The Great Wall and Ming Tombs

The Great Wall is 8,860 km long - and one of China's best-known attractions. Several passages have been rebuilt several times, as not all emperors have had the same focus and interest in the wall. In total, the Chinese have built 20,000 km of wall over time to protect themselves. They were, among other things, tired of the Mongol attacks from the north. The wall had to be built so high and complicated that a horse could not jump over it. The wall is built at the top along a mountain ridge, so there are steep sides down that make it even more difficult to pass it. There are watchtowers where the guards kept a lookout for the enemy and they could communicate with each other by making smoke signals. It doesn't matter how big and strong a wall is if it's a corrupt guard looking out. The Mongols managed to bribe a guard to let them pass the wall. There are several places along The Great Wall that you can visit. Some places have been restored, and in other places you can see the original wall. There are passages suitable for every level. There are more than these 3, but here is something for everyone. Badaling is a section which has been restored - with the possibility of seeing old parts of the wall from a distance. Most tourists visit this section. The vast majority of tourists in this country are Chinese, who are themselves on holiday and sight seeing in their own country. If you visit this place, it is said that you get a really good sense of how many Chinese there really are in this country. At all the tourist attractions we have visited, the majority of visitors have always been Chinese. Because Badaling is the most visited stretch, hopeful sellers are teeming all over. Mutianyu offers the opportunity to see both the new and the old part of the wall up close. We chose to visit this stretch and booked a tour through our hotel, 180 yuan per person. person incl. transport, entrance, guide and lunch. If you take the cable car (65 yuan per person round trip), it gives you more time to explore both the new and old walls. There are signs saying that you should not walk on the old wall, as it is very much covered by time, you should just take pictures. Our guide said we could go along it, we just had to be careful. It was exciting to walk up and down the old wall in and out between trees and bushes that grow wild. The descent can be done in 3 ways: hiking, cable car and slide. A slide has been built so that you can plummet down the mountain at great speed. We chose the cable car both ways, so unfortunately we cannot say whether the experience in the roller coaster is worth the money. Huanghua only shows the old, unspoiled and original part of the wall. It is secluded, so you can enjoy The Great Wall without encountering tourists, which is why it is unfortunately also difficult to get to. If you have the time, you can take local buses and spend the night in the city. The authorities have issued a ban on walking on the wall, but no one obeys the ban. If you are unlucky, you can get a fine, but it doesn't sound like the risk is great. It is easy to understand why The Great Wall is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. It looks dramatic as it winds its way through the landscape. We could easily have spent more time than 2 hours if we had to hike even further out on the old part of the wall. Lunch is included in the tour, so we headed for a shop/workshop where jade is processed into jewelry and statues. Such shops usually pay guides to take their tourists there. Our restaurant was at the back of the shop, where we were served a sumptuous meal. It was wildly impressive to walk around the store. The jewelry looked fantastic. There were giant statues of dragons, horses and terracotta warriors. One of them cost 500,000 yuan. The next highlight of the tour was the Ming Tombs, which is an area where 13 emperors are buried. They have all lived in the Forbidden City. 3 of the tombs are open to the public as they are empty. During China's "cultural revolution" from 1966-69, the country's ancient historical past was severely damaged. Some would remove memories from the past. They managed to destroy something before things calmed down again. Each worker had to write his initials on each brick used in the great edifices, so that if the wall failed, one could see who was to blame. The emperors were buried with their wives. Often a couple of concubines also had to be buried with the emperor, so the chosen ones were put to death.The emperor himself saw to it that his tomb was completed before he died. One even held a proper party in it - a somewhat macabre setting for a party deep underground. The old gate to the area has a high doorway, which many older Chinese houses also have, this is because the evil spirits have no knees.