Welcome to Chenjiapu


Great Wall Fresh is a restaurant, guest house and Chinese country home in Chenjiapu, a peaceful village beside a ramshackle stretch of the Great Wall.

Although just over an hour from Beijing, it is rarely visited by tourists – you can hike undisturbed along the wall for hours and return to cold beers and a meal prepared with just picked vegetables by your hosts, the Chen family.

Great Wall Fresh is on the Chen family’s farm. Their produce, grown without pesticides or artificial fertilizers, is cooked according to simple country recipes. Rooms in the family home are basic but warm and cosy, and family members are happy to guide you over the area’s hills and through its valleys, on well planned hikes. They can also help you to get from Beijing to Chenjiapu.

CONTACT US TO RESERVE A ROOM, MEAL, OR HIKE
(+86)  1381 028 4682 (WeChat ID)

or email 8995108@qq.com (Arrival date/Pick up location /Pick up time /Departure date /Number of people /Your phone number) Please give your detailed informations. Because their English is not good.  Especially your phone number
Please note that Mr Chen does NOT speak English, Chinese only but you can email in English.
Find us on Facebook!

 

 

Chen family cooking

FOOD
Most of the food we serve is grown right on the Chen family farm, so specific meals are seasonal and subject to change. Every meal includes at least three different seasonal dishes, multiple side dishes, rice, and tea. Beer, and soft drinks aare also available.
Cost per person: RMB 50
Light breakfast: RMB 20 (free if staying overnight for RMB 50 per person)

Sample menu
HOME-GROWN POTATO AND PORK STEW -Hearty potatoes, tender pork, and garden green beans stir-fried in the Chen family’s signature sauce.
NORTHERN-STYLE “ZHAJIANG” NOODLES IN MEAT SAUCE – Fresh handmade noodles with a favorite traditional meat sauce from Northern China.
TOFU CUCUMBER SALAD- Thin strips of tofu skin tossed with crispy cucumber slices, fresh green peppers, and a light tangy dressing.
SCRAMBLED EGG AND ONION PLATTER – Fried scrambled eggs and flavorful green onions served hot.
ROASTED ALMONDS- Freshly grown, freshly roasted.
TREE-PICKED APPLES –  Crispy, flavorful. Did we say fresh from the garden?
HEBEI RADISHES – A crunchy Chen family specialty.

Drinks
Yanjing Beer RMB 5
Bottled Water RMB 2
Coffee RMB 10
Wild Honey RMB 20
Tableware RMB 1 or 2 yuan
ACCOMMODATION
Great Wall Fresh offers basic accommodation, so you won’t have to turn around and go back to the big city after a long day on the Great Wall. Seven rooms are available, one of which has a kang – a large, traditional, family-style beds that are heated during the winter. The other room is fitted with two single beds.

In summer, the rooms are very comfortable, but please bring warm clothes in the winter as the village can get very cold and the heating system is basic.
50 RMB per person per night including breakfast (May be you have to share rooms in the holiday)

 

 

TENTS

You can also use their tents to camp on The Great Wall: 100 RMB per person(Tents, sleeping bags, mats. Even if you take your own equipments, you also have to pay). (From June to October). Take the tents to the Wall:200 RMB one way one villager

 

Custom tourism

If you want to travel in China,  but you don’t want to join any travel agency. If you want to spend your weekend travelling around Beijing(Hebei, Shanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia).  They can provide transportation, guides, buying tickets and other services. Tailor travel routes and services according to your needs.

 

GREAT WALL HIKES

NO smoking on the mountains.

Forbidden Unmanned aerial vehicle

Hikes over unrestored sections of the Great Wall can be guided by a member of the Chen family.  All the Wall hikes All offer excellent views of the surrounding mountains and the chance to see native wildlife in its natural habitat. Each group can consist of no more than 6 people, all groups must travel together with the guide for the day if you choose to use a guide.

Guided Hike Price: 150 RMB per group

High tower and round tower photo

High tower and round tower

High tower and round tower / 高楼圆楼

A demanding walk for the physically fit that rewards you with one of the best views of the Chenjiapu valley and surrounding area

guided price: 200RMB

Hunchback curve

Hunchback curve / 罗锅城
Also demanding, this walk includes some of the most picturesque Wall curves and fairy-tale narrow staircases around Beijing.

Easyover photo

Easy over

Easy over / 短路
A relatively easy walk on some nice parts of the Wall that takes most visitors 3 to 4 hours.

GETTING HERE

Transportation to and from Great Wall Fresh needs to be organized at least one day in advance. When making a reservation you can specify whether you will drive yourself or arrange for the Chen family to pick you up from one of  two locations. All guests wishing to be picked up must make a reservation at least one day in advance. The Chen family van takes a maximum of 4 people one car (They have 3 cars) and can pick you up at the locations below. Please note: if you do not dine at Great Wall Fresh, 20 RMB surcharge will be added per person for transportation and for the “Great Wall Proetection fee” now levied by the village government.

Pick up by Chen Family

1. Changping XiShanKou Subway Station(昌平西山口站) on CHANGPING Line(昌平线)
The Chen family can pick you up from the Changping XiShanKou subway station on CHANGPING Line. It is the last stop. It is the easiest way for new comers or you don’t want to waste time. It takes one hour arriving  Chen family.
Prices: 
Subway: A few yuan depending on point of entry
Chen family pickup: 260 RMB one way one car if eating at Great Wall Fresh, add 20 yuan per person if no dining

2. Huilongguan Subway Station on Line 13
The Chen family can also pick you up from the Huilongguan subway station on line 13. There is only one exit. It is the easiest way for new comers or you don’t want to waste time. It takes one and a half hours arriving  Chen family.
Prices:
Subway: A few yuan depending on point of entry
Chen family pickup: 360 RMB one way one car if eating at Great Wall Fresh, add 20 yuan per person if no dining

3. Yanqing Train Station
This is the most reliable way to get to Chen family as the Beijing-Tibet highway is often jammed up. Take the S2 Train from Huangtudian Train Station to Yanqing Station(Last stop). It takes about one and a half hours.  For S2 is a tourist train, the schedule alway change. You also need to come as early as possible in weekends and holidays.
Prices:
Train: Around 6 yuan per person one way
Chen family pick up: 80 RMB one way one car if eating at Great Wall Fresh, add 20 yuan per person if no dining

4. Yanqing Bus Station
Take the 919快 (919 Express) bus from Deshengmen Bus Station to Yanqing. There is a direct express bus that has no stops between Deshengmen and Yanqing which is the best way to go. Exit the bus at Dafutuo(大浮沱). It is the third stop. It also takes one and a half hours. You can show (德胜门-大浮沱) to the driver.
Prices:
Bus ticket: 16 yuan per person one way
Chen family pickup: 80 RMB one way one car if eating at Great Wall Fresh, add 20 yuan per person if no dining

5. Airport or your Hotel

Price: According to your need. Talking about with Chen Family.

Drive yourself

1. Take the G6 also called Jingzang Expressway (京藏) and head for Badaling (note: this road used to be called Badaling Expressway 八达岭高速). You can get onto the Jingzang Expressway from the Second Ring Road at Deshengmen, or from the northern section any of the ring roads.
2. About an hour out of the city, pass the Badaling Great Wall and go through the Badaling Tunnel (八达岭隧道).
3. About 3 kilometers after the start of the Badaling  Tunnel, take Exit 62 (Yanqing City Area 延庆城区). Drive to the toll booth and pay (about 30 yuan).

Exit 62 – take this exit

4. About 200 meters after the toll booth, make a wide U-turn and get on the far right road next to the entrance toll booth to the Expressway (there’s a brown sign for “Holiday Snow”). Be careful to be on the very right on that road – it looks like a one way road, but it’s two way and there are some large trucks going at high speeds on this road.
Note that there is a “No U-turn” sign at the place where you have to u-turn. Don’t worry! You are actually making a big left turn, not technically doing a U-turn. Also, the sign has fine print specifying that it forbids trucks from U-turning. There are often police at this intersection and they will not stop you.
5. Carry on straight for a less than kilometer; when you get to a fork in the road just next to a cell phone tower, keep right (straight).
6. Just over a kilometer from the fork is a blue sign marking a turn off to the left “People’s Graveyard 人民公墓”. Take this road, and drive straight for more than 4 kilometers, past a weird villa development that looks really out of place against a mountainside, past Bangshuiyu village. When you get to a fork in the road with a military base on your right, stick right. At this fork there is a large sign to Shixia village and the road is designed to guide you that way, but you want to stick right. Shortly after the fork, the asphalt road turns to concrete, with potholes. Welcome to Hebei Province! Carry on driving until you see this:

You can see the Chen family farm on Google Maps.

LOCAL WILDLIFE

 

Butterfly on wall

A butterfly perched atop the wall

The Great Wall is home to a diverse range of animals, large as well as small. Below is a quick guide to help you spot some of the more interesting species.

Red Fox / 狐狸 (赤狐) (Vulpes vulpes)

The Red Fox adapts well to a variety of environments, including forests, semideserts, and even urban areas. They are omnivorous, subsisting mainly off of small ground mammals, but also consume snakes, insects, fruits, and vegetables.

African Hoopoe / 戴胜鸟 (Pupupa epops)

The African Hoopoe favors large expanses of open ground where it can feed using its long pointed beak. Although it can be found throughout much of China, the African Hoopoe breeds in the north and migrates south for the winter. It can be easily identified by its striking black-tipped crest and black and white wings.

Dione Ratsnake / 白条锦蛇 (没有毒)(Elaphe dione)

Also known as the Steppes Ratsnake, the Dione Ratsnake is a nonpoisonous snake in northern China. It can survive long periods without food and and is common in Beijing and the surrounding areas.

Banded Red Snake

Banded Red Snake / 紅斑蛇 (Dinodon rufozonatum)

The Banded Red Snake is one of the most widely distributed snakes in China. It is found in all of the suburban districts and counties. In the 1980s, these snakes were still being found in parks and gardens inside the Third Ring Road, even though they are nocturnal and thus difficult to spot. Perhaps because they like to lurk in old houses, all the renovation and rebuilding has caused their numbers to decline. Now they are only found in certain places, and are extinct from many areas.

Common pheasant / 山鸡(也称野鸡或雉鸡) (Phasianus colchcus)

The Common Pheasant can now be found throughout much of Europe and North America, but it was originally imported from China. Many regional races with varying plumage occur in China and they can be found in a diverse array of environments, including woodlands, scrubby open areas, and farmlands. While males are either solitary or found in small groups, females live with their own young and occasionally in groups.

 

 

Comments are closed