Day 3: Still in Beijing

So today we went to the Great Wall of China. The section we went to was an hour and a half drive out of Beijing, and had been restored a few times, most recently about 10 yrs ago. We drove through increasingly rural areas surrounding the sprawl of Beijing. As we got farther into the countryside the construction became more and more jumbled, irregular, and apparently perpetually unfinished. There were a number of "resorts" that looked abandoned and decrepit. In between were tree farms, flower nurseries and settlements of farmers. I wish I had photos to show you, but whizzing by on a bus is not a good vantage point from which to shoot. I found lots of what I was seeing inexplicable. (This actually applies to lots of what I've seen since I've been here, actually....) The guide was not much help, as she spent the entire trip talking about the Chinese Zodiac, and then about the history of the Great Wall. Along with the brand new cars on the road we saw increasing numbers of people on scooters, bicycles, and even a few ancient men on ancient horse carts.

The section of the wall we toured was reachable by a fairly new aerial tram. To get to it we walked uphill through a gauntlet of vendors, each hawking identical wares, using the universally appealing come on "Hello, lady". Eveyone wanted to sell us tee shirts, postcards and magnets for $1. They at least were much less persistent than their counterparts in Beijing, who I have actually elbowed out of my way in a number of the tourist sites. 

There were the requisite unintentionally amusing signs and again inexplicable sights. 

    

Then there was the wall. Though pretty buffed up and restored, it still had an ancient mystery that was hard to deny. 

Here's proof I was actually there:

I think there's some kind of rule that every tourist in China has to be photographed atop the wall. I did my duty. 

After the wall we ate lunch at a "Farmer's Restaurant" close by. Lots of fresh veggies and interesting sauces, and I had my first Szechuan peppercorn experience of the trip. These little buds don't actually make food hot, but they do cause a tingling and buzzing sensation on your tongue that enhanced the heat. Ymmy. 

On the way back into the city center we stopped at an arts district built into building that had once been part of a military supplies manufacturing complex. Called "District 798" after the government designation of the facility, it is now indistiguishable from any arts district in any US city. Looks like Santa Fe's Canyon Road,  or Melrose Ave. in LA, or even a bit like Alberta Street in Portland. Lots of excruciatingly fashionable hipster youth, sleekly designed restored industrial spaces, art galleries, cafes. And lots of public art. I'm not sure what any of these sculptures were about, but they definitely made the street scene lively. 

 

 

It really felt nothing like any other part of Beijing I've seen. 

Tonight there was a reception for the Chinese parents of current Bryn Mawr students. Mary Pat McPherson (a previous presidnet of the college, and one of the participants on this trip) spoke about the value of a liberal arts education and took questions from the parents. (all of this interpreted by June Mei.) Unexpectedly Pat  handed the microphone to me (following several other alums) to talk about the effect of the Bryn Mawr education on our subsequent careers. Since I had no warning this was going to happen, I had to come up with some sort of answer to that question that was coherent and reflected well on the institution, really fast. Other people told me afterwards that what I said was effective and interesting, which was good to hear, because in my head it sounded like gibberish. 

My roommate arrived tonight, and tomorrow embarks the main portion of the tour. We have one more day in Beijing, then we hit the road.