Originally shared on Instagram on December 3, 2025. Photography and story by Mark Middleton.
In 2014, I found myself in China, learning how to navigate Beijing’s subway system in a language I barely spoke and exploring one of the largest cities on earth without getting lost. At the little hostel where I stayed, the owner encouraged me to take a multi-day hike across one of the most remote, untouched stretches of the Great Wall of China. Camping on the Wall is technically illegal, but he assured me that out there—far beyond the tour buses and crowds—there was nothing but mountains, silence, and history.
So I packed my sleeping bag, tent, food, and camera gear into my pack and set out. Hours from Beijing, the Wall becomes wild. Some sections crumble into the earth, forcing you to leave the wall behind and trek miles through dense woods before climbing back up onto its ancient backbone.
On one of those detours, I stumbled upon an abandoned home with newspapers scattered across the floor—dated in the 1920s. It was like stepping into a time capsule no one had touched in nearly a century. I spent almost an hour photographing every detail, feeling the weight of history settle into the room with me.
That night, miles from anyone, I pitched my tent on a lonely tower in the wall. The wilderness was louder than I expected, and despite how tough I may seem, I had to reach deep for the courage to be alone in a foreign country, on a wall built thousands of years before me, under a sky filled with nothing but stars.
Near midnight, I heard footsteps outside my tent. My heart stopped. When I finally stepped out, two photographers stood there with tripods and headlamps, hoping to capture the constellations. Their English was broken, my Chinese nonexistent, but photography is its own language. We spent part of the night shooting the sky together, three strangers sharing the same moment on the Great Wall.
It remains one of the greatest adventures of my life—unexpected, challenging, humbling, and unforgettable.
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