A good place to see some raw sections of the Great Wall is little-visited Déshèngbǎo, a 16th-century walled fort almost on the border with Inner Mongolia that is now a small farming village. The fort’s north and south gates are still standing, as are parts of its walls. Walk through the village (many of its houses are built out of Great Wall bricks) to the north gate and beyond it you’ll see wild wall, 10m-high sections of it.
To get here, get a minisbus to Fēngzhèn (丰镇; ¥18, one hour) from beside Tónghé Dàfàndiàn opposite Dàtóng's train station. The bus will drop you at the turn-off for Déshèngbǎo, from where it’s a 1km walk to the south gate. Heading back, return to the highway and flag down any Dàtóng-bound bus.
