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Our excursion today
to the Great Wall was a phenomenal walk into the ancient past.
The portion of the wall we visited today is called the Mutianyu
Section of the Great Wall. Mutianyu was rebuilt in 1569. The
weather was cool and the sun was shining through the
characteristic haze for the region. A chair lift takes you to
the wall and then you walk. The important thing to remember is
that you can walk as far as you like—but you have to walk back.
Stairs, steps and more stairs take you along the wall from watch
tower to watch tower. The views in every direction were
different and unique. Clearly a fortress not easily taken,
rugged, brutal and massive hand laid brick & stone. It is a
wonder of the world. |
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As we drove along the
highways to reach the mountainous region where the Great Wall stands you
are struck by the Chinese culture. The most notable characteristic is
hard work. Hard and knuckle busting work. We saw folks hand sweeping
the road. Three wheel motorcycles loaded beyond capacity. Throngs of
foot traffic of people walking, but not really obvious to us where their
destined. A constant bundling of cleared brush—not small bundles, but 5
foot diameter bundles. Massive hand built scaffolding of pipes that
resemble a bamboo structure, but produces a modern engineered highway
that could be anywhere in the western hemisphere. Masonry type work
everywhere. Hand labor, digging, cutting, building, herding, and on and
on. |
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And as we drove,
there was the distinct class difference. Somewhere there is
wealth. A strong presence of marketing with huge billboards
advertising goods and services, I guess, based on the photo
images—it was all in Chinese of course.
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The most amazing
part of the visit to Mutianyu (moo-tan-yu) was the fact that we
ran into another home school family from Greensboro. Neither of
us knew the other was going to be in China, much less the Great
Wall at the same time. The Shelley family is visiting China
with his parents. Cindy had just met Kim last week when Kim
Shelley was part of a presentation on home schooling for high
school. We spent some time visiting and got a group picture.
We’ll reunite back home for a visit. |
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The Great Wall was outside
of the 6 Ring Road from Beijing and then some—about 1 ½ hours from our
hotel north east of Beijing. I guess you could say we saw more of the
suburbs. Lunch was at KFC. The chicken tasted like the secret recipe,
with a few additional Chinese menu options. Blake and Ethan were shocked
when they went into the bathroom and found a “squatty potty”. I think
that says it all. I did get a photo, but maybe we’ll share that later.
It seemed like KFC, but the squatty potty was uncharacteristic of the
colonel. |
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Again, it’s easy to compare
Chinese culture to western culture and draw inaccurate conclusions. It
is obvious that the extreme graciousness we have found to be
characteristic of these folks is consistent wherever we go. The
communication barrier can be very frustrating. You only hope they sense
that you are appreciative of what they have done for you through sign
language and body language. |
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As a Chinese
American family we can share our stories with Levi as he grows
and he will know that he has a double blessing of inheritance.
“We are aliens in a foreign land.”
Excitement is
building. We leave bright and early tomorrow to head to Levi’s
Province-Fujian. PR’s—Tim’s sinuses have really been affected
by the dry, dusty climate, travel to Fuzhou, everyone’s health,
and safety as they bring Levi to the capitol; more than likely
the first time for him in a vehicle. |
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