Today was a very busy day as always. We started out with a very early rise,
around 5 am. By 5:30 am, we were on the bus and leaving the hotel on our
way to the Great Wall. During our readings and after Great Wall expert
David Spindler's presentation before we left, I learned that the Great Wall
as we know it does not really exist. Instead of being a singular wall, it
is actually a series of different defensive fortifications. This doesn't
make it any less impressive. The section that we traveled to, called
Jinshanling, was incredibly beautiful. Located at the top of a high
mountain ridge and stretching for miles, the views and sheer scale of the
wall section were an amazing sight. I couldn't help but think about how
difficult it must have been to simply move all of the stone up the
mountains to build the wall, and especially so in the 1500's when it was
created.
Next, we traveled to the village of Gubeikou, which is located right near
the Jinshanling section of the wall. You can actually see a number of old
defensive fortifications in the mountains from the town. Gubeikou seemed to
be pretty similar to many of the smaller communities that we've visited,
with hutong-like homes with courtyards. While not noticeably well off, it
seemed that the farmers there lived a comfortable life. While at the town,
we had a delicious homemade lunch at a local farmer's hotel. All of the
food was wonderful, and everyone had a lot of fun playing with the dogs and
looking at the sheep and fresh produce grown at the farm.
After lunch, we met Ms. Shan Guiyan and discussed her influence on the
town as vice-mayor. She also gave us a very in-depth explanation about
her work with the
Women's Federation in the town and surrounding area, as well as her work
with birth control and reproductive health education. In the middle of her
presentation, the new head of the village, a Communist Party member, showed up
to say hello. There was quite a feeling of tension in the room. He appeared
to be almost exactly as what one would imagine the typical fat-cat party
member member would look like. He played the part as well, sticking to the
official party line, speaking in soliloquies about Mao and Deng Xiaoping.
Only after a lot of pressure did he reveal that he made a fortune in the
construction business. This was one of the most interesting things that
happened because it provided a perspective on what newer generations with
new ideas are attempting to do to create real change (Ms. Shan) and those
who might prove to be an obstacle to their progress (Mr. Party member).
(Note: Ms. Shan is also a Party member.)
Despite the slight tension, everyone left with a feeling of the villager's
generosity. While they do not have much, they were willing to share
everything with us. For example, when one of the farmers hosting us saw
that we liked a Radish that she showed us, she went out and picked a whole
bunch and gave one to everybody. Visiting with these generous and kind
people was a very great lesson in humility, and I know that I will take
much more time to stop and think about how lucky I am to have what I do.
After a couple hours' bus ride home and showers, we went out to a lavish
Duck dinner at a restaurant near Qianmen and had a great time. We needed
this because we will be on an overnight train from Beijing to Nanjing
tonight, leaving at around 9:30 pm and arriving in Nanjing 8:30 am the next
day. I'm looking forward to seeing what that's going to be like!
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