The Great Wall is absolutely one of the places to see on a visit to Beijing. It is one of the wonders of the ancient world and it has been in my list of places to visit for a long time. The wall was built by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang between 220-206 BCE. The remnant we have today is from the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). The wall was built to protect the Silk Route (or road), an ancient trade network that connected China to other parts of the world. This trade network was instrumental in the development of China’s civilization. Stretching over 5,000 miles, there are several sections of the wall that tourists can visit. The most popular one is Badaling. This is popular because of its proximity to Beijing and also because it is fully restored. Tours to this wall cost about 200 Yuan ($31) and they include a traditional Chinese lunch and entrance tickets. My package also included a visit to the Ming Tombs.

The tour bus picked me up from the hotel around 7:55 AM even though the scheduled time was 7:30 AM. It was a small 9 seater but that had other tourists from Norway and India. They were delightful people to tour with. Our tour guide spoke English but one had to listen carefully to understand her. She asked for an additional 50 Yuan service fee when she picked me up. This fee was never communicated to me at the time of booking the tour. She said the fee will cover a foot massage and tea tasting. I politely paid even though I had some reservations.

Our first stop was at an “art gallery.” It was promoted by the tour guide as a government entity where we would see how jade is transformed into different art forms. She also said we were going to be educated on how to differentiate between real and fake jade. In reality, it was a marketing session where overpriced jade products were marketed to us. For example, a small bracelet made of jade was priced at 2800 Yuan ($427) and jade chopsticks cost more than 4000 Yuan ($610). No one in our party purchased any of their jade products. Perhaps we were too cheap. We did buy their coffee though. I was so longing for a good cup of coffee. The mocha I had tasted really good.

One of the things I took away from this place was a statement that was made by the young Chinese lady who was marketing jade to us. She said the Chinese do not have any religious beliefs but believe in superstition. That got me thinking the whole day. For a country that upholds an atheistic belief system, their level of superstition is super high. Doesn’t that speak to humans inherent desire for a higher being, for something greater than us? While one may intellectually try to reject religious beliefs, our hearts long for something more, a power that is beyond our understanding or control. This thought has been in my mind all day!

Our next stop was the Ming Tombs. Our group was the first to arrive and we had the whole place to ourselves. I did not care much about this particular tour. These are mausoleums that were built by the Emperors that ruled China during the Ming Dynasty. There are thirteen tombs. We did not get to see all the tombs. Our tour guide also told us that no one knows specifically the entry to the actual spot where the Emperors were buried. The reason is that the Emperors were buried with a lot of valuables and people might want to dig down and steal those things.

From the Ming tombs, we went to the Great Wall at Badaling. It takes about 1 hour, 30 minutes (43 miles) from Beijing city center to the Great Wall. A substantial part of the distance is on single lane roads through villages. The wall was not very crowded today. I was surprised that the type of security we saw at the public places in Beijing city was not present here. So many of us started the climb. How many people made it to the peak of the wall is a different matter. From my rough estimates, less than 5% of the people that started the climb made it to the peak. It takes about 90 minutes to climb and descend the wall. It is about 2.3 miles with 8 watch towers. It is a steep climb and one needs good snickers, knees, and stamina to make it to the peak. There are shops along the way. I had to stop in one to buy a bottle of coke.

Climbing the wall is an amazing experience. The view is spectacular. When you make it to the top, you feel really good. The path there is not easy. There are temptations to just give up. I was not going to make it this far to China and then give up on reaching the peak of the wall. When I got to the peak, I felt like I was closer to heaven. I could behold the beauty of God’s creation and resolved even the more to protect it. It was peaceful up there and it seemed like one’s problems and challenges disappeared. There was never a thought about the difficulties it took to get up there. I couldn’t have made it without the encouragement of many people I met along the way. It is amazing how as the numbers thinned out, one became closer to fellow climbers. The challenge drew us closer. We found ourselves talking more and encouraging each other. Those who made it to the top also encouraged us as they were making their way down. shouldn’t that be the way life should be? Support each other, encourage one another! The experience is a great inspiration to me.

On our way from the wall, we stopped for a traditional Chinese lunch. They were vegan options available. The food was really good. From there, we headed to the Olympic stadium. Before that, we had to stop at a section of the Olympic park for foot massages. At least, that was what it was sold as. In reality, it was a sales pitch for Chinese herbal medicine. While they were attempting to give us foot massages, they had Chinese ‘professors’ of herbal medicine give us a diagnosis. He looked at my palms and took my pulse. He said I have pains in the back of my neck and waist. He claimed that this is as a result of too much time sitting on a desk and working on the computer or driving. Isn’t that the problem many Americans have? Go figure! He said, two months prescription of herbal medicine would cost 1800 Yuan ($275). When I told him I did not believe his medicine will work, he told me that he can guarantee it because the place is a government facility. If he thought I would accept the guarantees of the Chinese government, he was dreaming! The Indian lady who was with us had already informed us that she was defrauded at this place yesterday for 900 Yuan and we should not fall for it. Even without that information, I wouldn’t have. Despite their pressure and persuasion, I respectfully declined their prescription, so did other people in our tour group. Oh, and the heavier people were all diagnosed with poor metabolism problems!

We proceeded to the Olympic stadium where we took some photos.
At this point of the day, I was getting really tired and sick of the sales pitches. But, we had one more place to go. We went to the tea tasting place. She gave us a brief lecture on tea and had us tasted about five different kinds of tea. These are teas I can easily get in the US. At the end of the tasting, we were taken to the tea shop where they had overpriced teas. The good news is that they did not put too much pressure on us to buy the tea. I left the store quickly and came outside to avoid undue pressure. Outside were some of the tourists in our party. Again, no one in our group purchased anything. One of the men from Norway remarked that they try to sell you their hospitality. I absolutely agree. I am not sure I am interested in any such tours. I will explore things for myself.
I returned to the hotel around 5 PM. My legs feel like jelly. I must get some rest!