Monday was packed full of the Great Wall, Jade Factory and the Ming-Dynasty Tombs. We started really early and prepared for very hot temperatures with lots of water and sunscreen. First stop, KFC for breakfast. At this point we are still liking the food just longing for variety. We eat about the same thing every meal. Rice with something fried. I wanted something different so we decided to give KFC a try. I ordered a egg and ham croissant type thing and Alan got an egg and hash browns. It was really good to have eggs like we know them back home.
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| Heidi's breakfast. |
After breakfast and meeting up with the group we boarded the bus for the Great Wall. We had about an hour drive through the city. It was really neat to see more the city in the day time. This bus also came with a tour guide who told us a little bit of the history in Beijing and more about the wall.
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| Inside the bus |
the toll bridge
Traveling in Beijing requires some planning. You have to pay
a toll to travel any of the freeways and interstates. There are so many people
that the government limits the number of vehicles a person can own. In order to
get a vehicle you first have enough money to buy a vehicle. Then your name is
entered into a drawing (lottery) and each year 2000 new vehicles are allowed
onto the streets in China. After you purchase a car you must license it. However depending on what type of license
plate you purchase, your driving is still limited. Each vehicle is allowed to
drive on specific days and hours of the week. Their allowance is listed on the
license plate of the vehicle. Some
plates can cost over $5000 USD.
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| A cool bridge we found drive to the Great Wall |
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| the bus we took to the Wall |
Before we took for for the wall, we figured we better stop by the bathroom. This is the public restroom or Toilet as they are referred to here.
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| The Squatter Toilet- please note this is one of the worst ones. They are generally a lot cleaner. |
Visiting the great wall was amazing. We chose to get to and from the wall by riding a ski lift up and toboggans down. The wall was a surreal experience for both of us. It’s one of those places a person has seen in history books and pictures but never thought of visiting. We only walked about a half-mile of the wall but left with an appreciation for the hard work the people put into building the Great Wall. We met a lady on the wall selling water that told us she walks two hours from a little Mongol side of the wall village to sell water. The Biens and us were in shock when she pointed to the small village far down the mountainside. She earns a living by climbing the mountain everyday with water bottles to sell.
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| Our Admission and ride tickets for the Great Wall |
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| Riding the Chair lift up to the Wall |
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| Heidi and Jessica inside a guard tower |
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| Heidi and Alan sitting on the Wall |
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| Jon, Alan, Jessica and Heidi in meditation pose |
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| Landscape on the other side of the wall |
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| Alan and Heidi with the Wall |
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| Cannon on the Wall |
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| The Wall |
Construction of the Great Wall started during the Qin Dynasty in 207 BC. The original version of the wall was rammed earth. (Not bricks). The construction of the wall continued on and off throughout the Han Dynasty. The Jin Dynasty increased the work because of threats from the Mongols in the North. During the Ming Dynasty the material on the wall switched to bricks and stone. It took one hundred years and over 3 million slave labors to build the wall. Over the time of the Ming there was almost one million soldiers living on the wall.
The wall is over 5,000 miles long and was used on and off for over 2,000 years. It was never meant to be one consistent wall, but rather a series of walls with gaps in between. The main purpose of the wall was to keep out specific tribes and large enemies. There is a beacon tower system throughout the wall that using explosions or smoke signals from burning wolves’ dung quickly conveyed enemy movement back to the capital.
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| Alan, Heidi, Jessica and Jon, waiting to go down |
Riding the toboggans down the wall was awesome. They slide in a metal channel that snakes back and forth to the bottom of the hill. A single handle between our legs applied the brakes or allowed them to go faster. Alan went first and had he not caught another couple in front he might have set a land speed record. Needless to say he was all smiles.
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| The Shoot |
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| Mr. Smiles |
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| Walking through the markets on the way from the wall |
At the base of the mountain was a nice restaurant called Mr. Yang. We all gathered there after exploring the wall for a traditional Chinese Meal. Thus far the food has been repetitive. The most common dishes we have eaten at restaurants include a chicken pineapple dish, beans with red peppers, tomatoes with eggs, green peppers with beef, and rice! We’ve enjoyed most dishes and have learned to avoid others.
playing with our silverware
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| Lunch is served |
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| Riding in the Van |
The Jade Factory was the next stop. When we entered a tour guide took us through the carving process and demonstrated how to identify fake jewelry. After the tour they let us wander around their huge showroom in the hopes we would buy something. Alan and I found some amazing carvings but didn’t have $500-$50,000 to spend. Maybe some day! My favorite piece was a happiness ball. The layers inside represent generations of a family and how they are inseparable.
Jade has been carved and polished by the Chinese for several thousand years. Initially used as a tool, jade came to be widely used as jewelry during the Han era. Always thought of being green, jade can in fact be brown, black, or the prized cloudy white. To the Chinese, it symbolized longevity and purity, and is worn as an amulet to ward off disease.
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a Ship made out of Jade
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A trip to China wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to a tomb of an emperor. Lucky for us our last stop of the day was the Ming Tombs. Though the actual tomb is not excavated we were able to walk around and see some of the magnificent structures. One building over 400 years old had columns probably 30 feet tall made from trees over 500 years old. The entire building was made without any nails just interlocking joints.
The Ming Tombs are the resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming-dynasty emperors. The scattered tombs each have a huge temple-like complex guarding an enormous burial mound. Only three of the thirteen tombs are open to the public. Only one has had its underground burial chambers excavated. According to our leader they haven’t excavated the tombs because they want wait until technology advances enough to preserve the artifacts.
The last adventure of the day was the trip home. We started the day on a bus and finished in a van. The lady driving the van was probably in her fifties but drove like she was going to the hospital everywhere she went. Everyone drives the same way. We passed people on corners, in town, and on solid lines. To put it simply if there was a vehicle in front of us they were soon behind. Our driver would tap the horn twice and away we went. I told the older lady next to me to not look it was better that way.
The last adventure of the day was the trip home. We started the day on a bus and finished in a van. The lady driving the van was probably in her fifties but drove like she was going to the hospital everywhere she went. Everyone drives the same way. We passed people on corners, in town, and on solid lines. To put it simply if there was a vehicle in front of us they were soon behind. Our driver would tap the horn twice and away we went. I told the older lady next to me to not look it was better that way.
It had been a long day of sight seeing and we were ready to kick off our shoes when we arrived back at the hotel. A couple blocks from our hotel was a pizza place that sounded appetizing. They had many kinds of pizza so between the Biens and us we split mozzarella sticks, hotdogs wrapped in bacon, a supreme pizza that was topped with peas and corn and a bacon ranch pizza. It was great having some good old American comfort food. Also this was the first time seeing forks in China. We almost forgot how to use them. Ha.
The last adventure of the day was the trip home. We started the day on a bus and finished in a van. The lady driving the van was probably in her fifties but drove like she was going to the hospital everywhere she went. Everyone drives the same way. We passed people on corners, in town, and on solid lines. To put it simply if there was a vehicle in front of us they were soon behind. Our driver would tap the horn twice and away we went. I told the older lady next to me to not look it was better that way.
It had been a long day of sight seeing and we were ready to kick off our shoes when we arrived back at the hotel. A couple blocks from our hotel was a pizza place that sounded appetizing. They had many kinds of pizza so between the Biens and us we split mozzarella sticks, hotdogs wrapped in bacon, a supreme pizza that was topped with peas and corn and a bacon ranch pizza. It was great having some good old American comfort food. Also this was the first time seeing forks in China. We almost forgot how to use them. Ha.
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