I wonder how many decades will go before there is a pathway like this along the whole Great Wall? At least the hilly parts.

The descent from the top of the mountain took longer than I thought. 7 kilometres that all went downwards to the Dajing gate at the North of Zhangjiakou. The area has been built up as a park with nice paths that follow the Great Wall. Sometimes the Great Wall follows high and steep ridges and some places there is no need for a wall at all, as the cliff sides do the job just as well.

It was an impressive sight to arrive at the Northern Gate, especially as  Zhangjiakou has been at the centre of many decisive battles in the long history of China. Not far from the Northern Gate, the forces of Ghengis Khan defeated a massive army of the Jin Emperor at the battle of the Badger’s Mouth. Ghengis had 90,000 men, whilst the Jin army had around 450,000. This battle took place in 1211 before the rise of the Ming Dynasty.

I met a journalist from the Zhangjiakou newspaper and we talked together for a while before I got a ride to a guesthouse to spend the night.

7 kilometres today