The Old Dragon’s Head: Hiking Along the Beach Where The Great Wall Meets the Sea
For Beijing residents, many hiking opportunities abound around the capitol. The Great Wall of China, one of the worldwide famous landmarks of the country, offers many challenging routes which can take the traveller out and about even for several days. But, have you ever thought where the Wall actually starts from? Really, you did? This is a very often overlooked question. Such a massive, long, impressive piece of Chinese history has to have a starting point.
The answer is simple: if you like adventure, and especially, if you like to venture into some of the lesser known corners of China, what you are looking for lies in the near Hebei province, and exactly a few hours away by train, close to the city of Qinhuangdao, better know to the Beijing holidaymakers for the inviting beaches of Beidaihe. Laolongtou Great Wall (Old Dragon’s Head) is the Eastern starting point of the Ming Dynasty’s (1368-1644) Great Wall. It extends about 20 meters into the Bohai Sea like a dragon drinking water, hence its definitely inspiring name. It is maybe for this reason that, once or twice a year, this spot has been selected by Beijing’s local and expat partygoers to host an exciting rave party…
How To Get There
According to your budget, Beijing central railway station has several trains a day travelling the 300 km separating the capitol from the Bohai Sea coast. Most express trains going to Shenyang and further up the Manchurian region stop in Qinhuangdao, the closer major station. The journey takes around one hour and a half, and costs around 100 Rmb. Many other regional trains going to Qinhuangdao are available, but, although much lesser expensive (around 30Rmb for a hard seat), they take over 3 hours to reach the destination. It is therefore important to calculate your time, and not only your money.
From Qinhuangdao railway station, several buses depart plying the 5 kilometres route going to the Old Dragon’s Head. Try number 23 and 25. Otherwise, catch a taxi to the city of Shanaiguan, and get a bus from there. Driving from Beijing, you might reach this place in a little over two hours, following the highway up to Qinhuangdao first, and reaching Shanaiguan later.
What to do
The Old Dragon’s Head takes its name from a carved dragon head which, back in the day, was facing the sea. The renovated section of the wall here hosts a museum and boosts some beautiful views of China’s Northern Coast. It is lovely to get down the left hand path snaking off the side of the main gate, and adventure down onto the beach. Here, besides meeting many fishermen and seashell pickers, the walks are amazing. Definitely not hard routes, the paths snaking along the coastline can take you up close to the main Old Dragon’s Head pagoda, or offer pleasant hikes along the beach’s cliffs. A few seafood restaurants are lined up at the back to please all sorts of tastes and help filling up after a nice stroll along the beach. The weather is ideal starting from the spring all the way into October, and it is an ideal spot for flying kites or just chill in one of China’s Northern coast most gracious spots.
Definitely a must see, the Old Dragon’s Head can be a pleasant day trip from Beijing, offering a different view of Northern China outside the hustle of city life, and back into a secluded corner of history and nature. Try it out, you won’t regret!
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