Enchanting China (Beijing, Xin and Chengdu) : Day 2 - Great Wall of China, Mutianyu (The Adventure)

i) The Great Wall of China – Mutianyu Section

Address:
CHM7+3JC, Mutianyu Rd, Huairou District, Beijing, China, 101406.

Direction:
Considering the distance from downtown Beijing (about a 1½ to 2 hours' drive), there is no direct public transportation from Beijing to this Mutianyu. It requires a few transfer so that's the challenge.

By Train
Get on the train at Beijing Railway Station and get off at Huairou Station. From Huairou Railway Station, grab a cab or take a bus to Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Area. The duration of the train is about 1 hour.

By Bus
i) Bus 867 (nonstop bus) from Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station to Mutianyu, departing from 7am with 2.5 hours duration. The bus from Mutianyu to Dongzhimen Wai Bus departs from 2pm and the last one will leave by 5pm. The bus fee for one-way trip is about RMB16. Though Bus 867 is quite convenient, it only opens during the peak season (April to the mid-November).
ii) Take Bus 916 (most common bus taken by tourist) express from Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station and get off at Huairou North Rd. Bus fee is about RMB15, duration about 1.5hr and runs between 6am till 8pm. Then you need to walk across the street and go straight for about 500 meters to find Huairou North Rd Stop on the other side of the road where you can take Bus H23 to Mutianyu Roundabout for about RMB5 . It is the nearest stop to the scenic area within only 200 meters. Or else you can take a taxi to Mutianyu for about RMB50. From Huairou North Rd Stop to Mutianyu usually takes about 30mins (by taxi) and 50mins (by bus).
iii) New Mutianyu Shuttle Bus from Beijing Tourist Distribution Center (Near Metro Line2 Qianmen Stop Exit C) to Mutianyu Great Wall Parking Lot 1. Bus fee RMB100 (including the entrance fee) and operates within 9am till 3:30pm.

Entrance Fee:
Great Wall Admission fee: RMB 45 / person
Cable car: RMB 120 (round trip) / RMB 100 (one way)
Chair lift / Toboggan: RMB 120 (round trip) / RMB 100 (one way)
Average time for this activity: 1/2 day

Accessibility Information: While the cable car can take visitors directly to the base of the Great Wall, you need to be able to get into the cable car on your own and climb some stairs after you get off the cable car before you can get onto the Wall. That said, Mutianyu Great Wall is not suitable for wheelchair users.

Operating Hour:
7:30am - 6:00pm (April to October) or 8:00am-5:00pm (November to March)


We started our day around 9.30am. First destination was to catch bus No. 916 from Dongzhimen Transport Hub / Bus Station. To get there, we took subway as per below route:
Dengshikou (Line 5) ==> Yonghegong (Exchange Line 2) ==> Dongzhimen Station (Line 2)

Wajah keceriaan before the journey with beautifull autumn gold ginkgo tree at the back.

From the Dongzhimen subway station, we took Exit B on the left hand side to enter the Dongzhimen Transport Hub (Bus Station). This was when we encountered another test, a big one that almost spoil the all plans that day. Such a tragedy... shamed on us.

To the Bus Station at Dongzhimen.

Have you experience sometime in your life even you have taken extra precaution, fully prepared with all information….. but still you made mistake, still being cheated, fell into SCAM. Well that happened to us in this trip.

The story was, not only we had made it stored in our memory, we even had it printed that we have to take bus no 916 to Mutianyu (stop at Huairou North Street Stn). However, when we reached the bus station, we met one local Chinese woman holding a walkie talkie approached us asking ‘xi nali… xi nali’ (at least that what I heard) and I knew “nali” means "where" so I showed her the word Great Wall China written in mandarin (remember my previous post to always have the places you wanted to visit printed in mandarin so that easy to ask local for direction). I did mentioned 916 bus number in mandarin to her and quickly she ushered us to one of the bus waited there and said “Great Wall” yes.. yes… I looked at the number, 980… so I asked her again “Great Wall, 916 bus, this bu yao.. bu yao”. But she insisted that the 980 bus will go to the same direction as 916 but faster as not much stops. Hesitated but a bit convinced also so we hopped into the bus. That was our BIG MISTAKE... but at that time we didn’t noticed anything as we saw she approached other people also, especially aliens like us (in the same time very busy talking with the walkie talkie) and they also got into the bus (kalau sesat biar secara berjemaah kan…), so we felt a bit relief.

At first we follow the right direction, to the 916 bus platform. But as you can see, 980 platform also nearby.

Ok we reached the platform. This was where "Tragedi November" happened.

Siap amik gambar route but no point. They took advantage by our illiterate to read Chinese.

The bus started the journey and when it entered the sub-urban area… the view was superb so I was distracted a bit, enjoying the view, but still awared everytime the bus stop as we needed to get-off at Huairou North Street Stn. (about 10 stops) so I started counting from the beginning. 🤲🏻🤲🏻

Elevated highway.

Spotted an intercity train.

The toll marked that we entering to the sub-urban area.

After about approximate 1hour of journey, the bus stopped at one station and suddenly the driver called us to get off the bus, saying “Great Wall… Great Wall”…. So I thought ya we made it to the Huairou North Street Stn. even as per my counting we still didn’t reached the 10th stop. But as per that Chinese woman told us earlier, bus 980 less stops so ya it make sense...

When we and some passengers got off the bus, suddenly we were approached by many local taxi drivers (black taxi). We managed to skip them and checked the environment however it doesn’t looked like we were in correct station. One of the taxi driver there who can speak a bit English told us that this was not the Huairou North Street Stn. and to make things worse there were no public bus available here to Mutianyu. OMG, this was nightmare…. We blamed ourselves for being so stupid… so ya next time always remember to stick to your tickets (eh ala2 ayat harry Potter).. NO, stick to your itinerary. If your reference is to get 916 bus, don’t ever gatal to take 980. We were soo pissed off with ourselves and that Chinese woman. We could hear her voice at the walkie-talkie speaking with the taxi driver there. Obviously that was their modus operandi to trap outsider like us from the bus station and brought us here where we left with no option either than taking the taxi and it was no brainer that they will push the price high. Imagined desperate people like us…!! 🤬🤬

Taxi jerung dah siap menunggu.

Environment didn't look the same like what we read about Huairou North Street Stn. Lenggang, hening... khas utk mangsa2 scam mcm kami.

No other bus will stop here, only 980. What a SCAM!! 🫣🫣

Owh my… owh my…

I felt like to cry, blank didn’t know what to do. Even thought to return back to Beijing and take back the right bus but it was almost 12pm so we didn’t have time to do that. We stranded here with all these taxi drivers like a shark surrounded us waiting their time to swallow …. The taxi driver who talked to us before wanted to rip us off by asking for RMB150 for one way journey!! This will definitely burst our budget so it was a NO NO. I couldn't imagine to cancel this trip as we had planned it for so long and it was one of the main reason why we visited Beijing!!! I also didn’t know where the other people who we thought in same direction like us been, maybe they took the taxi or they went to the other location. Even in that situation, I still kept my pride. I didn’t want to surrender with them and got into their trap easily. First thing I did was asking Nor to get away from there so we crossed the road, in a hope that we could think properly without been physco and influenced by that taxi driver.😰  We just walked further without no direction, luckily after some distance, we met another taxi and he offered us a ride for RMB60/way. Even still out of our budget, but way much cheaper and he even helped us to buy the tickets. Initially he said he only sent us to the parking where we needed to walk a bit to buy the tickets at the centre, but suddenly he changed his mind and brought us up to the Tourist Service Building. Maybe he pitied with us… ya after what happened, there’s still good people out there. As long as I didn’t take the taxi from the driver at the station who scammed us, I felt relief already. 😮‍💨 Even we lost a couple of hours there, unfortunately but nevermind. Geram punya pasal!! 

So here we was, after a bit of drama, definitely a very good lesson one…. we finally reached here. My top wishlist… THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. So we continue story in Mutianyu at next post ya... before that I leave you with my photo in front of the entrance to Mutianyu Great Wall. Till then..... 😍😍

Enchanting China (Beijing, Xian and Chengdu) : Day 2 – Great Wall of China, Mutianyu (Intro)

2nd day in Beijing, China. Today our plan was considered one of the major of our trip. The place we wanted to visit was very synonym with China and also considered as one of new 7 wonders of the world. Your visit to Beijing is not considered complete if you’re not visiting here!!

Ok, to make you boring, lets me gave the introduction first even I knew most of you have heard about it right…
Ya… as the title already spilled the beans, lets me presented to you…


Great Wall of China (Changcheng)
During the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475–221 BC) when the eastern and central region of what is now China consisted of many small states or princedoms, the princes ordered independent walls be built along state borders to protect their states.

Then around 220 BC, Qin Shi Huang, also called the First Emperor, united China. He masterminded the process of uniting all the existing walls into one. So that’s where it all started. At that time, rammed earth and wood made up most of the wall. Emperor after emperor strengthened and extended the wall, often with the aim of keeping out the northern invaders (Mongol), to promote expansion and protect the Silk Road. In some places, the wall was constructed of brick. Elsewhere, quarried granite or even marble blocks were used. The wall was continuously brought up to date as building techniques advanced.

The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest sights in the world — the longest wall in the world, an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. It’s winding path over a rugged country and steep mountains take in some great scenery.

So how long is this wall…. Get ready for this!!
The length of the Great Wall of China is ,21,196.18 km (13,170.7 mi), half the equator!. The data came from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. However, nearly 1/3 of the Great Wall has disappeared without a trace.

The Great Wall of China runs from west to east in northern China; from the eastern borders of Xinjiang to the Yalu River on the border of Liaoning and North Korea, with remains in 15 provinces and municipalities: Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin, Henan, Heilongjiang, and Shandong.

Mind-Blowing Great Wall Facts

1. The Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space by the human eye without aid.
2. The Great Wall is more than 2,300 years old (9+ dynasties' worth).
3. The typical height of the Great Wall is 5–8 meters (16–26 feet), around three to five times the height of an adult.
4. The Great Wall is not a continuous line; there are sidewalls, enclosing walls, parallel walls, and sections with no wall (high mountains or rivers form a barrier instead).
5.. The First Emperor of Qin was not the first to build the Great Wall. He linked the northern walls of the states he conquered.
6. Glutinous rice mortar was used to bind the Great Wall bricks, which is much stronger than ordinary lime mortar, and also water-resistant.
7. The Great Wall is poisonous. Arsenic, “the poison of kings” was used to prevent erosion of the Wall by insects like ants.
8. Part of the Great Wall coincided with and protected the route of the ancient Silk Road.
9. The Great Wall also had test projects in Zhangjiakou of Hebei, to calibrate the quality and specifications of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty.
10. The main purpose of the Great Wall was for border defense but it also transmitted messages using beacon towers (communication) and allowed troops to travel in a faster way (transportation).
11. The Han people were not the only nation to build a Great Wall. The northern nomads also built their own walls for defense.
12. Large-scale battles were rarely fought at the Great Wall. It was not cost-effective for the nomads to attack its fortifications.
13. The most popular Great Wall legend is about Meng Jiangnv, whose husband died building the Wall. Her weeping was so bitter that a section of the Wall collapsed, revealing her husband's bones. But in reality, no bodies have been found buried in the Great Wall.
14. Writing on the Great Wall was not allowed, but in the Ming Dynasty, every brick was carved with the name of the worker and the dates for individual responsibility.


So that’s it a bit about The Great Wall. As mentioned above, the Great Wall has remained today in 15 provinces / municipalities however the most visited sections of the Great Wall are around Beijing city. But did you know in Beijing itself, the wall is split into many sections? (imagine how long the wall is!!)

There are total 10 sections in Beijing:
- badaling
-Juyongguan
- Huanghuacheng
- Jiankou
- Mutianyu
- Baimaguan
- Gubeikou
- Jinshanling
- Simatai
- Huangyaguan

Owh here some of 6 Interesting Facts on Famous Great Wall Sections.

1. The Gubeikou section of the Great Wall has bullet holes in it, evidence of the last battle fought at the Great Wall.
2. Shanhai Pass is the only section of the Ming Great Wall that meets the sea.
3. Badaling is the most visited section (with over 63,000,000 visitors in a year), and it is often overcrowded with domestic visitors.
4. Mutianyu is popular among international travelers — well-restored and family-friendly, it’s suitable for combining with a half-day city sightseeing at the Forbidden City or Temple of Heaven.
5. The Jiankou section of the Great Wall, known for being steep and winding, enjoys the most appearances on Great Wall picture books and postcards. It is also the most challenging section for a Great Wall hike.
6. Simatai is not the only Great Wall section that is fully lit up with lights at night, and so is recommended for a night tour alongside Gubei Water Town, which it overlooks.


Ok… based on the above facts, can you guess which section in Beijing that we preferred? The famous Bandaling? Well no as that’s too easy (there’s a direct train and bus to Badaling).. berlagakkan. We opted for more adventure, clue..... read point 4 above. It is popular among international travellers (means less crowd) and well-restored. We don’t want photo-bomb! So anyone got it right?? Bingo!! We went for MUNTIANYU section.

So ya what a long introduction. So as ussual we continue next post ya dear on my adventure to Great Wall. Why I mentioned adventure, well to the next post......

Enchanting China (Beijing, Xian and Chengdu) : Day 1 – Wangfujing Street

vi) Wangfujing Street .

So after Olympic Park, we decided to stop at Wanfujing Street and walked to our Hostel from there as it was not ver far. Olympic Park/Green (Line 8) ==> NanLuogu Xiang (Exchange Line 6) ==> Dongsi (Exchange Line 5) ==> Dongdan (Exchange Line 1) ==> Wangfujing (Line 1)

Photo in front of the Olympic Station before went back.

Few subway lines to go.

Line 5. Another one station to Wanfujing.

Inside the subway.

It was almost 9pm when we reached the Wangfujing station. So what was special about Wanfujing Street that made us included it in our itinerary?? Ok, what if I tell you that it is one of the most prosperous business zones in Beijing and currently the busiest street in this city. Well. definitely deserved a visit right??

Jom layan view waktu malam.....

As the first famous business zone in this city, Wangfujing Shopping Street houses a wide variety of shops and boutiques, some of which are of world-famous brands. Apart from that, there are also many time honored stores with traditional commodities standing in the street for hundreds of years.

So since this place was listed in our itinerary and we still have some energy left, we strolled along this street just to tick the “we’ve been here” list.

More photos:

Not much activities here as most of the shops & malls were already closed, however Nor managed to buy winter glove from one of the stall there. Satisfied, we called it a day and continued back to our Hostel.

Wow, what a day (kaki rabak weii)…. Lots of walk but because of the weather, we didn’t felt so exhausted. Because we had been outdoor for one whole day, I felt not comfortable if not taking bath before went to bed, or maybe because it’s my norm in Malaysia. I did informed in my previous post that our water heater was faulty so imagined taking bath in that ice cold water… even imagined it right now gave me a goose bumps. After bath, I quickly jumped to bed and wrapped myself with blanket.

So that was it, my first day in Beijing. We have skipped few places due to time but not so significant as we have covered the most major attractions. The places that we missed were Jingshan Park, Qianmen Street and Beijing City Wall / Ming City Wall. Read my 2nd day trip in next post ok. Till then....

Enchanting China (Beijing, Xian and Chengdu) : Day 1 – Beijing Olympic Park

v) Beijing Olympic Park - Legacy of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Beijing Olympic Park, also called Olympic Green, is a spacious park built for the 29th Olympic Games, held in China for the very first time in 2008. Located at the north end of the central axis of Beijing, it contains 10 Olympic venues, and 7 non-competitive venues, some of which have become landmarks of Beijing and representative works in architectural history such as the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. In addition, there is a largest forest park in Beijing in the north of Olympic Green which brings much convenience for people to take an outing.

Post-Olympics the Olympic Green has become a center of cultural, recreational, and sporting activities in Beijing. Thousands of people, both Chinese and foreigners, have taken the chance to visit the grand site and flocked to see the sports venues as well as watch a number of special exhibitions and performances. It is expected that the site will continue to attract many visitors and will also serve as an excellent place for China to host more intra-country sporting events in the future.

Address:
#15 Beichen East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Admission Fee:
Free (not including entrance fee of stadiums)

Operating Hours:
6:30 - 22:00 (May - October); 7:30 - 21:30 (November - April)

Direction:
Take Subway Line 8 or Line 15 and get off at Olympic Green Station.

We glad that we changed our plan to visit here after Niujie Street as by the time we reached here, it’s already dark at 7pm. For me it is better to visit this place at evening time (after 5 pm during winter time) as you can experience the stadium and ice cube while it is illuminated. You can also take photography when the building is lit up with different colors. Very impressive!

If you enjoy architecture this is a good place to visit. You do not have to spend too much time here as there are not much else to do but it is worth a short visit.

Continued from my last post, after having dinner at Muslim Restaurant near Niujie Mosque, we walked back to the Chaishikou Station. Then we took subway as per below route:
Chaishikou Station (Line 4) ==> Xizhimen (Exchange Line 2) ==> Guloudajie (Exchange Line 8) ==> Olympic Park/Green (Line 8) 

The subway station.

Arrived and went out from the station there were few shops which resembled the traditional old chinese house.

We need to take the escalator to the Park.

Beijing Olympic Park Layout consists of 3 Sections:
i) The Central Section
ii) The Northern Section - Olympic Forest Park
iii) The Southern Section - the Olympic Sports Center Stadium

Map of the Olympic Park.

1) The Central Section

As the primary section, the central section contains many venues in the south including Beijing National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest), the Beijing National Aquatics Center (the Water Cube), Beijing National Indoor Stadium, Linglong Tower and the Beijing Olympic Village in the southwest.

The escalator from the Subway station took us straight here, to the Central Section.

Ascending from the escalator, we've been welcomed by this colourfull tower.

Can you see it changing colour! So amazing!!

Beautifull lights and thats reminded me of the movie, AVATAR.

Actually, we were not yet "reached" the Olympic Park. We needed to cross the road to enter the gate of The Olympic Park.

Hang on there, we're about to see you, lights!!

So here, infront of the entrance of the Olympic Park. Yeayy!!

Linglong Tower
The highest building in the Olympic Green – Linglong Tower, can be found in the area with a height of 132 meters (433 feet). It functioned as the International Broadcasting Corporation during the games. When night falls, it looks extremely charming with colored lights changing alternatively.

Getting closer with the amazing tower.

Closer enough.

Adoi, banyaknya photobombs!!

Ok, finally aman skit takde entiti asing :P

Ok time to read.

Met the 2 Mascots, Beibei and Huanhuan.

With another 3 mascots, Jingjing, Yingying and Nini. Together, they form the “Fuwa”, which translates as “good-luck dolls”.

Stalls selling foods and souvenirs were everywhere.

Ok we moved to next attraction just next with this tower. Infact you could see a glimpse of it from the below photo right?....

Bird’s Nest - Beijing National Stadium
Ticket: RMB 50
Opening Hours: 9:00am – 7:00pm (Apr - Oct); 9.00am – 5:30pm (Nov - Mar)

Beijing National Stadium, the main stadium of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is in the south of the central area of Beijing Olympic Park. It is more known to the public as Bird’s Nest because of its general outline. In 2008, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, track and field competitions, and football finals were held here. The external structure of the Bird's Nest is mainly composed of huge portal steel frames. They support each other and form a grid-like outline, which looks like a bird's nest made of branches. In Chinese culture, nest represents the cradle of life which holds the hope of human future. In 2022, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games will also be held here.

Its unique steel structure and shape make it "one of the key engineering marvels in the world today".

I can't stop admiring this masterpiece.

More closer.

Truly genius architecture.

Next, to the other building just opposite the gigantic Bird's Nest.



Water Cube - Beijing National Aquatics Center
Ticket: RMB 30
Opening Hours: 9:00am – 8:00pm (May - Oct); 9:00am – 6:00pm (Nov - April)

Beijing National Aquatics Center is just opposite to the Bird’s Nest across the street. It is the venue that hosted swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and other competitions in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. When you see the building, you will get why it is nicknamed Water Cube. Looked from the outside, it seems to be enclosed by numerous watery bubbles. Water Cube is the largest membrane structure project in the world. If you visit Water Cube at night, you will see the bubbles present different colors.


Lets the photos do the talking la ok... I dah takde idea nak buat caption :P

In the past, Chinese ancestors believed that the sky is round while the earth is square, and that is the way nature keeps harmonious. The square Water Cube together with the round Bird's Nest, embody and interpret this idea very well.



Beijing National Indoor Stadium
Ticket: RMB 20
Opening Hours: 9:00am - 7:00pm (Apr - Oct); 9:00am – 5:30pm (Nov - March)

The National Indoor Stadium is one of the three main venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which is now not open to the public. Viewing from a distance, the erect steel structure is like an open Chinese folding fan against a large area of crystal-clear glass curtain wall, and the wavy curves on the roof are like the ribbons dancing in rhythmic gymnastics. It is adjacent to the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, forming a distinctive architectural community. Being the largest indoor comprehensive gymnasium in China, it hosted artistic gymnastics, trampoline, and handball events during the Olympics.

Sorry, "the Chinese Folding Fan" shape was not really visible from this angle.

2) The Northern Section - Olympic Forest Park

Olympic Forest Park
Ticket: Free
Opening Hours: 6:00am - 9:00pm (15 Mar - 15 Nov); 7:00am – 7:00pm (16 Nov - 14 Mar)

Olympic Forest Park is at the northern part of Olympic Green. The "back garden" of the 29th Olympic Games is rich in forest resources and the green coverage ratio has reached 95.61%. It is the largest urban park in Beijing and the closest Forest Park to Beijing residents. The main mountain Yangshan is on the central axis of Beijing city, echoing Jingshan in the south near the Forbidden City. It not only conforms to the tradition of Chinese garden construction, but also complements the surrounding environment.


3) The Southern Section - the Olympic Sports Center Stadium

As the former National Olympic Sports Center, all the venues within this section were used for the 1990 Asian Games, including the stadium, gymnasium, and Yingdong Natatorium. Besides the Sports Center, there is the China Ethnic Culture Park (China Ethnic Museum). It collects and displays cultural relics of the 56 ethnic groups of China.

Believed me this park was so huge!!! We didn’t explore up to the North and South area, only focused on the centre area. As the weather became colder, my skin became completely dry and oily. It was fun hanging around there, but I think we had enough. Time to go back….

Photos taken along the way back to Subway station.

The Bird's nest stadium can also illuminate as billboard.

Such a cute car and passengers.

Electric car.

Tricycle for those who wanted to tour the whole park.

Souvenirs.

We took the route at the side of the Park.

I already started to have flu this time, hence why I covered my nose.

Tempat letak basikal pun cantik.

Unique.

Ok, bye-bye Olympic Park.

Finally we reached the same subway station when we came, and took train back to Hostel. Hang on, we had one last destination before called it a day. Continue next la ok. Skit lagi.... hehehheeheh.