There are more than 500 kilometers of the Great Wall in Beijing. You are visiting the unrepaired "Wild Great Wall" because the unreinforced and protected Great Wall is extremely vulnerable to damage. for reasons of protecting cultural relics, the government stipulates that climbing is not allowed here (although local mountaineers and campers often visit here for "pilgrimage"). If every tourist kicked only one brick from her, these great ancient buildings would not exist in a few decades.
He should take down this video, as this video will encourage other people to do this... It's dangerous for tourists and bad for these world heritage sites... Imagine Chinese tourists camping in some world heritage site in Europe... This must be discouraged no matter the nationality.
The unrestored sections of the Great Wall, known as the “wild Great Wall,” are often in a state of disrepair, posing risks such as collapses and falling rocks. Climbing these sections can be quite dangerous. Nevertheless, the Chinese government does not prohibit visitors from climbing all sections of the wild Great Wall. In fact, as locals, we often visit these areas. The section in question is the Gubeikou Great Wall, and to the east, you can see the Panlong Great Wall. It’s truly beautiful here, but not as famous as the Badaling Great Wall, so there are fewer tourists. I don’t think the video needs to be taken down.
The train is not technically a high speed train as it’s a tourist train for sightseeing and goes to only 160km/h, while real high speed train goes up go 350km/h. Gubeikou is always less crowded than other more famous places like Badaling or Mutianyu, especially on these hot days. Camping is not illegal except for Badaling, but you need to take down your tent before other visitors showing up, guess that’s why the tour guide was in a rush
the part where they slept is not a tourist spot per se, there are many entrance pathways, yeah down at the town they want money for tickets but i dont think its quite official
No matter which entrance you go to the Great Wall, you are entering a 3,000-year-old monument. As long as it is a monument, it requires an entrance fee. The residents under the Great Wall protect these monuments, and they can charge you a reasonable entrance fee. Tourists should not adopt a free-to-visit attitude, please.
Camping on the Great Wall is actually against the regulations because there are many wild animals, such as snakes. It is also relatively open, so it is easy to be struck by lightning if it rains. No matter what, stay safe.
Totally agree. I really don’t like people who do no respect and don’t protect other people’s cultural relics and UNESCO World Heritages such as the Great Wall of China.
Totally agree. I really don’t like people who do no respect and don’t protect other people’s cultural relics and UNESCO World Heritages such as the Great Wall
@@alexk5772 so why camp on a UNESCO World Heritage site like Great Wall? Don’t you know that any cultural heritage and relics are protected and preserved and fragile? Aren’t you taught to protect cultural heritage in schools?
I had the same overwhelming experience on the Great Wall. At first I was sceptical. What was so great about just some bricks stacked upon each other. But when I stepped on the wall, I felt the thousand years of history right beneath my feet. That realization humbled me and send goosebumps down my spine in amazement of the human engineering and determination in general. And you guys slept on one, amazing!
Camping is not illegal but against the regulations, the security guard(not police) which shown in the video asked you wrap up everything and stop camping but didn't fine you guys. There used to be a lot foreign and local tourists camped there but some incidents happended such as wild animal attacks, tourist poop and pee everywhere, smoking triggered fire of forests, throw garbage or condoms everywhere, damaged the wall itself in order to set up some equipments.
Lightning strikes have happened anywhere in the world, so this is meaningless. However, the Wild Great Wall is indeed dangerous. They have not been repaired and may collapse. The surrounding area has not been cleaned up, and there may be aggressive wild animals, so it is not recommended to go there.
Hi guys, please please don't camping on the Great Wall. My colleague was bitten by a venomous snake when we were staying on the wall (Jin Shan Ling ) in a night for a team work training session in the summer of 1993, his arm was swollen within a few minutes, he was in serious pain and quickly became very sick. Fortunately someone in the group knew how to treat snakebites, eventually he was ok, otherwise who knows…
They shouldn’t camp in there not for the snakes .The laws and rules don’t allow the people to go that part of the Great Wall ,and stay in there whole night .
Sorry for your experiences. Copied and translated this from your comment area. Hope this helps answer your question! In short, camping is not recommended by the official : Camping on the Great Wall is not illegal, but it is against the rules. If you are caught, the management will be punished, so they can only ask you to leave early.
@@alexk5772 so why camp on a UNESCO World Heritage site like Great Wall? Don’t you know that any cultural heritage and relics are protected and preserved and fragile?
@@haniahannslew4108 Camping is not allowed only in tourist operation areas. It is allowed in non-operation areas. There are companies in China that specialize in operating this kind of experience.
You guys are so brave, which you visit is unmaintained part of Great Wall. Normally people will visit refurbished portion of the wall like Badaling site, which it's intention is for tourism. In fact, compare the whole length of Great Wall, refurbished site is only a small of portion of it. And the unmaintained part is not appropriate for tourism since it's eroded and dangerous.
OMG, this is so cool! I have visited different parts of the Great Wall in different provinces for 4-5 times, but never visited the unmaintained parts. No other tourists, and you get all the view and experience!
NEVER camp on the Great Wall. It is restricted and unsafe, especially in an unmaintained area. The Great Wall leads to one of the wildlife zoos in Beijing. One tiger escaped from the zoo in 2022 and has been roaming the area. It is believed to have harmed 4 tourists already.
That was group of Japanese tourers camped on the Great wall of China in the winter but was hit by a snowstorm and 8 people were frozen to death, now it is a strictly rule and not allow to camp on it.
@@alexk5772 so why camp on a UNESCO World Heritage site like Great Wall? Don’t you know that any cultural heritage and relics are protected and preserved and fragile? Aren’t you taught to protect cultural heritage in schools?
@@haniahannslew4108 It is allowed in non-scenic areas, and there are companies that specialize in this kind of experience. The Great Wall is 21,000 kilometers long, and many areas already have only ruins. It is unrealistic not to allow tourists anywhere near these places. The Chinese government is rebuilding the Great Wall. Of course, areas that have been completed or are being redeveloped are not allowed.
@@haniahannslew4108not that fragile. It survived thounds years of wind,rain and storm, it can survive a camp. The only question is if camper can survive. the rate of ligjting strike is is quite high.
I love your interaction with your guide. I tell everyone who feels intimidated by language barriers all the time: language barriers are not barriers, because if you genuinely enjoy exploring and interacting with others, you find ways to communicate.
For anyone screaming about 'illegal' in the comment section or anyone concerned: as someone from Beijing, I can tell you that the Gubeikou Great Wall is open to the public, and it is legal to camp on the wall (though some rules apply), according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. The wall looks unrenovated because they want it to look that way. The unstable parts have already been reinforced or repaired, as shown at 12:01, and the truly unsafe sections, which are closed to visitors, are blocked off or marked with signs, as seen at 6:43. It may not be the safest camping spot if you ask me, but hey, you couples are still cool :).
And for those using Traditional Chinese in the comment section, I’m guessing you guys are from Taiwan or Hong Kong? Thank you for caring about the historical relics of our shared China, but don't worry. The Beijing government takes these relics, as well as the safety of foreign tourists, really seriously these days.
I bet lots of people have going to the Great Wall on their bucket list, but camping on it is even cooler! You guys are quite the dynamic duo to brave snakes, possible lightning strikes and treacherous terrain (the crumbling Wall itself) to spend a memorable night on one of the world's Wonders. You are troopers--almost literally: At 14:00 you wonder whether the towers are actually made for camping, but I think that's exactly wat the soldiers manning the wall 24/7 actually did. They didn't exactly get the royal treatment with beds and silk pillows; they probably just pitched tents or just wrapped themselves in a blanket on the stone floor. Basically, you held the fort down, guarding China! Walking (or sleeping) in the footsteps of countless troopers. Keeping an ages-old legacy alive--what a memorable night (well a short one ending at 4:30 in the morning!) ;)
I'm so glad you had a great safe tour, but to those who may be interested in doing the same crazy(not in a bad way, but yeah crazy) thing, I have to say that the rarely visited part of the great wall is rarely visited for a reason, it can get dangerous at night, almost like in a desert. Many parts do not even have signals, nor any other human beings, meaning no supplies and no way to get a rescue. It can get freezing cold at night and there are animals you don't want to meet. If you are devoted to doing this, bring redundant supplies, wear redundant clothing and bring defensive tools.
The Great Wall is not nature and it is not your play area. If you want to take venture, go to other countries. Your suggestion will make trouble for Chinese. 長城不是大自然，不是你的玩樂區，要冒險到其他國家去，你的建議是給中國人添亂.
@@小籠包-t6b If you know the logic behind why it is strictly forbidden to smoke on the plane but the toilets on the plane still have ashtray, you know what I'm suggesting.
@@小籠包-t6b You can't stop people from getting to the wild part of the Great Wall. It is there, it is massive, it is attractive and it is almost impossible to manage. The best way is to establish more tourist spots and safe camps and ask them to go there to enjoy an equally fantastic but safer experience. That is also good for the tourism industry.
Camping on the Great Wall should not be encouraged. It is illegal on most of the unprotected parts (the Wild Great Wall) because it could be damaging to the relics. Moreover, it is NOT SAFE. There are a lot of snakes, some being very venomous and you could die from it. And since it’s so remote, many parts do not have signal coverage, you can imagine it’s extremely difficult for emergency rescue. There were people died from just climbing the Wild Great Wall and there were rescuers died from rescuing injured hikers on the Wild Great Wall 😢. So please be very cautious, you stayed safe this time but please don’t encourage such activities. It is an act of being responsible to yourselves, to the society, and to the history.
@@Joelfriend yes,absolutely! the scenery in Badaling is wonderful too! Climbing to the top was such an great achievement for me!maybe i will go to Gubeikou section in the future!
I think sleeping in the Great Wall is illegal. The contractors of those homestays may have deceived you. You are lucky that the security guard just asked you to leave instead of calling the police and detaining you for 15 days. If this is true, I really hate these people who take your money and tell you can sleep in the Great Wall.
So enjoying this China series so far. I visited the Mutianyu section in 2013, as I didn’t want to get caught in the Badaling crowds, and I wasn’t on my own by any stretch, but was able to get selfies with no one around in a whole section between guard towers quite easily, so was pretty happy with that. I climbed all the way to the top part of the west section and got to where the restoration had stopped and all of a sudden there was just crumbled wall and over grown plants. I wanted nothing more than to carry on and explore that un restored section - I saw a few brave hikers heading off that way with their walking poles, but unfortunately I was on a tight time schedule. So it’s great to see you guys have some of that experience. Looking forward to the remaining videos!
Lucky you!!! Camping on the wall might get strictly banned soon, you guys caught the tail🤣 The wild wall can be very dangerous, every year, someone dies on some parts of the wall, so the rules are getting stricter. There's a certain part called "eagle look back", even a rescue team member died there, and that part is now under a total ban.
Yes, you guys violated the laws for sure. But it is not your fault but your host. You don't need to turn yourselves in, but next time, kindly do a little research. It's only for your safety. The 600-yr watchtower, where you slept, may fall at any moment. And snakes are not joking. Keep exploring and have fun, safely!
The watchtower is more than 1000 years. Camping is illegal. They are adults, why don't they take responsibility for themselves? Why not compensate the elder man and lady for their physical and mental loss after they climb such steep mountain for many hours in the midnight just for finding them as soon as possible? They need safety, don’t the elderly need safety ?
China welcomes you with a culture and society unlike your own which you do appreciate, why on earth so you have to challenge it? White House has tours too, why don't you try camping out there?
Hiking to abandoned great walls was one of my best days during covid time, because we cannot get out of the city, so with friends together to climb so many sections of abandoned walls during the time. Hiking plus overnight camping on the walls was what we Beijingers like to do! I’m glad that you guys enjoyed! ❤
@@一个说话大声的中国人 Chill. They didn't not set fire or put nails on the ground. While camping on the wild wall should not be encouraged for the protection of this cultural relic, it is a little much of you to vent your frustration against random commenters.
@@luisanthonychau Welcoming tourism does not mean welcoming violations of the rules. It is the rule of the Chinese people to protect the Great Wall. If foreigners cannot protect the Great Wall, then they are not welcome to visit the Great Wall.
Welcoming tourism does not mean welcoming violations of the rules. It is the rule of the Chinese people to protect the Great Wall. If foreigners cannot protect the Great Wall, then they are not welcome to visit the Great Wall. 歡迎旅遊並不意味著歡迎違規行為。保護長城是中國人民的規則。如果外國人不能保護長城，就不歡迎你們來參觀長城。
I don't think this is a liscenced tour, but rather a tourist trap for foreigners. The tour guide was definitely not professional nor a licenced guide. They seemed to be local farmers or villager, who also run a little restaurant or taxi and make money on tourists. The place you went was definately the non-touristic part of the Great Wall, or even abandoned part. Luckily, you guys did not encounter any troubles. I do not recommend forgeiners to take the similar tours like this. It can be dangerous. Anyway, I hope you have a safe and joyful trip in my home country.
They are adults, why don't they take responsibility for themselves? All information they can find easily in internet or hotel. They are lucky. But the villagers can't sleep well. Why not compensate the elder man and lady for their physical and mental loss after they climb such steep mountain for whole night, just for finding foreigners as soon as possible? Englishmen need safety, don’t the chinese elderly need safety ?
its very dangerous,there is people die there every year, and it’s forbidden hiking or camping in Great Wall. Like you can’t camping in Louvre Or pyramids. We hiking there carefully. If the local people not allowed we accept and know why they do like this. It’s necessary. Because we need protect Great Wall
it looks like a private tour guide who was taking the risk of doing some kind of business illegal. That's why they had taken your camp tent away at 4 am. before being found out.
They don't speak Chinese. How do administrators communicate with they ? Did the villagers misunderstand the camping for moon viewing? If it so, englishmen lie the lady. They are adults, why don't they take responsibility for themselves? All rules they can find easily in internet. Why not compensate the elder man and lady for their physical and mental loss after they climb such steep mountain for whole night, just for finding foreigners as soon as possible? Englishmen need safety, don’t the chinese elderly need safety ?
wow, You guys are so adventurous! Camping on the Great Wall is a fantastic idea. There are many travel vlogs about the Great Wall, but hardly any about camping there.
We'd like to suggest you do not try camping for your own safety. The snakes are venomous, and there is a chance of getting struck by lighting. It can get freezing cold at night. A lot of the comments have mentioned the incident with the Japanese tourists. That is the reason the old man, who is a maintenance guy, asked the guide to wrap the tent and leave.
I just googled, it's not illegal to camp in the "wild/unmaintained great wall". but many people got injured every year by doing that. accidents include: fall, attack by wild animals, hit by lightening etc....
What a wonderful Great Wall ! It requires visitors to carry bricks from the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain and maintain The Great Wall carefully. Since you both are good youtubers, I hope you can take the lead and at least carry a brick up. If you can't do that, you may donate money to buy bricks or hire people to carry brick up.
The Lindesay Brothers on RU-vid also operate private tour of the Great Wall. Since they are Brits and have been in the business since their father's time, communications should be less of an issue.
So …. it takes a 5 hour hike up steep mountainous terrain to get on that section of the Great Wall (one way), and you’re wondering why there’s no one else there ??? 😅😅😅. I’m sure my Dad with a bum knee or my Mom with a bad back would absolutely want to go for a 10 hour return mountain hike ! Jokes aside, I visited the Great Wall at one of the most popular (and highly visited) parts of the in 2007, accompanied by huge crowds of tourists. No thank you!. I would absolutely love to visit the wild parts of the a Great Wall as you have, ie. the overgrown, unrestored parts which due to their state are much more remote, less touristy, where you can appreciate the quiet majesty of the wall, it’s beautiful natural surrounds, and the fact that they managed to build something over the most insane mountains, and it’s still standing 2,000 years later!
01-Beijing's Great Wall tourism mainly includes the Badaling Great Wall and the Mutianyu Great Wall. Badaling is widely known throughout China, so it attracts a larger number of tourists. Mutianyu, on the other hand, is relatively quieter and has slightly fewer visitors, with a higher proportion of foreign tourists.
It seems like you visited an unrestored and undeveloped section of the Great Wall, known in China as the "Wild Great Wall." It must be a fascinating experience; many Chinese people haven't had the chance to go there, and I must say I'm envious.
According to the latest archaeological research, the most intact section of the Great Wall of China extends from Jiayuguan in Gansu Province to the current territory of North Korea. You heard right; the easternmost part of the Great Wall was once constructed all the way to what is often considered one of the world's most mysterious countries - North Korea.
Did the same hike at 金山岭twice in my life. The 2nd one stayed overnight and caught a really beautiful sunrise. Great memories. 金山岭is the best place to avoid crowds.
Just want to say that visiting the unmaintained part of Great Wall is not safe and not recommended, even with a company, I don't believe that company they booked had good precautions in place It is not illegal for you to go but you are at your own risk. Every now and then we see news about accidents and tragedies happen to people visiting wild part of the great wall
Hey dudes. This is not cool. so why camp on a UNESCO World Heritage site like Great Wall? Don’t you know that any cultural heritage and relics are protected and preserved and fragile? Aren’t you taught to protect cultural heritage in schools?
Is it safe to camp just the two of you in the middle of nowhere? How do you know there wouldn't be some bad characters just targeting campers in these situations
most of the regulations are for safety. some sections might be sealed off because it's dangerous to be walking on top of it. the fruit you had are mulberries.
Thanks for posting this extraordinary experience. Some of us oldies aren’t able to do these adventures any more and so enjoy doing them vicariously through you and other brave and intrepid travelers. 👍👍👍👏👏👏
Wow I really want meet you in BeiJing! I think you should taste some local dish in the contryside. Maybe that can have some new experience in your trip.
Chinese tourists prefer Badaling section, it takes an hour for traffic. You are hiking the Puloongshan and jinshanling, it's around 3.5 hours from Beijing .
Not sure you are allow even to camp there, lucky you, they didn't give you lots of problem. Being brave is one thing but being unthoughtful is another. Camping on the popular sections of the Great Wall like Badaling and Mutianyu is not allowed. At the foot of the Jinshanling Great Wall, there is a special area for camping. Also, you can try on some wild segments.
@@JoelfriendI don’t think the guide is licensed, you can tell that she’s definitely not a professional, when I went there in 2008 it was against the rules to climb up from other places except for the entrance.
This video violates Chinese laws and continues to ignore the warning. It distributes false information, exposes the personal privacy of the characters in the video without their consent, and has been reported to RU-vid.
