And finally... Beijing Part III

The highlight of my trip to Beijing was a visit to the famed Great Wall. Started in the 5th Century B.C. (though little of that section remains) and stretching 6,400 km across northern China, 3 million Chinese died in the construction – most of whose bodies were buried in the wall itself. I wanted a meaningful and Chinese-tour-group-with-matching-red-hats free experience, so I headed to a more secluded section of the wall in Jinshanling, which is actually in Hebei province and a three-hour bus ride from Beijing. I knew the trip was well worth the extra road time when I first glimpsed the loom of the wall’s haphazard-seeming span across the mountains we were quickly approaching.

My first step on the Great Wall of China felt like I was stepping onto a fantastical emblem of the nation’s venerable history. From Jinshanling, it’s possible to hike 10 km along the wall to another proper viewing site in Simitai. The journey was a tough hike as parts of the wall rose practically vertical up the sides of the mountains, and at times felt a bit precarious as large sections have been left wholly unaltered from their crumbling state. As some points, I could see the wall’s tremendous expanse winding it’s way into oblivion – forming small dots on the horizon. And my desire for seclusion was granted with few others making the same journey that day. The pictures don’t do the mighty and great wall justice, but do give an idea of the grandeur that I experienced.

For my last morning in Beijing, I explored the Forbidden City. Not leaving myself enough time, I took in what I could and soaked in the opulence and spaciousness of previous emperors’ needs. And while little gold plaques identify each quarters, it’s difficult to fathom the relative function of such extravagance and the exclusivity of these chambers.

Lately it’s been difficult to take my mind off the devastating earthquake in Sichuan and all the people’s lives that are affected. So many deaths and many more left homeless who are either camping out in the streets or fleeing to other provinces for work. The silver lining to this tragedy is the overwhelming response of locals. It’s heartening to see a nation whose people normally ignore the needs of strangers and reserve their compassion for loved ones, expressing their sympathies in genuine ways – not just in Sichuan, but across the nation.