Going Places – Beijing

(Continued)

The next day we took a drive out of the city to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, Wan Li Chang Cheng. It is unquestionably the single most important tourist attraction in all of China. It is impossible to see more than a relatively small section at one visit, however, a few enthusiasts have actually hiked the entire 2,500 miles (4,000 km) of the wall that is visible today. As an effective defense mechanism against invaders from the north, the wall turned out to be a failure, as the Mongul attack in 1211 proved. Wind and weather have lead to erosion and decay over the following centuries and not much was done in terms of upkeep until the mid 1980s. Today, the Chinese government is much more aware of the Great Wall’s value as a source of income from tourism and is taking steps to ensure long-term preservation.

Back from our excursion outside the city, we continued our sightseeing tour with a visit to the Summer Palace and its vast imperial gardens. In fact, there are two summer palaces outside Beijing and both were used as getaways by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. The older one, Yuanmingyuan, was largely destroyed in the mid 19th century by foreign troops during the “Second Opium War.” The new Summer Palace, Yiheyuan, was built as a replacement shortly thereafter. The surrounding pleasure gardens are a popular weekend destination for countless visitors in search of reprieve from city life. Picnics and boat rides on the Kunming Lake are among the many recreational activities that can be enjoyed here. A somewhat perplexing curiosity is the Marble Boat that sits idly by the lakeshore. It is a two-story structure in the shape of a vessel, entirely made of marble stone. Needless to say, it won’t float.

There is no doubt that the people of Beijing have an enduring love affair with their city’s many parks. Tiantan, Longtan, Ditan and Beihai, the Northern Sea Park, are the larger greeneries, but there are countless more. People of all ages and walks of life come here to rest, go for a leisurely stroll, do breathing exercises or join a group of Qigong- or Tai Chi practitioners. Even opera singing and ballroom dancing are commonly performed in public. Foreigners are welcome to participate if they choose to do so. Playing badminton or slow motion tennis with the locals can be a perfect way to meet and overcome language barriers.

Tiantan Park is Beijing’s largest and most popular open space. At its center lies the Temple of Heaven, Tiantan, a complex of spectacular imperial buildings once used by the Ming and Qing emperors for religious ceremonies. At winter solstice, China’s rulers came here to honor their ancestors and pray for good harvest for the coming year.

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