We had another early start, as the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is a two hour drive from Beijing. Our first stop was at a jade factory. I had no idea jade comes not only in green, but also in red, lilac, white, black, and gold. We got to watch a carver and a polisher. The work is amazing. Of course, we were lured into a couple purchases. I got Dick a ring, and he bought me a set - necklace, bracelet, and earrings of the multiple colors of jade.
Next, we visited one of the Ming Tombs. There are 13 on the outskirts of Beijing, and they are World Heritage sites. The last pavilion at the tomb we visited was SO large. The view from the top of it was wonderful.
From there, we drove to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. It is a bit less crowded than the Badling section. according to our guide. We learned that there were originally seven kingdoms in China. When one of the emperors united the kingdoms, the wall was built as a way to travel from one to the next. Not only is it one of the 10 great constructed sites in the world; it is also the world's largest graveyard, as thousands lost their lives in its construction. Being there, it is easy to understand this fact.
Dick and I chose to take a ski chair up to the wall. Once there, we had the option of going left or right. One way was "shorter," but steeper. Given our time restrictions, we chose that direction. "Short" was over 1,000 steps one way, with some steps nearly up to my knees in height. It was a sunny, hot day, and I was beet-red by the time I completed the journey. Dick didn't quite make it the full way, but a nice Aussie helped me on some of those steep stairs. We had great fun going down alpine slides to return to the base of the mountain.
Dozing on the way back to Beijing, we had one more stop - the Olympic Park. It had shooting fountains that reminded me of the ones in Atlanta's Olympic Park. The Water Cube, built for swimming events, was unique, and it has a shallow "mote" around it that children were taking full advantage of to cool off. I wanted to join them! We also saw the "Bird Cage," built for other Olympic events.
Exhausted and into bed early, as the conference begins on Monday morning!
Next, we visited one of the Ming Tombs. There are 13 on the outskirts of Beijing, and they are World Heritage sites. The last pavilion at the tomb we visited was SO large. The view from the top of it was wonderful.
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| Fabrics found in the pavilions |
From there, we drove to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. It is a bit less crowded than the Badling section. according to our guide. We learned that there were originally seven kingdoms in China. When one of the emperors united the kingdoms, the wall was built as a way to travel from one to the next. Not only is it one of the 10 great constructed sites in the world; it is also the world's largest graveyard, as thousands lost their lives in its construction. Being there, it is easy to understand this fact.
Dick and I chose to take a ski chair up to the wall. Once there, we had the option of going left or right. One way was "shorter," but steeper. Given our time restrictions, we chose that direction. "Short" was over 1,000 steps one way, with some steps nearly up to my knees in height. It was a sunny, hot day, and I was beet-red by the time I completed the journey. Dick didn't quite make it the full way, but a nice Aussie helped me on some of those steep stairs. We had great fun going down alpine slides to return to the base of the mountain.
Dozing on the way back to Beijing, we had one more stop - the Olympic Park. It had shooting fountains that reminded me of the ones in Atlanta's Olympic Park. The Water Cube, built for swimming events, was unique, and it has a shallow "mote" around it that children were taking full advantage of to cool off. I wanted to join them! We also saw the "Bird Cage," built for other Olympic events.
Exhausted and into bed early, as the conference begins on Monday morning!
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