Hemp Village to Gubeikou Great Wall Extra

Hike in to Hemp Village and then over the hills and Great Wall to Gubeikou, finishing up by the Gubeikou War Memorial.

Level 4

4–5 hours start to finish over 14km. (Can I do it?)

This hike is not currently scheduled

Hike down the Great Wall at Gubeikou.

The starting point for this hike, Hemp Village, is a tiny settlement hidden away at the end of a long valley. In the hills behind Hemp Village is the line of Great Wall that joins Gubeikou and Jinshanling, which we’ll follow through the hills.

To get to Hemp Village we walk in from the main highway, following a gravel road through small collections of houses until we get to the end of the road, where we’ll find the house of our local guide.

Houses at Hemp Village, Hebei Province

Arriving at Hemp Village from the Gubeikou side.

From our local guide’s house we’ll follow a trail he made that will lead us up towards the Great Wall. On this part of the hike we’ll have excellent views of the wall, but we won’t be able to climb on top – this stretch of wall is closed to hikers because it borders a military area.

Instead of walking on the wall here – and running the risk of soldiers joining our hike – we’ll stick to the trails that run through the hills and valleys in this area, walking through some pretty farmland, with views of the Great Wall all the while.

Eventually the trail will take us up to the wall, and after a bit of a hill climb we’ll reach the 24-Eyes Tower, the tallest tower of the Gubeikou stretch of Great Wall. It used to be that there were six big windows on each side of the tower, adding up to twenty-four. But during the fighting between the Chinese and Japanese armies in the late ‘30s, two of the sides of the tower were destroyed by bombing. As well as a few destroyed towers, you can also spot bullet holes in the Great Wall in this area.

From the 24-Eyes Tower we’ll follow the wall to the west, passing through a lot of towers – some in good condition, some tumbled down to foundations only. For most of this part of the hike we’ll be on the wall, except for a short detour along a trail through a small pine forest.

We’ll end up on the Great Wall above Gubeikou Village. We’ll extend the hike from Gubeikou along a few more towers, and then down a nice hill trail to finish.

If you’re interested, you can buy a ticket and take a quick look inside the memorial to see historical photos and artifacts from the 1930’s battle for Gubeikou between the Chinese and Japanese armies. (Ticket cost approx. 20 RMB, if they’re open – at the time of publication, they’re closed for renovation.) Not interested in the memorial? Then relax as we serve you cold beer and snacks!