The main activity for the day was to visit the Great Wall of China at the Mutianyu section.
Our group, now comprising thirteen people assembled after breakfast and headed off from central Beijing on a two hour bus trip to Mutianyu.
On arrival we were given the option of climbing the approximately one thousand steps from the car park up to the wall or ascend using the cable car. We being the oldest in the group were determined to do the steep climb but about half the group elected to take the cable car.
The climb was pretty hard and we didn’t linger on the way up except for the opportunity to get a couple of photos to show the steepness of the stairway. On arrival at the Great Wall we turned left and started on a two kilometre walk along the top passing through twelve watchtowers.
This section of the Great Wall was constructed during the early part of the Ming Dynasty and was refurbished in the 1960s. It is built along the precipitous section of a 1000m mountain ridge and is famous for its high number of watchtowers. The surrounding valleys on either side are densely forested and the whole area looked lush with green foliage abounding. The region is made up of a number of intertwined mountain ranges with jagged orange coloured peaks. The section of the wall we were walking along is just one of several sections as the wall has several branches which we could make out along distant ranges. These parts appeared to be without repair since their original construction and are now dilapidated and in places overgrown by vegetation.
The Great Wall #1, Mutianyu
We walked mainly upwards along the wall for about two kilometres in beautiful sunny conditions with blue skies and a gentle breeze that made the 27oC air temperature quite ideal for walking. Some sections were steep and some were very steep. We’d been warned that near watchtower 20 there was a climb up a brick staircase that was like going up a ladder and that was no exaggeration as the incline would have been more than 45o. At tower 21 we had reached the highest point possible and beyond this point the wall was closed to the public.
The return journey to the car park was downhill and understandably dangerous in the very steep parts but we proceeded with caution and as there weren’t many people visiting the wall this day we had no worries of crowded staircases!
On return to Beijing we showered and then went out to have an early dinner in a local restaurant specialising in roast (Peking) duck. This was delicious and the three different types of duck meat were served separately and best eaten by wrapping them with spicy sauces and vegetables in a pancake.
Peking Duck
After our meal we caught a local bus and attended a performance of “The Legend of Kung Fu” at a theatre in a nearby suburb of Beijing. The ninety minute’s of high powered activity was superbly choreographed with music to match. The story followed the life of a young trainee in Kung Fu and the trials and tribulations of his development from a young boy to being a grand master. The drama exhibited supreme levels of gymnastic action together with trapeze acts performed on dangling ribbons. The stage opened up like a giant bridge with other front sections that were raised or lowered to release fire, smoke, fairies, soldiers and dragons. Amongst the truly amazing acts (and there were many) was a Kung Fu master who lay on his back across a frame supporting three broad cutlasses and then had placed on his chest a square section with hundreds of nails pressing into him. A further person then lay on top of the nails and had a concrete slab placed on his chest. This in itself looked precarious and life threatening particularly for the poor man at the bottom of this dangerous sandwich. Finally a third person using a large sledge hammer struck the concrete block and it split into several pieces; thankfully everyone survived with no apparent loss of blood.
We were disappointed by some members of the Chinese audience who talked loudly and laughed throughout the acts and seemed to have no interest in this fabulous drama. The performers, including the three or four young boys all come from a local Buddhist monastery which specialises in the religious rituals and training associated with Kung Fu.
This had been a very busy day and all our group were ready for a big night’s sleep in preparation for another strenuous day tomorrow.