The best place near to the city is the
Overhanging Great Wall, a section of both comfortable
flat and tiringly oblique surfaces, a mere 8 kilometers
from the city center. For those really interested, there
is also a Great Wall Museum in town that provides a
fairly comprehensive look at the history and development
of the wall through pictures and documents, unfortunately
all in Chinese. This is still a good way to get a look
at the town, with some great views to be had from the
roof of the museum.
Built in 1539, this is as far northwest
as the Wall goes. Farmers were putting the masonry to
better use before this section of the Wall was restored
in 1988. It's a sweaty 20-minute climb into the desolate
Hei Shan (Black Mountains) as the Wall rises at a 45-degree
angle for 500m (550 yd.). Chinese tourists arrange stones
into the equivalent of "John loves Mary."
Farms in the village below are a small finger of green
in an immense desert. This section is 8km (5 miles)
north of the fort, and can be reached by taxi or bike.
Take plenty of water.
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