou in books, videos, magazines, and calendars everywhere. The elevation of Zhengbeilou is 991 meters (3250 feet).

View of the Jiankou Great Wall from Zhengbeilou

From Zhengbeilou, you can hike to the east towards Niujiaobian. It’s not very dangerous or difficult although there are places where you must walk right along the edge of the Wall and the thick brush threatens to push you over the side. There are also steep slopes with loose bricks and stones, as is the case in many places on the Great Wall. At 1029 meters (3375 feet), the top of the hairpin is even higher than Zhengbeilou, and the view from here is also amazing, allowing you to see the entire Mutianyu Great Wall plus much of Jiankou as well. From here you could continue to Mutianyu or return to Zhengbeilou.

From Zhengbeilou, you probably won’t want to hike very far to the west as it becomes quite dangerous. Serious and experienced rock climbers may want to try, especially if they have some climbing equipment, but most would do best to avoid this area. If you want to head west from Zhengbeilou you should take the pat back down to the road on the north side, walk west to the next road that goes off to the left (south), and then follow that road to a small parking area to the left, at the end of which there is a path back up to the low point at Jiankou.

Zhengbeilou viewed from the east

From the low point at Jiankou, the place that is accessible to both the north and south approaches, you can hike and climb to the west for a great distance. The next features that you will reach are called Jiangjunshouguan, or General’s Pass, and then Tianti, or Heavenly Ladder. Just west of Jiangjunshouguan you will see a trail to the right (north) that leads to Xizhazi. If you pass this trail, you will reach a very steep and narrow uphill section known as Tianti. After this point, you will reach a tower at the next summit. From here, the Wall originally branched to the left (southeast) as well as continuing to the right (north). But now it’s nearly impossible to see the remains of this Wall here. Continuing on the northern path of the Wall, you will go down for a while and then you are going up another mountain which is quite formidable. It’s known as Yingfeidaoyang or upward flying eagle, because they say it’s higher than eagles fly so they have to fly up to get there. Others say its contours resemble an eagle, and while I have heard of many places where mountain contours are said to resemble tigers, dragons, and more, I usually can’t see it. But from Xizhazi, Yingfeidaoyang really does resemble an eagle with outstretched wings. The summit of Yingfeidaoyang is 954 meters (3130 feet) high.

View of Yingfeidaoyang from Xizhazi

When you near the top of Yingfeidaoyang, there is a trail leading off to the left (southwest) which bypasses the very top of the mountain. You really must take this bypass and do not attempt to climb over the very top of Yingfeidaoyang. I probably don’t need to give this advice as you will see for yourself how dangerous the last stretch up and down would be. The bypass just circumvents the very top of the mountain and rejoins the Wall shortly thereafter.

Rejoining the wall after the Yingfeidaoyang and continuing, you will find another path to your right (east) that leads down to Xizhazi. If you continue up to the top of the next mountain, you will reach Beijingjie, or the Beijing Knot, where the inner and outer Wall s meet at the summit of a mountain 966 meters (3170 feet) high. The inner Wall, to your left (east) goes to Moyashike (Moshikou) and from there continues to Xiangshuihu, Lianyunling, Huanghuacheng, Zhuangdaokou, Erdaoguan, Xishuiyu, Longquanyu, and beyond. Once you leave Beijingjie in this direction, you are outside of the Jiankou Great Wall and therefore beyond the scope of this review. But you can also head north from here along the outer Wall which eventually leads through Zhangjiakou.

Beijingjie seen from Xizhazi

Going down the Beijingjie mountain and up the next one, you will find at the peak a very deteriorated section of the Wall including a large tower. Like Yingfeidaoyang, this section must also be bypassed and you will find a path leading around its left (west) side and rejoining the wall again soon, just on the far side of another tower. From here, the Wall is highly deteriorated and is basically just a large, long pile of stones, which can be climbed if you are careful. At this point you will also find a path leading off to the left (west) and winding up the mountain. Following the Wall here will take you to my favorite place at Jiankou, the Jiuyanlou tower. This tower has deteriorated a lot but recently enjoyed some repairs. It has not exactly been rebuilt, as it still retains its original appearance, but you will find that the mortar at the base has been replaced some brick pillars have been added on the inside for reinforcement, and some stairs have been added on the backside to enable you to climb up to the roof, which has also been rebuilt.

Jiuyanlou

Jiuyanlou is claimed to be the largest watch tower along the Great Wall. I guess that depends on how "watch tower along the Great Wall" is interpreted, for Zhengbeitai is surely larger, but Jiuyalou is truly massive at 7.8 meters high and 13 meters wide on each side. It originally had nine windows on each side (hence the name, nine-eyed tower). It’s not the highest point on the Great Wall either, but at 1177 meters (3860 feet), it’s the highest point I have ever reached, and the view from here is correspondingly breathtaking. Jiuyanlou has great historical significance and contains several commemorative plaques on its back side to document this.

Overview of the Jiankou Great Wall from Jiuyanlou

From Jiuyanlou, the Great Wall branches both to the north and to the west. The branch to the west is quite overgrown and soon becomes difficult to follow. The branch to the north appears to be relatively accessible at first, but I have not tried to follow it (yet). Looking far in the distance to the north, you can see another tower at the peak of a mountain which is even higher than Jiuyanlou but lower than the neighboring Heituoshan. Regardless, Jiuyanlou represents the end of the Jiankou section of the Great Wall to the west and therefore the end of this review.