The Great Wall

I was bundled up like a kid about to tube down a snowy hillside. We were waiting in line as I bounced up and down on my toes with excitement. I wasnʼt sure exactly what to expect, but snow or hail—I didnʼt care. I was determined to climb this mighty fortress known as The Great Wall. I glanced down at my ticket, squinting at the elegant Chinese characters printed on my stub appearing to be like tiny pictures. One character looked as if it were bending and twisting like a tree in the wind. Yet another looked as if it were a person playing kickball. It reminded me of a calligraphy class I had taken earlier, where I dipped my pen into the inky black, coal-like liquid and swept my brush across the thin rice paper. I remembered watching as my characters danced and twirled across the pages. Perhaps this is why they’re called characters, after all.

I spotted our tour guide—waving eagerly towards us. He held a sign that read “SAS”—our Semester At Sea voyage acronym—in bold blue lettering that matched his distinguished jacket.

“My name is Tony,” he said smiling, with a quick nod. “Please, ask me anything you like, you are very welcome to China.”

I smiled and shoved my knitted teddy bear hat onto my head. My heart jumped with excitement as we sped past the airport through the city of Beijing. The city is insanely cool—with a plethora of neon lights during the sparkling nights. Electric lights flew by as I pressed my nose against the chilly window. I reminisced earlier how Tiananmen Square had unforgiving winter wind that blasted across our faces in the shivering cold. It was a beautiful but bitterly cold experience, something I hadn’t experienced since my hometown of Wisconsin winters.

We sped through the city as Chinaʼs flashing colors of red and yellow could be seen basically everywhere. It was the New Year, or “sheen neean kwai luh” as they say, in their welcoming tone. Thousands of festive red lanterns swung in tree branches like bells ringing in a chapel. The city literally sparked with life. Downtown streets were filled with vendors and bustling as if it were New York City on steroids. Tiny cars blasted their horns. Restaurants splashed with color lit up in the night skies. Bikes glided across the streets and bounce to a rhythm as countless pedestrians milled throughout the streets. I smiled and thought about the cute group of school children I had met earlier, all matching in bright red vests. They saw our student group in the square and didnʼt just greet us with a “ni hao”, but simultaneously and enthusiastically shouted “hello!” with a giant wave of energy. It was enough to make my heart melt like a gooey Hershey chocolate kiss.

During our trip, someone pointed out a tall apartment building, and I noticed that they were stacked neatly like giant building blocks. Tony the tour guide explained that when young couples wanted to get married, they needed a stable job to pay for one of these high-rise flats, including taking care of their elders.

“The legal age for marriage is twenty-two for a young man and twenty for a young lady,” he said.

I soon realised that the young Chinese had many responsibilites, such as taking care of the older generation along with juggling their work. As the younger generation grows they set out to take care of two sets of parents, along with themselves. This is without the help of siblings due to the one child policy. But times have changed for China.

“In 2013, the government passed a law for young couples to have option of having two children,” Tony said, with a swift nod.

China’s fast paces of development is continuing to accelerate like a futuristic time machine. I rested my hand on my chin and pondered what the future held for China, but my thoughts were interrupted by Tonyʼs loud and happy announcement: “finally, we’ve arrived. Welcome to the Great Wall, everyone!”

Tony waved us towards the entrance in pure excitement and, to my blessed surprise, we were greeted by the warmth of the sun that shone gently on my face. We hopped on a chair lift that quickly swept us high above the horizon. The afternoon sun peeked behind gorgeous fluffy clouds and I snuggled my nose under my wooly-knit mustard scarf. I gripped onto my safety latch as I peered at The Great Wall that snaked across the hills in a fine white line. As we arrived to the top, I could see the east from the west, and hills and valleys that stretched as far as my eyes could possibly see.

Vendors eagerly awaited the sidelines for a chance to sell us weary travelers a furry scarf or warm pair of gloves. I almost succumbed to purchasing an adorably cute panda bear hat with fuzzy black ears. My feet were stable. I felt firm and tall. Like The Great Wall. Itʼs beauty left me breathless. Not to mention after climbing the first few flights of stony stairs. At one point, our group was sitting down and scooting inch by inch vertically as we went down or up the hill. We were laughing and stumbling throughout the pathways, soaking up the enchanting history around us. The Great Wall is certainly worthy of its title. Heavy stone bricks are laid perfectly row after row, evolving in a castle-like formation. I noticed tiny holes inside the blocks that were most likely for soldiers to spy through from ancient times. I envisioned what it would be like long ago, standing guard with my eyes glued beyond the mighty fortress for potentially dangerous intruders. I paused and sat down in wonderment.

I almost couldn’t get up after my legs were exhausted from the uphill journey. But I felt a cool breeze of relief as I realised we wouldn’t be climbing down the wall. Before our journey ended, we were ushered by some friendly guides that helped strap us into a toboggan. We slid down the hill in a miraculously long slide. My heart rushed as I sped downhill and I ended in a pile of laughter as I arrived at the bottom. I stared back up at the wall and breathed in the spine-chilling cold Beijing air. I silently made a wish: I knew Iʼd be back.

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