Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Pass

Today is the second day on our 5-day Great Wall Tour. One important hiking plan this morning is to cross Zhuang Dao Kou Great Wall Pass (Archway)) from Zhuang Dao Kou Village to Er Dao Guan Village.

Hike from Zhuangdao Kou Village to Er Dao Guan Village

Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Pass is located on the mountain sandwiched by Zhuang Dao Kou Village down in the south and Er Dao Guan Village up in the north.

So to walk through the Zhuagdaokou Great Wall Pass, we are required to hike south from Zhuang Dao Kou Village, climb up to the mountain valley, pass through the Great Wall through the gateway (Zhuang Dao Kou Pass), then continue to trek on the mountain north of the Great Wall, before we reach Er Dao Guan Village down the mountain.

The walk from Zhuangdao Kou Village to Er Dao Guan Village through the Great Wall pass takes approx. 1 and half hours.

Zhuangdaokou Great Wall

Zhuangdaokou Great Wall spanning between Zhuang Dao Kou Village and Er Dao Guan Village is actually part of Huanghuacheng Great Wall. Zhuang Dao Kou Village is located directly at the foot of the Zhuang Dao Kou Pass of the Great Wall, hence the name of Zhuang Dao Kou Village.

Er Dao Guan Village literally means “Second Great Wall Pass Village”. It is located at the foot of the ancient pass of the second Great Wall paralleling the Huanghuacheng Great Wall to the north. The second Great Wall was built aimed at increasing the defence power of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall in Ming Dynasty.

Accompanied by my co-worker Xiao Hao, I started the maiden hiking trip. We reached the entrance to Zhuang Dao Kou Village at 10:00am. A huge signboard stands at the fork indicating the road to the village on the right side.

Through Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Pass

Walking along the dirt path in the village. Zhuangdaokou Village is under the jurisdiction of Jiudu Town of Huairou District, Beijing. Now it has 110 households with 305 villagers.

Passing through the village, we soon found the route up to the Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Passt. It was an unpaved train, dusty, sandy and stony.

On the way up to the Zhuangdaokou Great Wall Pass, happened an interesting thing that a village dog swaggered following us. Village dogs are often seen running about the roads or streets in the villages, receiving less affection than their urban counterparts.

We tried to forget the dog, speeding ours steps marching towards the pass. Twenty minutes later, the Zhuang Dao Kou Great Wall Pass is in sight. You can easily walk up the Great Wall on the right side if you are interested in the Great Wall hiking.

To our pleasant surprise, the dog is still following us despite of the snow mountain road. What a poor dog!

Then, next happened an unbelievable thing! The dog jumped up to a soil mound and posed in front of us like a film star with the Zhuangdaokou Great Wall as a backdrop! I have no time to waste shooting him!

We continue to walk along the muddy trail leading to Er dao Guan Village. Over one hour’s hike, we spot the signal tower and we know the Er Dao Guan Village is below the tower. We are happy that our crossing this time is close to success!

The dog is still with us. This time he is guiding us the way to the village. It seems the dog is quite familiar to this area.

Soon we are walking close to an archway, which leads to the heart of Er Dao Guan Village. The dog has successfully finished his hiking too!

This is Er Dao Guan Village – our hiking destination. So, where is the Dog? And what’s his future destiny?

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for Beijing guided tours:

Further Readings