Beijing October 9-10, 2006

Back in Beijing, we looked forward to what was promised to be the high point of our whole stay in China--- the Great Wall. We happily boarded our good old "Gold 1" bus, complete with its original driver. The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is included in lists of the "Seven Medieval Wonders of the World" but was not, of course, one of the classical Seven Wonders of the World. Actually, there have been four major walls--- the Great Wall that is seen today was built during the Ming Dynasty and on a much larger scale and with longer lasting materials than those that preceded it. Wie explained that the primary purpose of the wall was not to keep people out--- it could be scaled--- but to insure that nomads and invaders on the outside of the wall could not cross with their horses and then return easily to their homes with stolen property.

One of the largest building construction projects ever completed, the Great Wall stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding its way for more than 4,000 miles to Beijing. The Great Wall is not uniform in form or structure, mainly because the materials used in its construction had to be those available near the site of construction. Near Beijing, the wall is constructed from quarried limestone blocks while in other locations it may be quarried granite or fired brick.

Where such "solid" materials were used, two parallel walls were erected with earth and rubble fill placed in between. They were then covered with a final paving to form a single unit. Interestingly, in some areas the huge stone blocks were cemented with a mixture of glutinous rice and eggwhite. In the extreme western desert locations, where good materials were scarce, the wall was constructed from dirt rammed between rough wood tied together with woven mats.

The Great Wall has several myths connected with it. For example, prisoners and peasants were required to work on the wall and, in addition, constant hunger and construction dangers, they were frequently under attack invading warlords. Because thousands died building the wall ,it has sometimes been called "the longest cemetery on Earth." However, the dead were not entombed in the wall because a body buried in the wall would have weakened its structure. The dead were simply buried nearby their labor sites.

Still another myth began in 1938 when Second Book of Marvels by Richard Halliburton said "the Great Wall is the only man-made object visible from the moon." This myth has persisted, assuming urban legend status, even entering American textbooks during the 1940s. But, in fact, NASA emphatically states that the Wall cannot be seen by the unaided eye from the distance of the moon. (Even its visibility from near-earth orbit is questionable.)

Back to Beijing

After a couple of hours at the Great Wall, it was time to head back to Beijing and our next stop, the Summer Palace. When we reached the city we were again captivated by the variety of sights as we passed through the busy streets. One thing we noticed in particular was how many modes of transportation we saw in addition to cars, trucks, and busses.

Summer Palace

The last site included on our China itinerary was the Beijing's Summer Palace. While certainly not the size of the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace's grounds are extensive, including an array of large and small buildings, covered walkways, gardens, statues and sculptures, and even a man-made lake. Wei knew the place well and was able to go into great detail as he explained the significance of all the sights.

For example, he told us that in order to assure that the Emperor had a special boat built for his consort, one that would never sink. Of course, this boat was made of granite and never left its place on the lakeshore. He also made sure that we had the chance to board a "Dragon Boat" for a brief sail across the lake. (We were happy for the ride after another long day of "museum pace" walking.

Farewell Dinner

With differing departures times from China facing its members the next morning, our "Gold 1" group had only one more function together--- the much-heralded "Peking Duck Feast." We boarded our faithful bus for one last journey, this time to a brightly lit restaurant about fifteen minutes from our hotel. We climbed the stairs to the third floor where we had a semiprivate dining room (shared with a big ground from Holland). The specialty dish looked and smell good but the suggested manner of eating it--- small chucks wrapped in a tortilla-like bread--- was certainly strange. Once again their seemed to be no limit to the food and beverages being served and everyone wound up stuffed, even the pickiest eaters among us.

Tim and MaryAnn Timlin	Tour Director Wie (Stephen)	John and Cindy Cavangh
For those who preferred, there was twice-cooked pork.	Susan and David Brenner	Ray and Marge Johnston
Sharon Kewley and Stanley Tessel	Dwayn and Ruth Colby	Our comfortable "home" in Beijing.

Airport Departure

Enough said!