Last week, the whole family hiked one of the roads on the Jingxi Ancient Road, which is the section from Wang Ping to Quanmen, with the original intention of strengthening their bodies and strengthening their immunity. We took the No. 929 bus from Pingguoyuan Subway Station, got off at Wangping Village, went west across the bridge hole, and then walked along the road towards Nanjian Village.
After walking for about 20 minutes, I came to a corner on the side of the road, where several cars were parked. Many people walked down with plastic buckets, and some people walked up with plastic buckets filled with spring water. Go down the dirt road and enter the walking distance.
The people who received the spring water they met on the way said that the spring water can be drunk directly
The mountains in the west of Beijing are part of the Taihang Mountains and constitute the barrier to the west of Beijing. The roads between the mountains are the arteries connecting Beijing with Shanxi and Mongolia. It is hard to tell where it started, but these mountain paths all over the mountains connect Beijing, the Loess Plateau, and the Mongolian Plateau, and become a channel for business and cultural exchanges between various ethnic groups in various regions.
The Jingxi Ancient Road is not a road, but a collective name for many ancient roads all over the mountainous area of Jingxi. What were these ancient roads used for in the first place? The main uses are as follows:
One is to transport coal and timber produced in the western mountainous areas to the capital. According to the "Analysis of Jin Zhi", coal was prevalent in the metropolis of the Yuan Dynasty for heating, so camels and horses pulling coal and cargo came and went between Xishan and the capital in groups.
The second is commerce. At that time, in addition to water transportation, there were also land routes, namely Shanhaiguan and Gubeikou, which were connected to the northeast; Juyongguan, which was connected to Shanxi and Mongolia, and Tianjinguan, the ancient road to the west of Beijing. It is said that when the Jingxi Ancient Road was busy, thousands of camels, mules and horses walked on the road every day, which shows the prosperity at that time.
The third is the way of burning incense and worshiping Buddha. In the mountainous area in the west of Beijing, there are Tanzhe Temple and Jietan Temple, the thousand-year-old temples, as well as the famous Miaofeng Mountain Temple Fair. In ancient times, dignitaries and ordinary people flocked to this place, which became the most lively place for activities in Beijing. When there are more people walking, the road will be stepped on.
To sum up, the Jingxi Ancient Road is like a big tree full of branches, closely connecting Beijing with the outside world.
Waterfall in Wangping Section of Jingxi Ancient Road
It seems that professional hikers call this section of Huagou. As for why it is called so, we don't know. This year, there is abundant rain in Beijing, so there are small bridges flowing all the way, streams gurgling, and waterfalls in the mountain streams one after another. It’s so beautiful in winter, so it must be even more beautiful in summer!
Waterfall in Wangping Section of Jingxi Ancient Road
The small bridge and flowing water in the Wangping section of the Jingxi Ancient Road
walking on the trail
Our equipment is one trekking pole per person, one bag per person, and two bottles of water and some food in each bag. I brought a total of three bottles of functional sports drinks. In addition, I carried hot water in a large thermos cup and hot coffee in a thermos cup, which can refresh my mind when I am tired. The whole family is wearing windproof and waterproof jackets and sneakers.
Before walking, I made a strategy on an APP called "Six Feet". Some bloggers were very responsible, wrote detailed routes, and took photos at every key point to give us guidance. This gave us this kind of " Free and easy "walking families provided great help. This ancient trail is a simple one among the hiking trails. However, considering the age of the parents, safety comes first. Walk slowly when you are tired, and don’t use brute force blindly.
In fact, when we were walking on the ancient road, from time to time we saw ribbons of different colors tied to the branches on both sides of the road. When we looked carefully, we found that these were marks made by various outdoor sports groups to guide the passers-by on the road. . These help, no doubt also give us reassurance.
In the first half of the journey, the river is gurgling all the way
The reflection on the water is very beautiful
The scenery along the way is good, stop and go, take pictures. But looking at the photos posted by friends in the circle of friends, the visibility in the urban area is very low due to the fog, but where we walk, the sun is shining and the river is gurgling. Feeling lucky, I met a good weather.
Xishan Mountains
After walking for two hours, we saw a round table for passers-by to rest by the river, and we had a picnic here. Considering that the field is still relatively cold in winter, I brought self-heating rice and tried to eat something warm. A box of rice with minced pork and sour beans, a box of rice with fish-flavored shredded pork, and energy-enhancing chocolate and bananas.
When eating, look around the environment, there should be a village here before, but now it is deserted. In fact, we felt that we passed through several deserted villages on this trip. Presumably, during the prosperity of the past, merchants and horse teams here came and went, and there must have been many post stations on the way for these merchants to rest and rectify.
Ancient beacon smoke, busy commercial roads, fortification and frontier defense, and countless legendary stories are scattered on both sides of the ancient road. The changes of the times and the footsteps of history are also submerged on this thousand-year-old road.
After we finished our meal, we took away the trash, empty boxes and peels we had generated. Only by caring for the environment, nature will endow us with beautiful scenery and let future generations continue to enjoy it.
Not long after lunch, there is another waterfall. Next to this waterfall is the first cliff ropeway.
waterfall by the cliff
first cliff lift
My father and I thought it was okay, but my mother seemed a little scared, but she was brave and worked hard, and crawled over carefully. This ropeway looks difficult, but it’s actually not bad. It’s mainly short and has a lot of steps. In addition, there are iron chains and iron handrails driven into the stone, which is relatively safe. My parents walk and exercise in various parks and country parks near my home all the year round, with an average of more than 10,000 steps a day, so my physical fitness is relatively good.
In front of this stone step is the cableway of the second cliff
After climbing over the first cliff, it didn't take long to reach the second cliff. This one looks steeper than the previous one. During our hike, we met 4 middle-aged people, two men and two women. They returned from the second cliff and stopped going forward.
The second cliff seems to be 90 degrees, but it is not. There is a feeling that a road has been carved out of the cliff. I saw photos of hikers climbing with bare hands without chains on the Internet before, and I feel that they are really amazing. Now thanks to the handrails and iron chains, otherwise I would not dare to climb. With iron chains and a lot of stones that can be stepped on in the middle, it is also very smooth to climb over.
Here I would like to praise the two elders in their 60s, who also climbed over. However, I still want to remind latecomers here that they must do what they can. If you are unwell, have bad legs and feet, or have a fear of heights, don't force yourself. Physical fitness does not come at the cost of sacrificing life, and safety always comes first.
old father and old mother
The old mother who climbed to the top
mother waving after climbing up
After turning over the cliff, there is a flat stone road behind, which is relatively easy. I heard that there is plenty of rain this year. This summer, a section of the road ahead was flooded, and many hikers couldn't make it through. By the time we passed by, the water had receded.
The visibility in the mountains is very good, I forgot where I was, and I can see the radar station on the top of the mountain in the distance.
Let's go, I feel a little tired this time
go hard
keep walking
Finally, we came to a sign telling us that Huangshigang Village is on the left and Tanwang Road is on the right. According to the plan, we took a small road in Huangshigang Village, passed a chicken factory, and climbed all the way up. This road is not easy to walk. First, it feels dirty, wild, broken, and desolate. I have no idea, and I am especially afraid of going wrong. The second is that they are all trails up the mountain, with a lot of gravel, and people who walk are tired. Fortunately, on this road, there are ribbon signs tied by outdoor sportsmen along the way, proving that this road is correct. So the three of us gritted our teeth, worked together, walked up the road, and finally saw Fengkou Temple.
Mine Kouan
The Guancheng built at the pass of Anshan Mountain in Fengkou still exists today. On the west side of Guancheng is a flat land, which is the ruins of Fengkou Temple and Mawang Temple. Mawang is the god in charge of large livestock, and large livestock is the main means of transportation in mountainous areas. Therefore, there are many temples of Mawang in the mountainous areas in the west of Beijing. Fengkou Anguan City was originally a tax collection point on the ancient road. In order to ensure the coal supply in the capital, the government specially stipulated that coal transportation tax should be exempted.
Not far from Fengkou nunnery is the hooves. They are not in the same direction. If you go straight ahead in the direction of the hooves, you will find Tanzhe Temple. We met a young man in red here, and he said that the route he walked on foot was: Quanmen—Tanzhe Temple—Fengkou Nunnery—Quanmen. It's amazing!
hooves
hooves
How did the hooves on the ancient road come about? Is it true that such hooves will be trampled out by the animals used for carrying on the stone road? With doubts, I checked the Internet, and professionals wrote: "If only the horniness of mules or donkeys is trampled on, it will only leave hoof holes on the soil road, and it is difficult to wear out the dolomitic limestone. Obvious sliding grooves and deep pits. Many people may not know that all mules, horses, donkeys, and cattle that work long distances must be hung with iron palms to avoid excessive wear and tear on the hooves of livestock. In the 1980s In the past, there were horse-drawn carts and pack animals everywhere in the northern countryside, and even livestock that were just farming needed to hang their palms. Among them, cattle had two double palms, while donkeys, horses and mules had semi-circular iron palms.”
With such an explanation, I understand.
Hoof nest taken from another angle
After we finished watching the hoof nest, we returned to the road at Fengkou Nunnery. Walking past, the road began to turn into a wide stone road that spirals downwards. This road is also called a ladder. I feel that it is not easy to walk. It is uncomfortable and harder than the ancient road.
old father
old mother
After walking for a long time, I finally came to the road down the mountain. Go on and pass Lala Lake. At this time, if you continue to walk along the road to the circle gate, it will take nearly three hours. Under the leadership of our father, we hiked across the ravine and passed through the ravine, saving more than an hour of time. I also saw many ribbons tied by outdoor sportsmen in the ditch, it seems that our choice is right.
Coming up from the ravine, I saw several hikers climbing another famous ladder, which was a series of stone steps carved out of a large stone wall without chains. I heard from local villagers that it is slippery. Since we came across the ravine, we didn't risk climbing down this ladder.
down to see the ladder
Ladder
It takes 56 minutes to walk from this ladder to the Quanmen archway. On the way, we pass Tianfuqiao Village, and there is a place called "Guoyan Mountain Villa". There are homestays, meeting rooms, and outdoor expansion. Affected by the epidemic, it feels desolate right now. The street lights came on and the sky gradually darkened. We kept our heads on the road and didn't take a good look at the scenery on both sides. Finally at 5:00 p.m., I arrived at the bus stop in front of the gate archway.
This way, we successfully completed the whole journey from Wang Ping to Quanmen Archway. This is not an impromptu trip, according to the plan, I saw everything I wanted to see, and overall it was relaxing and enjoyable.
