CHINA ADVENTURE CLUB JOURNEYS

WildBeijing Experience: Journey to the West

Starts inBeijing

Season / departureAny Day

YOUR JOURNEY

Route Map

Explore the routeOpen route in Google Maps

Select a route section to explore the map. Tap a stop for its location or use the directions link for the next leg. Flights, trains, cruises and hiking arrangements follow your itinerary.

The historical marvels of central Beijing justifiably get all the attention, but the city’s lesser explored outskirts are themselves steeped in the region’s history. So come with us as we sweep you off to Beijing’s western hills, to the tracks of the first Chinese built railway and a forgotten ancient trade route, all of which tell their own chapter of the capital’s remarkable tale.

About this Experience

Beijing is best known for its long history, exemplified by a litany of imperial sites from the Forbidden City to the Temple of Heaven that coalesce around the ancient center. Few people realize, however, that Beijing’s suburbs are an equally wonderful place to look for the city’s storied past. During this journey, we’ll walk part of the Jingzhang Railway, whose tracks date back to 1905 and which once bore coal aboard China’s first steam trains to power the nation’s entry into the industrial age. We’ll also hike the Jingxi Ancient Trail, a 13th-century Yuan Dynasty trade route which offers bird’s eye views of the Yongding River, followed by a visit to the area’s villages and the nearby Fahai Temple, our final destination, wherein lie some of the best-preserved murals of the Ming Dynasty.

Tour Highlights

Hiking the little known Jingxi trade route with thoughts of Yuan Dynasty merchants never far away
Treading the tracks of the first Chinese-built railway
Admiring some of the best-preserved Ming Dynasty murals anywhere in China

The day offers a complementary mixture of natural and historical sites accessible via easy-to-moderate hiking terrain, all below 1000 meters.