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 Beijing and the Great Wall of china
Beijing is a startling combination of old and new
Beijing is the elderly, respectable, great aunt of Shanghai. The highlights of this conservative metropolis range from ancient - the Forbidden City, historic - Tiananmen Square, or contemporary - the Olympic facilities. My favorite excursion was pedicab tour through the alleyways of the old section of the city. Today, due to the economic boom, many of these areas are being torn down to make room for skyscrapers.
Filming in China... I love exotic cuisines, especially those with lots of interesting spices, but in Beijing, I found the food to be pretty bland. The ingredients can be quite interesting (duck tongue soup - rubbery little tongues floating in a rather bland broth!) It could be that the chefs were told to tone down the flavors for the American film crew. We did recieve special treatment in China - upon arrival in each new city, we were greeted at our hotel by a flotilla of local dignitaries, posed for photos, and treated to a "banquet". We really did appreciate the hospitality, but exhausted after a full day of filming, we got to the point where we begged for a quick, simple meal. Our very polite guides would say "Oh yes, tonight we will have a simple meal", and there was another banquet! Fine dining is always appreciated, but I often prefer the street vendors. In China, the noodle bowls with pork and vegetables and the takeaway won tons stuffed with meat, shrimp or vegetables were my favotites.
The Great Wall of China can be an exhausting walk A trip to Beijing must include a visit to "The Great Wall of China", the question is, which part of The Wall?
Just outside Beijing, the country's most enduring symbol, The Great Wall tumbles over the horizon. This incredible structure spans over 4,000 miles and includes sections that have undergone massive restoration, and others where the the stones have been allowed to crumble into the earth, leaving "the Wall" indistinguishable. Around Beijing there are several different sections of the wall easily accessible to travelers.- Badaling, Mutianyu, and Simatai. If you are traveling on your own, it will be easier to reach Badaling and Mutianyu by public bus. Badaling is easy to get to and therefore the most visited. To get away from the crowds, head to Simatai, but be prepared for some steeper climbs. Simatai is the farthest out, at 110 km from Beijing, and the least developed of the three destinations. To really get off the beaten path, set out for the adventurous, unrefurbished sections, Huanghuacheng & Jiankou - there is also a lake and reservoir here - nice for summer months and a day of hiking.
The wall is nearly 5000 kilometers long, with additional sections still being discovered today. Building of this phenomenal structure began over 2000 years ago to protect the Emperor's kingdom from marauding nomads. Modern day statistics estimate that eight million people, most of them political prisoners, died during the centuries of construction. It was not always successful at protecting the empire, but it did send a powerful message about the will and determination of the ancient dynasties.
View of The Great Wall of China Standing on one of the towers, looking across the distant ridges where the outline of the wall can be seen for miles, I had a sudden urge to travel it's entire length. What an amazing adventure that would be! Just as I was wondering if anything like that would be allowed, a group of Chinese teenagers wearing backpacks appeared from nowhere. They were returning from a school excursion which had taken them several miles out on the wall to a remote location where they had spent the night! Now that is my idea of a field trip!
Rural China is a completely different experience Getting out of the cities...
In the cities of today's China, new age communism looks just like capitalism - everyone is racing around with cell phones glued to their ears, and not much time to interact with the influx of tourists. In the countryside you can still get some sense of true Chinese culture - play with the kids, have some tea, talk in sign language, soak up the warmth, humor, and hospitality of rural China.
Curious children are everywhere Check out more China travel information: |
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