I keep forgetting that we are 12 hours ahead of Maine, so when I say today, I mean yesterday for you guys. It is 7:40 am July 7th here. It is 7:40 pm July 6th there.
So your today my yesterday, we trekked the Great Wall. I was hesitant and nervous as those of you who know me well know my fear of heights. My knees lock, palms sweat, and I feel like I want to scream. Couple this with being in a climate that sees your body produce more sweat than ever seemed possible, it makes for an interesting and exhausting day.
I met my fears on the Great Wall, and gave into them at first, but slowly and surprisingly, came out of it just a little bit. Progress.
The Great Wall of China, contrary to popular belief, cannot be seen from space, nor is it one massive wall. The wall you see was actually not the first version built. The wall plays a central role in the identity of China. There is a famous quote attributed to Mao Zedong that goes something along the lines of, "If we fail to reach the Wall, we are not men."
Different regimes had been building walls forever thanks to invaders from the north and later, the Mongols, who went on to establish their own dynasty in China, otherwise known as the Yuan Dynasty.
To repel northern invaders, the Chinese built walls out of beaten earth. Numerous sections of this existed. The first Emperor of China, Qin Shih Huangdi set out to stop northern invasion by joining older walls from East to West. Constant invasions led to chaos in Chinese life. Harmony and order were the goals and still are today in China. The result was the first wall built, known as The Long Wall attempted to solve this problem of chaos.
Front gate. This area is being developed fast, which mirrors a lot of places in China today. The welcoming area for this part of the wall was just built.
You hop on a bus that takes you up to the entrance area.
The wall that exists today was built during the Ming Dynasty (1300s). They had an aggressive policy towards their northern neighbors. And for good reason. One young Ming emperor was sick of the northern invaders coming in and causing chaos. So he set out to take them down himself. His Confucian advisers hated the idea due to the strenth of the northern groups. They tried to warn him. The Mongols tracked him the whole way and when the time was right, pounced. The young emperor was found in the middle of a field crying when they took him hostage and demanded ransom. He was eventually returned and it was decided that the wall was no longer an option. It was a necessity.
When we got off the bus I looked to my right, and low and behold, at the foot of the mountain sat a Subway. Gross. Really? Here?
We started to hike up.
Foot of the mountain and entrance.
These are my people. They are an incredible group of educators and will all be featured in a post coming soon. All of them have traveled and are dedicated to global education in a big way. It is nice to be surrounded with like-minded individuals who think outside of the box. The future post will explain exactly what they do and where they have gone. Stay tuned.
The Great Wall is handicap accessible.
My heart dropped when I saw this. A chairlift. To bring us up, up, up.
This is my friend Margy. She just loves heights too. NOT.
At one point we were so high I had to actually close my eyes and my hands hurt from the death grip I kept on the bar.
I made this video for Jenny.
There were places on the wall that people left names on, not all over, but in certain places set aside for it.
I left some names myself. . .
Who could forget the best school? Left our name there too Red Eddies.
The Ming wall measures over 5,500 miles. 3,889 mile sections of actual wall, 223 miles of trenches, and 1,387 miles of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.
What was stunning is just how steep some sections were. Some areas had handrails. Most did not.
Anyone who has climbed with me before should not be the least surprised by these photos.
Margy draws everything.
Clara and Yolanda are checking things out.
In areas all over the wall you could see graffiti old school knife carving style.
Some of the wall is really slanted.
This is my roomie, Amy. She has more energy than just about anyone on this trip.
Many children in China are not shy about coming up and testing out their English.
You can get a beer at one of the guard stations for about 50 Yuan or 8 dollars. Leah tested it out. Soda, water and snacks are all available at exorbitant prices. I cannot begin to possibly convey just how muggy and hot it really was up there. Add climbing and it made for a very very sweaty adventure.
Families picnic along the wall.
This is Harold. He is a professor of Chinese and Japanese history classes. He is one of our guides throughout our stay. His instruction is direct and he makes content understandable for all.
Some steps aren't so easy to climb.
Lindsey is making me very nervous here. This is probably one of my favorite pics of her so far on this trip. She has an amazing ability to see things from all points of view. That is an uncommon and fabulous characteristic to find in an individual. So cool.
So the trip down was a lot easier than the one up. There is a toboggan slide that lasts for about 5 minutes from top to bottom.
So your today my yesterday, we trekked the Great Wall. I was hesitant and nervous as those of you who know me well know my fear of heights. My knees lock, palms sweat, and I feel like I want to scream. Couple this with being in a climate that sees your body produce more sweat than ever seemed possible, it makes for an interesting and exhausting day.
I met my fears on the Great Wall, and gave into them at first, but slowly and surprisingly, came out of it just a little bit. Progress.
The Great Wall of China, contrary to popular belief, cannot be seen from space, nor is it one massive wall. The wall you see was actually not the first version built. The wall plays a central role in the identity of China. There is a famous quote attributed to Mao Zedong that goes something along the lines of, "If we fail to reach the Wall, we are not men."
Different regimes had been building walls forever thanks to invaders from the north and later, the Mongols, who went on to establish their own dynasty in China, otherwise known as the Yuan Dynasty.
To repel northern invaders, the Chinese built walls out of beaten earth. Numerous sections of this existed. The first Emperor of China, Qin Shih Huangdi set out to stop northern invasion by joining older walls from East to West. Constant invasions led to chaos in Chinese life. Harmony and order were the goals and still are today in China. The result was the first wall built, known as The Long Wall attempted to solve this problem of chaos.
Front gate. This area is being developed fast, which mirrors a lot of places in China today. The welcoming area for this part of the wall was just built.
I made this video for Jenny.
When it was all said and done, I am glad I climbed the wall even if in some spots it was on my hands and knees whimpering and screaming constantly inside my head. All is well that ends well.
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