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By Gavin Jon Mowat
One thing that really speaks volumes about the
achievements of the Chinese people is the manner in which the Great Wall of
China enjoys recognition from almost every single human being on the planet. It
alone is reason enough for some people to travel thousands of miles to China,
and it completely lives up to expectations. Well, almost, I hear you can't
actually see the Great Wall from space.
So for any budding space
tourists who are thinking about going to marvel at the Great Wall from earth's
outer atmosphere, perhaps you would be wise to plant your feet firmly on the
ground and walk along the staircases and ramparts like the rest of us. Many
famous heads of state and dignitaries have scaled the Great Wall, following
Chairman Mao's example after he said; "If you haven't been to the Great Wall,
you aren't a real man." Since coming to China I have been to three different
sections of the Great Wall, each one making me more a man than the
last…
Mutianyu section;
My first encounter with the Great Wall was
here. Its size, its beauty, the setting and the spectacle of its history made me
and everyone I was with fall silent as we approached. Standing on top of the
Wall for the first time was awe inspiring. It would be a marvelous feet to build
this by today's standards, but while up there I began to think about the people
who built this wall so very long ago. Without today's technology it must have
been very arduous and dangerous work. Keeping out the barbarians from the north,
the Chinese people sacrificed their bodies, their blood, sweat and tears to make
this wall. My friend Kyle summed up our mood when he said "You gotta give them
this, the Chinese have done something amazing here!" And he was absolutely
right, they had.
Seeing, touching and walking on one of
mankind's greatest ever achievements in construction gave me a strange sense of
pride at being a part of the human race. And it was with this feeling that I
walked along the Wall, climbing step after step and resting at the many ramparts
along the way. The views all around were spectacular. Rugged mountains covered
in lush green forests filled the horizon. Walking along the undulating Wall I
felt a great sense of achievement. Not least did I feel a personal achievement
for finally making it to one of the world's great wonders, which had always been
one of my dreams. After walking up hundreds of stairs to get to the wall we
realized there was a chair lift to the top… Exhausted from the climb up, we
unanimously decided not to use our legs to carry us back down; opting instead to
take one of the man made routes – a slide. It didn't feel or look terribly safe;
the only thing reminding us to slow down were a few widely waving guards
strategically placed before every corner. But not to worry, the 1 yuan insurance
made us all feel very safe…
Since that first visit I have been back to
the Mutianyu section of the wall on quite a few occasions, usually with visiting
family or friends. At this part of the Wall I have seen the same donkey 3 times,
posed with guys dressed like warriors, haggled at the stalls and I even got
someone to write the word ‘long' (dragon) in calligraphy on a t-shirt at one of
the ramparts. It's a really stunning place that makes me realize how much we can
achieve when we work together, and not only that the walk up (which I've done
more often than not) really gives you a good work out!
Badaling section;
Probably the most popular
tourist spot on the Wall. Made famous by a visit from Chairman Mao, Richard
Nixon and a host of other visiting dignitaries, Badaling now sees more tourists
each year than any other part of the wall. And for me, this part of the wall was
more challenging. The incline is much steeper than Mutainyu and the stone under
foot is worn smooth by the vast numbers of tourists who come here to "become a
real man". Past the camel and the bears at the foot of the Badaling section, the
views here are also astounding. Vast mountain scenery extends in all directions,
while on the Wall itself, visitors are inclined to feel a sense of
accomplishment when they reach the top.
The thing I found most difficult on this
section of the Wall was the long stretches of smooth paving on steep slopes
which could really do with a few steps. Luckily the walls have handy railings so
it's quite easy to pull yourself up. The Wall is wider here and at some parts
you can see that the two edges next to the wall have been worn down by tourists
using the railings, with the middle section sometimes seeing very little by way
of tourists. These difficulties make it all the more satisfying to reach the
top.
After climbing and sliding in some places,
you can reach the top where Chairman Mao's words are now etched in a plaque to
remind all visitors of their achievement. And to be honest it is a satisfying
one. When I climbed this section is was still cold, but even then there were
still hordes of people at the top. It seems that people really take Mao's words
seriously; I would bet that many millions of Chinese people have now come to
Badaling to climb the Great Wall thanks to Mao's inspiration.
Jingshanling section;
It was 10 below
zero, the section of wall was 10 km long and we were the only people there.
There are 69 ramparts on this stretch of the wall, and we walked all of them.
The Wall at the beginning of the section has been fully repaired, perhaps to
lull you into a false sense of security… For most of the 10 km section is
dilapidated – it's the wild Wall. This section of the Great Wall is an entirely
different experience from the others. For a start, our group was the only people
there. Maybe the fact that we went there in the dead of winter can help explain
that, but I think the rugged terrain is also and important factor keeping away
the bus loads of tour groups.
Some parts of the Wall was like a raised road
with no sides, the ramparts were crumbling and cracking, loose bricks lay
scattered all over. On the steep sections you had to watch your footing. To add
to the spirit of adventure a bunch of locals walked the length of the Wall with
us as ‘guides' just in case… But it turns out they were just following us trying
to get us to buy things. It's not as exciting but its very ‘China'. There were a
couple of places on this section of the wall that really got my nerves shaking.
One such occasion was when we encountered a narrow and very steep staircase that
was not guarded by walls on either side. In fact the only guard there was a
Chinese guy ensuring everyone's safe passage. Although I'm not quite sure how he
was supposed to stop anyone from falling.
Of course the views here were utterly
spectacular, and when the Jinshanling section joins the Simatai section there is
a great suspension bridge to cross, which was great fun. If the Wall was not
hard enough to overcome, your spirit might just be broken by the guards who will
make you pay for the privilege of entering the Simatai section. Of course you
can run past without paying if you like, but as one of our group discovered the
guards will follow you a long way. In fact I think they would have followed her
home if she hadn't decided to pay.
Jinshanling is surely one of the most
beautiful places I have had the pleasure of going to. It feels very wild and
untamed despite the fact that you are walking on a man made wall. I think that's
the beauty of it. Humans made this wall, then over time nature, battle damage
and more humans have made the Wall more challenging than ever. My dad would say
to me when I was young, "drink that, it'll put hair on your chest." It was a way
of telling me that if I did something, I would grow up – become a man. Well,
after climbing that section of the Wall I really think I can say that climbing
the Jinshanlin section of the Great Wall will put hairs on my
chest!
Perhaps Chairman Mao should have said "If you
haven't been to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, you aren't a real
man".
