The first Great Wall of China trek

In May1984, three friends starting trekking along the Great Wall of China. It took 508 days for them to complete and they became the first people to do it.

They finally reached their destination at the Jiayu Pass on 24 September 1985, having documented the condition of the wall every step of the way.

The men became national heroes, as the press followed their progress. Dong Yaohui spoke to Rebecca Kesby in 2017 about the inspiration for their journey.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

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(Photo: Dong Yaohui, Wu Deyu and Zhang Yuanhua. Credit: Dong Yaohui)

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