We hiked along the Juyonguan section of the Great Wall today. Until I saw it, I didn't understand how massive, how steep and in what wild country the wall exists. Here it runs along the ridges of a steep, mountainous area north of Beijing. Since it seems that the 'barbarians' still moved back and forth across a changing border numerous times, the whole Great Wall experience might be sobering to Arizona.
This section of the Wall has a huge stone stela at one section with a saying from Mao: 'A man will become a man when he comes to the Great Wall.' It's about time, Bill Camp. Our guide, Ming, was proud that Mao had taken Richard Nixon to the Wall and uttered this saying. It is hard not to turn that into a political commentary, isn't it? Guard posts are built into the wall and occur frequently for as far as the eye can see. It's a stone construction somewhat reminiscent of Incan stonework. Bill, who climbed further than I did, looked worn from his climb for the rest of the day. Our fatigue looked all the more related to age when we look at the number of girls in flip-flops and sandals, hopping up the steep climb. Ming says they have to look flashy, it's their job.
We visited the Summer Palace in the afternoon. Although it dates back on the site to the 12 century's artistic and prolific Quing dynasty, its current architecture and design owes much to the Dragon Lady, who rebuilt it after it was burned by the French in 1860, and again after destruction by Japan and Russia in the early 20th century. She did nothing by halves, that woman.
Most remarkable on the site is a one kilometer corridor, a sort of covered wooden walkway along the lake. It is painted, on the ceiling and the pillars, with hundres of portraits, the usual cranes and bats and flowers, and scenes from Chinese stories and tales. We found our money king swordsman from the opera portrayed here.
The park around the Summer Palace was jammed with picnicking and paddle-boating families, children climbing rocks, and everyone enjoying the outdoors. It is easy to see why Mao's opening of places like this to the people, instead of a small cadre of royalty headed by one small woman, carried everywhere because of her bound feet, had such resonance. Crowds in the park were especially heavy today as it is a holiday. The holiday commemorates the suicide of the Qing dynasty poet, Quyuan, probably 18th century, who wrote of poverty and struggle. He despaired when the emperor made no moves to make things better. People commemorate in part by making balls of sticky rice and 'longevity herb', wrapped in bamboo leaf and cooked, throwing them in the river and eating them as well.
As we leave Beijing tonight for the wild west, we have enjoyed the city's vibrancy, the long time horizon of its monuments, and the food. Bill has been stunned by the thousands of 20-story and more apartment/condo buildings, built up everywhere and under construction everywhere. It represents a mammoth investment in housing, and an acknowledgement that the population of this city has doubled to more than 17 million in the last 10 years alone. Why is it we can't house our people? However, the ever-present haze, both natural and pollution-caused, would be difficult to live with over time. And the traffic is terrifying, too many cars in a landscape built for bicycles and feet, no parking, no drivers education, few traffic rules. We're glad to head to the train station.
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