Bādálǐng 八达岭
Location 70km from Běijīng
Price Apr-Oct ¥40, Nov-Mar ¥35
Hours Summer 6am to 7pm, winter 7am to 6pm
The mere mention of Bādálǐng (八达岭) sends a shudder down the spine of hard-core Wall walkers, but this is the easiest part of the Wall to get to – you can even get here by train – and as such, if you are really pushed for time, this may be your only option. You’ll have to put up with huge crowds of domestic tourists, a lot of souvenir hawkers and a Wall that was completely renovated in the 1980s and so lacks a true sense of historical authenticity. But the Bādálǐng Wall is highly photogenic, as well as authentically steep, has good tourist facilities (restaurants, disabled access, cable cars etc) and can be visited on a half-day trip from Běijīng.
Běijīng’s most visited chunk of brick-clad bastion ticks all the iffy Great Wall boxes in one flourish: souvenir stalls, T-shirt flogging hawkers, restaurants, heavily restored brickwork, little authenticity, guardrails and mobs of sightseers. On the plus side, the scenery is raw and striking and the Wall, which snakes off in classic fashion into the hills, is extremely photogenic. It dates to Ming times (1368–1644), but underwent particularly heavy restoration work during the 1950s and 1980s, when it was essentially rebuilt.
There is a cable car (缆车; Lǎn Chē 1 way/return ¥80/100; h8am-4.30pm) from the bottom of the west car park, and a toboggan ride (¥80/100 one way/return; called a 'sliding car' on the signs here), which descends to the east car park. There is also disabled access. ATMs can be found in the west car park.
China Great Wall MuseumMUSEUM
(中国长城博物馆, Zhōngguó Chángchéng Bówùguǎn included with ticket to Bādálǐng section of Wall; h9am-4pm Tue-Sun; g877)
This museum offers a comprehensive history of the Wall, from its origins as an earthen embankment in the far-off Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) to the Ming-era battlements you see today. There are decent English captions and it’s a good way to get a sense of just how astonishing and extensive a structure the Wall is. The museum is just south of the east car park.
4Sleeping & Eating
Commune by the Great WallLUXURY HOTEL$$$
(长城脚下的公社, Chángchéng Jiǎoxià de Gōngshè %010 8118 1888; www.communebythegreatwall.com; r from ¥2500; aiWs)
Positioned at the Shuǐguān Great Wall off the Badaling Hwy, the Commune may have a proletarian name but the design and presentation are purely for the affluent. There is a kids club. Reservations are essential.
Ātài BāoziCHINESE$
(阿泰包子 ¥20-32; h7am-4pm)
Just up from the east car park at Bādálǐng, this place does OK dumplings, as well as rice and noodle dishes. It has a picture menu, so you can point and pick.
8Getting to Bādálǐng
Bus
The 877 (¥12, one hour, 6am to 5pm) leaves for Bādálǐng from the northern side of the Déshèngmén Gateway, about 400m east of Jīshuǐtán subway station. It goes to the east car park at Bādálǐng. From there, walk uphill a little, turn left through a covered souvenir-shop strip, then left again at the end and uphill to the ticket office, which is between two large fortified archways. Buses return to Běijīng from just south of where they drop you: you'll see the queue of people waiting for them. The last bus back leaves at 5pm (4.30pm November to March).
Taxi
Expect to pay around ¥600 to ¥700 for a round trip.
Train
Getting here by train is the cheapest and most enjoyable option. Bādálǐng train station is a short walk downhill from the west car park; come out of the train station and turn left for the Wall (about 1km).
Trains (¥6, 70 to 80 minutes) leave from Běijīng north train station, which is connected to Xīzhímén subway station, at the following times.
Tuesday to Thursday 6.12am, 8.34am, 10.57am and 12.42pm
Friday to Monday 6.12am, 7.58am, 9.02am, 10.57am and 1.14pm and 1.35pm
On your return, trains leave from Bādálǐng train station at:
Tuesday to Thursday 1.40pm, 3.08pm, 5.30pm, 7.34pm and 9.33pm
Friday to Monday 1.33pm, 3.43pm, 4.14pm, 5.30pm, 7.55pm and 9.31pm
Tiānjīn & Héběi
Tianjin & Hebei Highlights
Tianjin
Hebei
Shijiazhuang
Zhengding
Yujiacun
Chengde
Shanhiguan
Jimingyi
Tiānjīn & Héběi
Why Go?
Běijīng's breadbasket, Héběi (河北) is a slow-moving panorama of grazing sheep, brown earth and fields of corn and wheat. Cosmopolitan Tiānjīn (天津) may put on a dazzling show, but the true charms of this region are its time-worn, earthy textures and its deep-rooted historical narrative.
Héběi offers the ideal chance to disengage from Běijīng’s modernity and frantic urban tempo, and experience a more timeless China without having to travel too far. Wander through ancient settlements and walled towns, skirt the wild edges of the former Manchuria and journey to the majestic 18th-century summer retreat of the Qing emperors in Chéngdé.
There are temples to explore, rarely visited stretches of the Great Wall and remote towns and villages whose ancient rhythms and rural seclusion make them the perfect retreats for those prepared to venture slightly off the beaten track.
When to Go
AFeb It's bitterly cold, but Chinese New Year temple fairs in Zhèngdìng will warm your spirits.
AApr & May Héběi starts to thaw after the big winter freeze. Comfortable temperatures.
ASep & Oct Autumn is Héběi's most pleasant season: not too hot, not too cold.
Best Places to Eat
A Lerthai Center
A Dà Qīng Huā
A Hànná Shān Kǎoròu
Best Places to Sleep
A Qǐ Wàng Lóu
A Holiday Inn
A Děngfēnglái Youth Hostel
Tiānjīn & Héběi Highlights
1 Chéngdé Visiting the staggering collection of imperial buildings at the Qing dynasty's summer resort.
2 Zhèngdìng Exploring the remarkable, 1500-year-old Lóngxìng Temple and other ancient temples and pagodas.
3 Yújiācūn Walking the cobbled streets of this little-known Ming dynasty 'stone village'.
4 Tiānjīn Enjoying the cultural riches of the former foreign concession port.
5 Jīmíngyì Venturing off the beaten track to China’s oldest surviving postal station.
6 Shānhǎiguān Hiking the crumbling, less visited stretches of the Great Wall outside this Ming garrison town.
8Getting There & Around
Běijīng and Tiānjīn both have international airports and are the most convenient bases for exploring Héběi. Shíjiāzhuāng is also a well-connected transport hub. High-speed bullet trains will whizz you between cities, but buses are best for reaching smaller towns and villages.
Tiānjīn 天津
%022 / Pop 10.9 million
Forever being compared to Běijīng (if anything, it's more like Shànghǎi), the former foreign concession port of Tiānjīn (天津) is a large, booming, yet laid-back city, with a pleasant river promenade and some charming, European-flavoured neighbourhoods. It's an easy day trip from the capital, but you may want a long weekend to explore the city properly.
History
Tiānjīn rose to prominence as a grain-storage point during the Mongol Yuan dynasty. The city found itself at the intersection of both inland and port navigation routes, and by the 15th century the town had become a walled garrison.
During the foreign concession era, the British and French settled in, joined by the Japanese, Germans, Austro-Hungarians, Italians and Belgians between 1895 and 1900. Each concession was a self-contained world, with its own prison, school, barracks and hospital. During the Boxer Rebellion, the foreign powers levelled the walls of the old Chinese city.
In August 2015 a series of massive chemical explosio
ns – the largest was the equivalent of 430 tonnes of TNT – decimated the Tiānjīn container port, roughly 47km west of the city. In total, 173 people died and an estimated US$6 billion dollars in insurance claims have been filed. Much of the infrastructure around the port, including the western end of metro line 9, remains closed.
Central Tiānjīn
1Sights
1China HouseB4
2Confucius TempleA2
3Folk Art MuseumA1
4Former Residence of Eric LiddellC6
5Mínyuán PlazaC6
6St Joseph's ChurchA6
7Tiānhòu TempleA1
8Treaty Port AreaC4
2Activities, Courses & Tours
9Bicycle RentalC6
10Horse-Drawn CarriagesC6
4Sleeping
11Astor HotelD5
12Cloudy Bay HostelB4
13Min Yuan 33B7
14Orange HotelA3
15St Regis TiānjīnB3
16Three Brothers Youth HostelB7
5Eating
17Gǒubùlǐ (Jīntǎ branch)B4
18Gǒubùlǐ (main branch)B4
19In and OutC6
20Jīnfú LóuB6
21Shāguō LǐD7
22YY Beer HouseC6
23YY Beer House – WǔdàdàoC6
6Drinking & Nightlife
2431 CupsB7
25Le Procope LoungeB5
7Shopping
26Ancient Culture StreetA2
27Shěnyángdào Antiques MarketB4
1Sights
Tiānjīn has a growing number of first-rate cultural venues, though they are fairly spread out. Top on the list for visitors are the Wǔdàdào and Old Town neighbourhoods. The Tiānjīn Museum, though a bit far from the city centre, is also an excellent destination. Architecture buffs can stroll along Jiefang Beilu, the treaty port's former banking street.
oTiānjīn MuseumMUSEUM
(www.tjbwg.com; 62 Pingjiang Lu, 平江道62号 h9am-4.30 Tue-Sun)F
Tiānjīn's premier cultural venue, this three-floor museum has over 200,000 pieces in its collection, ranging from oracle bones and an excellent inkstone exhibit to various artefacts and documents related specifically to the city's historical development. The 3rd floor, which focuses on Tiānjīn's development as a modern city from the Opium War onward, is a highlight.
Part of a cultural complex that includes a handful of other museums, this area is located well south of the city centre. At the time of writing, the easiest way here was to take the metro to the Nanlou station (line 1) and then take a taxi (¥10). However, new lines 5 and 6 will both stop here once they are complete.
Folk Art MuseumMUSEUM
(民俗博物馆, Mínsú Bówùguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Tianhou Temple exit; h9am-4pm Tue-Sun; mDongnanjiao)F
You know all those souvenirs for sale on the Ancient Culture Street? Well, this collection of handicrafts is the real deal – historic clothing, paintings, ceramics and even an enormous abacus. It's located just past the exit of the Tianhou Temple, up a flight of stairs on your left. No English.
China HouseMUSEUM
(瓷房子, Cí Fángzi MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 72 Chifeng Dao, 赤峰道72号 ¥35; h9am-6pm)
Tiānjīn's tackiest sight by a long shot, the China House is Zhang Lianzhi's ode to both porcelain and questionable taste. Vases and mosaic-like shards are embedded in every conceivable vertical surface here, making for a truly bizarre facade. Snap your requisite selfie from the outside and move on – the interior is essentially more of the same.
Treaty Port AreaARCHITECTURE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jiefang Beilu, 解放北路 )
South of the station across Liberation Bridge was the British concession. The rebuilt riverside facade is an impressive sight at night, but walk further south along Jiefang Beilu to see original, imposing, hundred-year-old European buildings, which once housed the city's international banks. Names are posted on plaques outside each building; many still house banks today. One building of particular note is the former Qing dynasty post office ( GOOGLE MAP ; 109 Jiefang Beilu; 解放北路109号 ), which now has a historic stamp collection on display.
Mínyuán PlazaSTADIUM
(民园广场, Mínyuán Guǎngchǎng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 83 Chongqing Dao, 重庆道83号 h8.30am-6.30pm)
The centrepiece of the Wǔdàdào neighbourhood, Mínyuán Plaza was rebuilt in 2012 on the site of a 90-year-old stadium that was originally designed by former British Olympian Eric Liddell. It now functions as a giant park of sorts – you can still run laps if you want – with a visitors center, two small museums (of limited interest), and a host of cafes and restaurants.
Shi Family ResidenceHISTORIC BUILDING
(石家大院, Shí Jiā Dàyuàn 47 Yangliuqing Guyi Jie, 杨柳青估衣街47号 ¥27; h9am-5pm Apr-Oct, to 4.30pm Nov-Mar)
The marvellous Shi family residence is a vast warren of courtyards and enclosed gardens. Formerly belonging to a prosperous merchant family, the restored residence (originally built in 1875) contains a theatre and 278 rooms, some of which are furnished. It's in Yángliǔqīng suburb, 20km west of central Tiānjīn. Take bus 153 (¥2, 90 minutes) from Tiānjīn's west train station, which is on the metro. A taxi can also get you there for about ¥70 one way.
Monastery of Deep CompassionBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(大悲禅院, Dàbēi Chányuàn GOOGLE MAP ; 40 Tianwei Lu, 天纬路40号 ¥5; h9am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Mar)
Tiānjīn’s most important Buddhist temple was built in three stages from 1436 to 1734. While most of the architecture has since been rebuilt, it's a very large and active place and an enthralling place to wander. Don't miss the huge, multi-armed statue of Guanyin (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) – whose eyes seem to follow you around – standing in the Great Compassion Hall in a side courtyard. Admission includes three incense sticks; pick them up to the right of the Hall of Heavenly Kings.
The monastery is close to the Tiānjīn Eye (天津之眼; Tiānjīn Zhī Yǎn GOOGLE MAP ; Yongle Qiao; 永乐桥 adult/child ¥70/35; h9.30am-9.30pm Tue-Sun, 5-9.30pm Mon), on the east side of the river.
Tiānhòu TempleTEMPLE
(天后宫, Tiānhòu Gōng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ancient Culture Street, 古文化街 ¥10; h8.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun)
This busy temple, with its healthy mix of Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian deities, is dedicated to Tianhou (Empress of Heaven). Goddess of the sea and the protector of sailors, she is also popularly known as Mazu and Niangniang. The main hall is the Niangniang Palace, which features an effigy of Tianhou in a glass case, flanked by ferocious-looking weapons and attendant monsters.
Also look for the small Folk Art Museum, just past the temple's exit on the left and up a flight of stairs.
Guǎngdōng Guild HallHISTORIC BUILDING
(广东会馆, Guǎngdōng Huìguǎn GOOGLE MAP ; 31 Nanmenli Dajie, 南门里大街31号 ¥10; h9am-4.30pm; mGulou)
The Guǎngdōng Guild Hall (1907) is one of the few buildings of any genuine age in the Old Town. It’s a lovely courtyard complex, centered on a beautiful, ornate, wooden hall where popular Peking opera performances are held on Sunday afternoons (¥20 to ¥50, 2.30 to 4pm). Don't miss poking your head into the back courtyard, with its fading murals by the south entrance. It's opposite the Drum Tower, to the southeast.
Confucius TempleCONFUCIAN TEMPLE
(文庙, Wén Miào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 1 Dongmennei Dajie, 东门内大街1号 ¥30; h9am-4.30pm Tue-Sun; mDongnanjiao)
Tiānjīn's quiet Confucius Temple is actually a two-for-one, with the provincial temple on the east side (dating from 1436) and the county temple on the west side (dating from 1734). Although most everything has been rebuilt, the county side has some exhibits on the history and main tenets of Confucianism, all set to qín music flowing beneath the cypress trees.
St Joseph’s ChurchCHURCH
(西开天主教堂, Xīkāi Tiānzhǔ Jiàotáng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Binjiang Dao, 滨江道 h5.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat, 5am-8pm Sun)
Erected by the French in 1917, this domed
Catholic church is the largest church in Tiānjīn. Its fine brick exterior is a marked contrast to the shopping malls surrounding it; the interior is more decorative than most Chinese churches.
OLD TOWN
Originally enclosed by a wall, Tiānjīn’s reconstructed Old Town has two main tourist areas: the rebuilt Drum Tower (鼓楼; Gǔ Lóu GOOGLE MAP ; Chengxiang Zhonglu; 城厢中路 h9am-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm; mGulou), formerly the town centre; and the pedestrian Ancient Culture Street ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 古文化街; Guwenhua Jie mDongnanjiao), nearly 1km west, which is packed with souvenirs and shoppers.
2Activities
Bicycle RentalCYCLING
(租自行车, Zū Zìxíngchē MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Mínyuán Plaza, 民园广场 cycle hire per day ¥15; h8.30am-6.30pm)
The quiet, tree-lined streets of Wǔdàdào are ideal for cycling. Rent bikes for the day at the visitor center in the Mínyuán Plaza.
Horse-Drawn CarriagesTOURS
(马车, Mǎ Chē MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Minyuan Plaza, 民园广场 per person ¥80)
These horse-drawn-carriage rides offer a 25-minute tour of Wǔdàdào; they're much more of a draw for Chinese tourists, though. The horses appear to be treated fairly.
Hǎi River Boat ToursBOATING
Lonely Planet China Page 22
