We’re on a Quest! To visit all of the New Seven Wonders of the World. So far we’ve been awed by the ancient city Petra, played on the ball court of Chichen Itza, pretended we were gladiators in the Roman Coliseum, and huffed and puffed our way up the steps of The Great Wall of China. Just three more to go!
Standing atop the wall stretching 4,160 miles in total, built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from Mongolian attacks during the rule of successive dynasties, was a step back in history. First built in the 7th century BC, it was rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century AD. The current wall was built during the Ming Dynasty. The sections in the eastern part of China were built out of bricks and stones while in the western sections of wall were made out of less durable materials on earth and grass.
It was a brisk fall afternoon when we arrived, thankfully just as several other busloads of tourists left. There are four popular sections of the wall typically visited directly from Beijing; the Badaling section, Mutianyu section,
Simatai section and Shixiaguan section, all of which serve different purposes for scholars, tourists and researchers on a Great Wall tour.
The crowds thinned out quickly as the climbing started. Whew! Those steps are steep! Up we went to the first watch tower and then the second. Cheryl kept on climbing. I knew I needed to get more exercise when a Chinese lady (quite a bit older) overtook me on the last reach, while I was panting and trying to find my water bottle. She just smiled and kept climbing without missing a beat. The view was spectacular! Fall colors blended with the winding stretches of ancient wall as far as you could see The Great Wall and we were standing on top of it! Wow!!
If you’re interested in learning more about China, a great resource is from an author from China, Ling Chai, who wrote a book called A Heart for Freedom about the culture and lives of natives in China.