Xifengkou

Chinese: 喜峰口
Pinyin: Xǐ fēng kǒu
English: Happy peak pass
Coordinates: 40°25'34"N 118°19'18"E

Went here on May 1st, paid a taxi from Qianxi bus station 80 kuai one way (roughly 47 kilometers). For Xifengkou, you can buy a ticket for 30 kuai and share a boat or, if there are no other tourists, pay 300 kuai for the boat yourself.

To my surprise, I discovered the Panjiakou Great Wall I visited two years ago was, in fact, Xifengkou. Despite arriving at Panjiakou dam, they take a speedboat and go to Xifengkou. This time I had gone to 喜峰雄关大刀园 (Broadsword Garden) and bought a ticket from there...I recommend going to Panjiakou reservoir instead if you want to visit Xifengkou.

Here's my photo album from Xifengkou two years ago: http://imgur.com/a/EbPWR

Aside from the first nine pictures and the last five pictures, those are all photos of Xifengkou. The other pictures are of Panjiakou Great Wall.

Picture gallery: http://imgur.com/a/4YEOI

I went to Broadsword Garden yesterday and, unfortunately, discovered the Gangtie Great Wall is NOT a part of the Wall, but one of the kitschy modern art exhibits there.

However, I did discover a real section of the Wall in the park, as well as a beacon tower. I'll make a thread for it later.

Went back today (October 4th), this time from the Panjiakou Dam entrance.

Here we can see all the locations the boat takes people to despite both times I went we only walked up part of Xifengkou. The boat only stops around Panjiakou for people to look at, not walk up.

Prices depend on how many people and the destination. For the first option, the slow boat can take up to 20 people and it'll only be 60 kuai a person for just going to he Great Wall Underwater. Or taking a fast boat that can hold up to 7, 9 or 11 people will be 400, 500 or 600 kuai per boat.

The second – and most popular, which you'll probably take if you join a boat – is to go Xifengkou Great Wall, see the movie set from 鬼子来了, walk up and down the Great Wall and then go back, stop at the Panjiakou Underwater Great Wall for a minute without getting out the boat and then go back to the dam.

The third and fourth options I'm unfamiliar with, I'm assuming it's just more riding around the reservoir but who knows, it'd sure be nice to get off and walk up the Panjiakou Great Wall at least.

The iconic Xifengkou Great Wall.

Upon landing and walking up, you can see this poster advertising a movie (鬼子来了, 2000) and TV show (长城红, 2013) that were filmed here. Entrance to the movie set is 20 kuai, and from there you can walk up to Xifengkou Great Wall.

The movie set village with the Great Wall behind it

As it was last time, I was rushed by the other people in my group to get back to the boat. Amazingly they stayed around the movie set more than the Great Wall – they must've only been on the wall for five minutes, if that. If anyone does join a boat with strangers, communicate with them beforehand that you intend to go up and down the wall and not rush.