Beijing: The Great Wall

(This is part of a series of posts on our trip to China last June. We'll be posting for the first several weeks of the school year.)

I think it's safe to say that, when most Americans think of China, they think of the Great Wall (or pandas, maybe--that seems to be the other Chinese-takeout cliche). And rightfully so--the Wall is both a monument to China's long history and an amazing feat of engineering, well deserving of its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list. What most people don't know is that there have been several "Great Walls" throughout Chinese history, the most famous of which was constructed by the Qin emperor Shi Huang (yes, the terracotta warrior guy--more on them later) in the late 2nd century B.C. Most of what survives as the "Great Wall" today dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), including the section of the wall that we visited, at Jingshanling, just outside of Beijing.

There is an ongoing debate among tour guide writers as to which is the best spot for viewing the Great Wall. Badaling is probably the most popular spot, thanks in part to its strategic spot at one of the major northern routes out of Beijing and in part to Richard Nixon's visit during his trip to China in 1972. In fact, Badaling will serve as the finish line for an Olympic cycling event during this summer's Games, and today the enormous Badaling Expressway still runs through the narrow valley the fortifications there were built to protect.

Southwest of Badaling lies Jingshanling, another narrow pass leading north. Jingshanling has an advantage over Badaling in that it really showcases the tenacity of its Chinese builders in their effort to leave no slope unguarded, no matter how steep. On the other hand, Jingshanling is a brutal little hike, with its highest guard tower perched at over 3,000 feet above sea level.

And Nana and I did it, 1.5 hours straight up and half an hour straight down, in the August haze and heat. No wonder people tell me I'm the dumbest smart guy they know.

Anyway. The Jingshanling hike starts at an elaborate gatehouse that stands alongside a mountain stream.

And from there, the wall goes up. And up and up. The photo below is about 1/6-1/5 of the way to the top.

And the photo below records the first time, about 1/4 of the way up, that we considered turning back. But let it be known that I married one tough woman--after a short breather, we pressed on.
As you can tell from the photo below, this section of the Wall has been heavily restored. Some prefer the more ruined-looking spots, but the two of us enjoyed seeing the Wall as it would have looked when it was an active fortification. To each his own, I suppose.

And as you can tell from this photo, the Great Wall (or at least the sections near Beijing) run through some very rugged mountains, specifically the mountains on the northern edge of China's coastal plain. For some reason I had imagined the Wall standing monolithic in the wasteland . . . though I'm told there are spots like that, too, only much further to the west. Not that I'm complaining, seeing as I got some superb photos out of the deal.
The wall itself wasn't the only attraction, however. This lizard had made a home of one of the guard towers--and we would have missed him if it wasn't for Nana's sharp eye.
The odd sense of camaraderie among visitors to Jingshanling was also a highlight of the trip. We kept leapfrogging a handful of the same groups as we climbed--Chinese, American students, French pensioners, Saudi Arabians (I think)--all of us offering encouragements in whatever languages we knew. Nana's Chinese was an especially big hit here--she even had the chance to help one of the Saudi Arabian tourists try to haggle for a souvenir. The photo below was taken by a couple of French retirees we met on the climb.
Last but not least: the views from the top. From this point, the wall turns back towards the valley, and thus downhill, to the gatehouse about 1,000 feet below.


Whew!