Our adventures in China began today with a walk on the Great Wall in the Badaling Section. The air pollution that was noticeable in the city yesterday was gone this morning, probably due to the strong winds, and we had blue skies and great weather throughout the day. Our local Beijing guide gave us a cultural overview of China on our bus ride. She talked about China’s desire to modernize and keep up with the West, the educational system and the pressure on children to succeed, the desire of young people to learn English and move to the cities for jobs and away from farming (which is unprofitable), China’s pride in (and economic boost from) hosting the Olympics, the loss of old Beijing with the destruction of the hutongs and their replacement with high-rises, and the history of the Great Wall.
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Entrance of the Waldorf Astoria in Beijing
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The Great Wall, built during different dynasties, is over 13,000 miles long. On our arrival at the Badaling Section, which is the most popular with visitors, we had a choice of taking the easier walk or the more difficult walk, and naturally I chose the more difficult one! I actually went a good distance (about 3/4 of the way up) before the height of the steps became somewhat intimidating, so I decided to stop where I was at and told my fellow travelers to go on. While waiting for their return, I had plenty of time to enjoy the view.
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Views from the Great Wall
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After our visit to the Wall, we had a family-style Cantonese lunch with numerous dishes at the Commune By The Great Wall, a contemporary style hotel.
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Commune By The Great Wall
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After lunch, we visited one of Beijing’s hutong areas and had a cycle rickshaw tour around the neighborhood. A local family graciously invited us into their home.
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Touring a Beijing Hutong by Cycle Rickshaw and On Foot
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Dinner was on our own this evening, and I joined some of our group for dinner at TRB Bites at the Courtyard, which is near the East gate of the Forbidden City. We had a five-course dinner consisting of small plates of European-style cuisine; the food and service were excellent. To get a sense of the menus, see this review: TRB Bites at the Courtyard
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