The
Great Walk to the Great Wall
II-Great Wall
After five short minutes of walking, we reached Badaling at last. We were greeted by this helpful sign that gave the history of the Chinese walls and the Great Wall in particular.
This sign further tells how the Chinese government has restored the Badaling section of the Wall for all to see.
Badaling is a bustling little place. Buses and visitors are everywhere. There are lots of little shops full of souvenirs, and all sorts of restaurants serving faster-than-normal Chinese food. And yes, there is even a Macdonald's, and a KFC to boot. You can see the Wall in the background. Note how in this and the following pictures, the overwhelming majority of the visitors were Chinese. Given the international popularity of the Wall, I had expected there to be more foreigners.
This picture is from nearer the Wall, looking backward to where we had just come from. On the right is the new Great Wall Museum. This picture captures a reasonable flavor of the place. On that day, at least. The great majority of the visitors were Chinese. They had just as much fun as we did, and rightly so.
This picture was taken near the beginning of our walk on the Wall. Just to the right of the fortification, you can see the stairs where we all climbed up to the Wall. To the lower right, you can see buildings of the town. The Wall extends outward from both sides of the road. We walked the western side. If you want to be convinced of the popularity of the Wall, just look at the visitors all along the other section of the Wall.
This is how the Wall looks as you walk along it. It goes mostly up, but occasionally down for short distances. It also can tip to one side, as it does here. These days, many village folk sell remembrances along the Wall. They attract attention by shouting "Allo!" at every western tourist. If you don't respond, they approach you and stick their merchandise right in front of you. This part of the Wall experience gets old very fast.
Near the top of one of the sections of the Wall. There is no longer any need to feel hungry, thirsty, or underclothed as you walk the Wall.
Looking west from one of the parapets. The top of every hill has one, and every one now has vendors.
The weary camera-guy. It ain't easy, lugging all those photos around!
A happy Guo Jinghua. She never seemed to get tired. This energy will serve her well in graduate school at Beijing Normal University.
Guoshun at the peak of the Wall. He told me that he felt younger as soon as he bought this backpack for use at the university. I think he really looks young here. (Maybe he's just happy that we made it to the Wall after all the troubles with the car!)
Impetuous youth, thy name is China! Here we were on the top of the Wall when all of a sudden we heard yelling, screaming, and laughter. Around the bend came a bunch of high-school kids who seemed to have too much energy for their own good, racing each other to the top. I whipped out the camera just in time to get the leading edge of the runners.
A view near the top. On the right, you can see the profiles of some of the steps outlined against the wall. In reality, the steps are quite irregular, to the point that walkers need to be careful, or else they can easily fall.
Being air-pollution people, we could not help noticing the heavy haze everywhere. It was truly regional. I took shots in each directly to show how it looked. In this view to the south, the distant hills are obliterated. The whitish color means that it is a sulfate haze, as distinct from the natural, bluish haze that we used to be able to see in the American Great Smokey Mountains, for example, before sulfate from the coal-burning power plants masked it. It's a pity that both our countries suffer the same degradation.
Here is the view to the north from the same spot. Although the haze seems less intense here, it still blankets everything.
Here are two views to the west taken at the end of the restored Wall. The first shows the steepness of the Wall as it follows the hills; the second shows a longer section of the unrestored Wall. Most of the Wall is yet to be restored.
This view shows how steep the Wall can be.
Restored or unrestored, haze or no haze, the Great Wall is truly a spectacular creation in a beautiful setting. It lives up to its billing and more.
We close our story of the Great Walk to the Great Wall with this picture of three smiling faces. Why are Guoshun, Kelly, and Jinghua so happy? Easy. Having reached the top, they are now able to walk DOWN!