British brothers hike Great Wall to follow in father's footsteps

British brothers James and Thomas Lindesay have spent months this year traversing the Great Wall of China on foot.

The pair set off from the Jiayuguan Pass in northwest China's Gansu Province on July 15, 2022. It took the two, aged 28 and 21, 131 days of running and walking along the main west-to-east length of the heritage site to reach the Shanhaiguan Pass, where the structure meets the sea, on Nov. 22 last year. Their Great Wall journey covered 3,263 kilometers.

Their desire to complete this adventure was inherited from their father, William Lindesay, who made his own journey along the wall 35 years ago.

William was born in 1956 in Liverpool, and he became enamored with the Great Wall later in his life. In 1987, he made headlines by spending 78 days walking the wall across northern China. After his trek, he married a Chinese woman and settled in Beijing.

Villagers living at the foot of the heritage site often see the tall, silver-haired foreigner collecting garbage along the Wall. He has devoted more than 30 years of his life to visiting, studying and protecting the structure, and has authored 10 books on the Great Wall and hosted discussions on the degradation of the heritage site's environment.

His work influenced his two sons, who now share his interest in the Great Wall. As children, they spent the majority of their weekends walking and photographing the wall, discussing the site, and collecting garbage from its steps.

"We are Wallnuts," Thomas said of his family.

In 2016, the Lindesay brothers flew drones at many locations along the Great Wall. They compiled a portfolio of video works on heritage protection, some of which were broadcast on the BBC and Chinese state media.

Not satisfied with merely documenting sections of the wall, the young brothers sought a new way to experience the site and follow in their father's footsteps, setting their sights on hiking its length.

Thanks to extensive physical training, the brothers ran 30 to 40 kilometers per day. Compared to their father's journey 35 years ago, their trip was aided by more advanced tools, such as tracking apps, GPS watches and digital maps. They hired two support vehicles and drivers to ensure their food supply.