The day started with a
bus trip to the Great Wall of China. We got there in about a half-an-hour, but
that was just to the bottom of the summit. We did not pay for the ski lift to
the top so we needed to climb 1200 steep steps in order to get to the wall. I
am not the most in-shape person in the world so despite the weather being
slightly chilly, I was sweaty and gasping for air along with half of the class
when we got to the top. When we reached the wall, I noticed there were steep
peaks and valleys in the walkway and when we encountered steps, they were steep
and their angles and size were uneven.
It was a struggle, but
we finally reached the summit of what was left of the wall and our group took a
picture together after sharing some drinks. There was a surprise for us when we
began to descend the wall. There was a toboggan slide that we could ride in
order to get to the bottom of the summit. Because of my weight, I got stuck
midway through the slide, but I was eventually able to pull my way down the
slide and keep on going. When leaving the wall, I was in awe. The wall reminded
me of how far back Chinese history goes and how it makes the length of our
history seem miniscule. The Chinese started construction of this wall-with
amazing architecture for the time- more than two thousand years ago. Our
country’s first account of significant history came less than 400 years ago.
Also, the Chinese soldiers that patrolled this wall must have been really
in-shape. We visited a second important landmark called the Temple of Heaven.
The significance of the Temple of Heaven is that the Emperor of China would go
to the Temple in order to pray to their gods for a good harvest in the upcoming
season. What really stood out to me was the architecture of the temple. It was
very beautiful and it was a sharp contrast to the buildings in the inner city
of Beijing.
We ended our visit with
a 30 minute tai-chi lesson and I really enjoyed it. Tai-chi is very popular in
Beijing and I saw many senior citizens practice it as a recreational activity.
I also had my first experience with a native who desperately wanted my picture.
He didn’t understand me, but when I showed that he could take a photo with me,
the old man ran towards me as fast as he could with the most excited look on
his face. We ended the night with a formal dinner in which we introduced
ourselves in broken Chinese and we listened to a speech from a Beijing start-up
company CEO who was a Pitt Alum. He talked about the ups and downs between
working in the U.S. vs. working in China as well as building start-up companies
in foreign places. The talk was helpful because foreign business ventures were
a very common topic during our trip.
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