Race Across the World is back, baby! This time, five new teams are embarking on a mahoosive 14,000-kilometre journey across three countries and we’re following them each week through tears, tasty food, and totally-shouldn’t-have-spent-that-much-money-on-that-taxi. 

On a shoe-string budget of just £1000 (!) they’ll be making their way to the finishing line to claim a £20,000 jackpot. As they head from A to B, C, and D, we’ll be catching up each week with where they went, giving you some tips on what you could get up to there and how to get around in prep for your own Race Across the World adventure…

This year, Race Across the World stretches across three countries, from the Great Wall of China to Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, with stops in Nepal along the way.

The Great Wall of China

Huanghuacheng, 80km north of Beijing

It all starts on this tiny little jumble of bricks you’ve probably never even heard of – The Great Wall of China.

Specifically, the part of the wall (because it’s actually a very long wall – just over 13,000 miles long, to be sort of exact) that overlooks the small but beautiful village of Huanghuacheng, 49 miles north of Beijing.

Anyway, the Great Wall of China. Not just a wall, but the wall. The Beyoncé of fortifications. It snakes, it climbs, it dives through mountains and valleys like a stone dragon with a serious work ethic. Built, rebuilt, and added onto over centuries – from as early as the 7th century BC all the way into the 17th century AD – it’s not one single wall, but a whole chaotic family of walls, watchtowers, and fortresses made by various dynasties trying to keep out invaders, mostly from the north – think Mongols, Xiongnu, and other steppe nomads who really knew how to throw a horseback party.

The Qin Dynasty, under Emperor Qin Shi Huang (you know, the Terracotta Army guy), is infamous for kicking off the mega-wall version. But the Ming Dynasty (14th–17th century) gets the most architectural credit. They’re the ones responsible for the sturdier, brick-and-stone version that’s photogenic enough to show off on Instagram.

If you’re wondering what it’s like to take on this colossal landmark, imagine hiking along ridgelines where the earth rolls like a sea frozen mid-storm. The wall rises and falls with the terrain; some parts are pristine, lovingly restored and complete with snack vendors and cable cars. Others are crumbling, overtaken by nature and solitude. Mutianyu is popular and polished. Jiankou is wild and weathered. The Huanghuacheng section? Well, if the Wall were a mixtape of China’s greatest hits, Huanghuacheng would be that soulful, underrated B-side that your well-travelled mate swears is better than the commercial stuff.

The name Huanghuacheng literally means “Yellow Flower City,” named for the sea of wild yellow flowers that bloom here in the summer. This section of the wall is not for the faint-hearted or the flip-flop-wearing, with a mix of rugged and restored, where you’ll be clambering over wild, overgrown stone in some areas, and striding confidently on well-preserved paths in others. Then there’s the steep staircases that’ll make your legs question your life choices.

The real flex of Huanghuacheng? It’s one of the only parts of the Great Wall that’s been partially submerged in water. After a dam was built in the mid-20th century, a reservoir formed, and now the Wall here dips right into the lake like it’s testing the temperature before going for a swim.

How to get from The Great Wall to Beijing

But enough about that, when not gawping at the Wall, this year’s Race Across the World contestants will (or should) be mapping out how to get from this quaint village to the not-so-quaint skyscrapers of Beijing, China’s capital city.

Wondering just how you could do it yourself? Here’s some pointers to get you started.

By taxi (the easy route)

Beijing’s not actually too far from this section of the wall, just under 2 hours by car, so if you’re feeling flush you could always just opt for a taxi. Didi is China’s version of Uber, and they also have an English app, which is handy. The snag? Being one of the quieter sections of the wall, it could be trickier linking up with a driver than in one of the more popular spots.

By bus + subway (the scenic/more argument-inducing route)

If you like a bit of DIY and don’t mind some transfers, this is actually kind of fun and gives you some real-deal local travel flavour, which is what Race Across the World is all about.

First you’ll need to get a local taxi (or catch a ride), and ask for Huairou Urban Area. Once there, you’ll take the Bus 916 Express to Dongzhimen Bus Hub in Beijing – it’ll take about an hour and a half. The bus hub connects to Beijing Subway Line 2, and from there it’s easy peasy to reach anywhere in the capital.

This next port of call for this year’s Race Across the World contestants will be Beijing. China’s capital and twice the size of London, it’ll be a bit of a culture (and sound) shock.

Let’s start with the obvious: Beijing is ancient. Like, 3,000-years-old kind of ancient. It became China’s capital during the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century, and it’s been the heart of the empire (and now the republic) ever since. At its literal and symbolic center is the Forbidden City, a sprawling complex of golden roofs and crimson walls where emperors once brooded over matters of state. Step outside, and you’re in Tiananmen Square, the largest public square on earth and witness to some of history’s most important events.

But beyond that, Beijing is one of those classic examples of the cliche ‘a city of contrasts’ – one moment, you’re wandering through a hutong – charming, narrow alleyways lined with grey brick courtyards and grandmas airing laundry on bamboo poles – the next, you’re staring up at the CCTV Tower, which looks like an alien’s paperclip bent into a gravity-defying shape. It’s skyscrapers vs teahouses. Electric scooters zipping past ancient temples. A temple bell echoing while someone in streetwear films a TikTok. That sort of thing.

Beijing’s must-dos

Wander the Forbidden City

This is the crown jewel of imperial China. With nearly 1,000 buildings and centuries of drama, it’s like walking into a soap opera scripted by Confucius. Don’t rush – give it at least 2–3 hours (or a lifetime if you’re into tiny ceramic roof guardians).

Bonus points for: Climb up Jingshan Park just north of the Forbidden City afterward for a killer panoramic view.

Drift through the Summer Palace 

A lakeside imperial retreat that feels like a watercolor painting come to life, you can stroll the Long Corridor, a 728-meter walkway filled with detailed paintings, or rent a paddle boat on Kunming Lake and float like an emperor escaping court drama.

Bonus points for: Climbing Longevity Hill for views so pretty they’ll break your heart a little.

Catch a show or… karaoke?

Try Peking Opera at Liyuan Theatre for traditional, dramatic performances, with lots of painted faces and falsetto. Or… do karaoke in a KTV palace with velvet couches and dramatic lighting.

Bonus points for: Doing Celine Dion in Mandarin.

Find cheap flights to Beijing

The first checkpoint for the contestants of this year’s Race Across the World? That’ll be Huangling. If you’ve ever seen photos of an ancient village blanketed in bamboo trays of bright red chilies, golden corn, and sun-drying herbs laid out like edible confetti — that’s Huangling, baby.

A 500+ year-old village perched high in the mountains of Wuyuan County, in Jiangxi Province, southeastern China, picture misty hills, terraced fields, and wooden houses clinging to cliffs like they’re afraid of missing the view. If you go in late summer or early autumn, the entire village transforms into an open-air drying rack for chili peppers, corn, soybeans, chrysanthemum flowers, and other crops. Locals arrange them in bamboo baskets on rooftops and balconies in colourful spirals.

It’s not all tradition around here though – there’s a cliffside glass skywalk that gives you wild panoramic views of the valley below, a cable car that floats you above the patchwork of green rice paddies and flower fields, and even a suspension bridge that sways just enough to make your heart flutter like a Chinese love poem.

How to get from Beijing to Huangling

Part of the fun of watching Race Across the World is seeing (and/or judging) the routes contestants decide to take to get from point A to B. Will they be adventurous and take the awkward but scenic way? Or will they blow the budget like a fool on the first day with a direct ride on one of China’s so-called ‘G Trains’, AKA bullet trains ( we can’t decide which name is better).

By direct high-speed train + bus (say hello to Shanghai!)

First you’ll hop on one of those G Trains from Beijing South Railway Station for a 6-8 hour ride (depending on the exact route) to Wuyuan Railway Station. You can do this direct, or you can catch one with transfers at Nanchang or Huangshan. Dealer’s choice.

From there you can take a taxi right from the station or catch a local bus from Wuyaan Bus Station to Huangling itself. The last stretch is beautiful – misty hills, sleepy villages, terraced fields. Try to travel during daylight to soak it in.

Oh, did someone say Shanghai? The direct train route from Beijing to Wuyuan runs along the coast and stops at Shanghai, so you could always hop off for a quick nosey. Could be tricky though, what with it being even bigger than Beijing! Yikes.

By less direct high-speed train (the inland odyssey version) 

You could DIY this your own way, stopping off at whatever cities you fancy along the way, but here’s an itinerary to get the juices flowing.

First, take a G Train to Kaifeng or Luoyang in about 4-5 hours. Both are ancient capitals, with Kaifeng all about imperial nostalgia and lakeside temples, and Luoyang home to the Longmen Grottoes (epic Buddhist cave carvings) and springtime peony festivals.

Drift south on another G Train to either Wuhan or Nanchang in 4-6 hours. Wuhan is big, but the Yellow Crane Tower, spicy hot dry noodles, and the mighty Yangtze say hello. Nanchang, meanwhile, is a gateway to Jiangxi Province, close to Lushan Mountain and Tengwang Pavilion.

Now you’re in striking range. This leg feels like you’re leaving modern China behind and slipping into a hand-painted scroll. From Wuhan or Nanchang, take your final G Train to Wuyuan in about 2 hours, and from there it’s a taxi or local bus to Huangling.

The speediest route? Flying (shhh!)

If you really want to shave off time (and aren’t on a shoe-string budget like the contestants of Race Across the World) then you could always just catch a flight from Beijing to a nearby airport.

You could fly into Jingdezhen Airport (JDZ) – the porcelain capital of China, and about 1.5 hrs from Wuyuan, Huangshan (Tunxi) Airport – famous for the Yellow Mountains and just a couple hours from Wuyuan, or Nanchang Changbei International Airport – the capital of Jiangxi Province and about 3 hours from Wuyuan.

Fancy trying your own Race Across the World? Get started with cheap flights to China