About 60 km from the edge of the city, we drove into the moutains and found the section of the Great Wall closest to Beijing. We drove past a few sections before stopping at the Badaling section. The part of the wall at Badaling allows visitors to access the wall from the samll town and it is a section most commonly visited by US Presidents when they come to China.
The wall already existed in smaller sections built by the northern kingdoms during the Warring States Period, but the sections were linked together by Qin Shihaugdi when he united China under one kingdom. The wall was renovated to replace the earthen bricks of the walkways with granite bricks by the Ming Dynasty in the 1400s. The brick walkway now has dips within the bricks to make concave brick tops which made walking a the wall a slow and uneven process.
Add to the uneven ground the fact that it was Sunday and we found a slow moving and VERY CROWDED wall!! The entire walkway was filled with people and from a distance, it was impossible to see the brick walkways. Instead, you saw a mass of colors moving like a river along the top of the wall. There were two paths that could be taken, one from each direction of the entrance to the wall. The "hard way" was shorter, but required steep steps that were also deep without the use of railings. The "easy way" required fewer steps, but had steep inclines with the dipping stones. Laura and I walked the "easy way" which I put in quotes because even that was not necessarily easy!! :)
After taking a group photo at the top of the wall and receiving a certificate that we had climbed the Great Wall, we walked along the top of the wall the length of between three towers. I was able to get quite a few photos of the area, but the mass of people became overwhleming and we slowly made our way down the wall.
I can't believe I climbed the Great Wall of China!! So . . . . I bought the t-shirt! :)
After you climbing expedition, we traveled to a jade factory where they make jewlry and even made the jade portion of the Olympic Medals in 2008. It appears to be a very slow and careful process.
In the afternoon, we visited the Sacred Way portion of the Ming Dynasty emperors' tombs. The tombs are not opened or excatavated out of respect for their ancestors, but the Sacred Way is a walkway that "protects" the entrance to the tombs. The Way starts with a Tablet House that contains a dragon headed and turtled tailed creature that is meant to bring good luck and health if touched, so we touched it! :)
Each side of the Way contains statues of animals and people that are meant to protect the tombs - lions for courage, mythical creatures for luck and prosperity, horse and camels for transportation, soldiers for protections, civil officials for administration, and ministers of merit to advise the emperors in the next life. The nearly one mile walk was shaded on each side by willow trees. It was quite lovely.
In the evening, we attended a brief Beijing Opera after being served Beijing Duck for dinner. The duck was alright - not my favorite. The opera was 10% sinding, 5% dialogue, and 85% mime and acrobatics. It was an experience! There are few props and no scenery, it was all mimed. I had expected more singing, but I am glad that I attended the show.
Next up - The Forbidden City and a Beijing city tour!
The wall already existed in smaller sections built by the northern kingdoms during the Warring States Period, but the sections were linked together by Qin Shihaugdi when he united China under one kingdom. The wall was renovated to replace the earthen bricks of the walkways with granite bricks by the Ming Dynasty in the 1400s. The brick walkway now has dips within the bricks to make concave brick tops which made walking a the wall a slow and uneven process.
Add to the uneven ground the fact that it was Sunday and we found a slow moving and VERY CROWDED wall!! The entire walkway was filled with people and from a distance, it was impossible to see the brick walkways. Instead, you saw a mass of colors moving like a river along the top of the wall. There were two paths that could be taken, one from each direction of the entrance to the wall. The "hard way" was shorter, but required steep steps that were also deep without the use of railings. The "easy way" required fewer steps, but had steep inclines with the dipping stones. Laura and I walked the "easy way" which I put in quotes because even that was not necessarily easy!! :)
After taking a group photo at the top of the wall and receiving a certificate that we had climbed the Great Wall, we walked along the top of the wall the length of between three towers. I was able to get quite a few photos of the area, but the mass of people became overwhleming and we slowly made our way down the wall.
I can't believe I climbed the Great Wall of China!! So . . . . I bought the t-shirt! :)
After you climbing expedition, we traveled to a jade factory where they make jewlry and even made the jade portion of the Olympic Medals in 2008. It appears to be a very slow and careful process.
In the afternoon, we visited the Sacred Way portion of the Ming Dynasty emperors' tombs. The tombs are not opened or excatavated out of respect for their ancestors, but the Sacred Way is a walkway that "protects" the entrance to the tombs. The Way starts with a Tablet House that contains a dragon headed and turtled tailed creature that is meant to bring good luck and health if touched, so we touched it! :)
Each side of the Way contains statues of animals and people that are meant to protect the tombs - lions for courage, mythical creatures for luck and prosperity, horse and camels for transportation, soldiers for protections, civil officials for administration, and ministers of merit to advise the emperors in the next life. The nearly one mile walk was shaded on each side by willow trees. It was quite lovely.
In the evening, we attended a brief Beijing Opera after being served Beijing Duck for dinner. The duck was alright - not my favorite. The opera was 10% sinding, 5% dialogue, and 85% mime and acrobatics. It was an experience! There are few props and no scenery, it was all mimed. I had expected more singing, but I am glad that I attended the show.
Next up - The Forbidden City and a Beijing city tour!
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