Beijing Day Two

"There's a wall in China , and it's a thousand miles long" Actually, Paul Simon is wrong. The wall is three thousand miles long. The section we went to is just north of Beijing. We had to ride a cable car/ski lift to the base of the wall. The picture did not turn out well, but according to a sticker on its window, I rode in the cable car the President Clinton rode in in 1998. Apparently, the entire Great Wall snakes along the crest of mountains as the section does below. The mountains are a natural barrier to barbarians, and the wall simply helped to fortify this border. As you can see, it is beautiful fall and the short, scrubby trees are beginning to show color
I could not resist. I added a little more graffiti to the Great Wall. I gave a shout out to my children by scratching their names on the wall. If the Chinese government is reading this, do not worry. I used a small stone and it should wash away at the next hard rain.

This section of the wall has been rebuilt so that tourist can walk on it. The open part of the wall ends at the top of the steps below. A few members of our group made it to the top. Normally I would jump at the chance to hike up something. However, last night I suffered from a bout of Chiang Kai Shek's revenge, so I hiked to this point and snapped a picture.
It is amazing how different cultures are actually so alike. The town at the base of this section of the wall has turned itself into the "Gatlinburg of China." There was even a go-cart track a little further down the hill. Even further, there is a pottery factory outlet and plenty of resorts and pick your own fruit farms.
When we returned to Beijing, we visited the famous Temple of Heaven. It was an impressive structure built about the same time as The Forbidden City. It is also a series of gates and buildings. The structure below is where the emperor would offer sacrifices on Chinese New Year to ensure a good harvest.


In the park around the temple. There are several cedar and spruce trees that are several hundred years old. It was a very quiet and peaceful place. A great place to get away from the hot sun and the crowds.

Also, older Beijing residents love to come to this park to sing, play cards , and "jam" with their friends.

This evening, our group went to the Beijing opera. I, however, stayed behind at the hotel. My stomach still has not recovered from last night's mysterious illness. I am feeling better, but I need to rest. I saw some Chinese opera on TV, and I do not think I am missing anything spectacular. There were actors dressed in elaborate costumes and wearing too much make up as the screeched and wailed songs in a very high register.

Chuck Newell
Beijing
10/16/08