Beijing Day 5 Part Two – The Great Wall

Before visiting the Great Wall, our tour group was taken to a special “ancient chinese medical center” that was really nothing more than a tourist trap. We were also taken to a “Jade Factory and Museum” that was nothing more than a giant Jade jewelry store. Everything was beautiful, and the staff was very helpful, but the items were incredibly over-priced. We didn’t buy anything.

One of the members of our tour group enjoying “free ancient Chinese medical diagnosis” – also known as a sales pitch.

Lunch was a treat – we sat at a large table with other couples in our tour group and made small talk while enjoying a buffet of sorts. The table had a lazy susan in the center, and it was covered with 15 or so different dishes. When you wanted something, you spun the lazy susan around to the dish you wanted to eat and helped yourself. Not the most sanitary way to eat with a group of strangers, but fun. It was especially entertaining to watch other people try foods for the first time – you could tell many of the people in the group were unfamiliar with Chinese foods in general, and Sara and I felt very cosmopolitan to be so familiar with the relatively tame offerings. The truth is that nothing exotic was on the table – just beef, pork, and chicken – but the presentation was “Chinese”, meaning you couldn’t tell what the hell it was until after you ate it.

The Great Wall at Badaling (one of the higher points on the wall) was overwhelming. After a full morning of crowded touring, Sara and I were looking for an opportunity to contemplate and enjoy scenery and a nice hike. Instead, we were rushed into a huge line, thrown into something resembling a roller coaster that hauled us up the hill, and then told we had 2 hours to enjoy the Great Wall with 20,000 of our closest Chinese friends. While the views were stunning and the experience was unforgettable, China would do well to open many more sections of wall (besides the 3 or 4 that are commonly visited now).

We rode this “tram” (more like a roller coaster) to get near the top of the great wall.

Despite the tram ride, the top of the wall at Badaling was still quite a ways up.

We visited the “Badaling” section of the Great Wall, which is Chinese for something similar to “signal hill.” It had a great view of the surrounding mountains and wall sections. It was good to be in a place without smog – we could actually see quite a ways. Badaling served the important purpose of a main signal relay – if and when someone on the wall spotted an invasion, Badaling was a crucial relay point for getting word of the invastion back to the Emperor. Indeed, the great wall was as much of a signal network as it was a military fortification. The wall was far enough away from the Forbidden City that the emperor had enough time to raise an army and challenge the invasion before the invaders could reach anything important.

One of the nicer views of the surrounding wall and countryside.

A closer view of more of the Great Wall nearby, partially restored.

To some of the Chinese tourists visiting the Great Wall, Sara and I were as much of a spectacle as the wall was. We were stared at, pointed at, and everything we did was watched closely. A random Chinese man even asked to have his picture taken with the two of us, much to the amusement of his close friends. While our “superstar” status raised our profile, it did little to prevent the ever-present pushing and shoving so common in Chinese crowds. I had a little old woman – who might have been 5 feel tall and weighed 90 lbs – pushing me nearly the entire time we stood in line to get back on the roller coaster that would take us down the hill. I’m not sure if it was aprehension on her part at the upcomming ride, or if she was hoping that by pushing me she could skip ahead, but she found a way to irritate Sara and I greatly. Still, it was a tiny little old woman – we had to take our lumps.

Sara and I nearing the top of the Great Wall.

Leaving the Great Wall, we felt exhausted. The steep climb, battling with the crowds, and the rush-rush-rush atmosphere of a crowded tourist attraction left us tired and ready for our hotel. Combined with the Ming Tombs earlier, we definitely got our money’s worth today.