American World traveler Spring 2017 Issue

“It’s easy for her! Wait till she’s over
80 like me.”
39
Seven Wonders of the World’
Reaching the top, I rested and soon I felt
better. “They must have been super soldiers
those who manned the Wall in the bygone
ages”, I reflected. I could not believe that
as a daily routine, these soldiers would have
to run up and down the steep steps.
landmark on earth that is visible from outer
space, but not from the moon as some
would have us believe. It has been
declared by UNESCO ‘One of the World’s
Cultural Heritages’ and, hence, has
become a cultural legacy for all the nations
of the world.
However, despite this significance, only
parts of the Wall remain. In places, sections
of the Wall have disappeared through neglect
or have been razed, roadways have
been cut through the Wall, and other parts
became the source of building materials for
peasant farmers. Yet, the Wall continues to
draw millions of tourists who come to marvel
at this stunning witness to Chinese history.
Tumbling out of our bus some 70 km (44
mi) from Beijing, at first glance, I was
thrilled as I surveyed the Badaling section of
the Great Wall, built in the 16th century,
towering before us. In recent years, this
part of the Great Wall has been repaired
and the Great Wall Museum, Badaling
Cable-way and other tourist facilities have
been built near the Wall. After these renovations,
more than 80 million visitors,
including 300 heads of state and other
celebrities, have visited the Wall.
Soon I was standing atop this historical creation
of man. On both sides of me, the
Wall snaked up and down mountain-sides
far into the distance. Walking along I came
to extraordinarily steep angles of the Wall’s
steps, uneven in size and some seemingly
made for giants.
Struggling up to the highest section near the
Badaling Gate, I huffed and puffed, each
step becoming harder and harder to climb.
I was seriously thinking of turning back
when I noticed a woman of perhaps 25
years climbing by my side. Seeing me
painfully making my way up, she smiled as
she passed me. “You’ll make it! It’s not too
far up!” I looked at her, “I doubt that I can
make it!” It was an effort for me to even
grin. “Come on! No pain no gain!” she
advised, as she quickly made her way
upward. I stopped, resting awhile thinking,
As I surveyed the scene I felt that my painful
climb had been worthwhile. From my vantage
point, I got a good feel as to what
climbing the Wall was all about. It was a
clear autumn day and I was able to admire
a breath-taking view of the golden landscape,
a perfect scene for an artist’s brush.
I felt contentment as the cool breezes
soothed me while I relished the picture postcard
view.
“Now it will be easy the way down”, I
thought to myself. How wrong I was! The
path downward, less of an effort than
climbing, was challenging. At certain
points, it seemed to me the steps fell straight
down. At other times, I almost stumbled
due to the uneven distance of the steps, but
steadying myself on the side rail, I made my
way to the bottom.
However, in a short while, my struggles and
pains were soon forgotten and the Wall
again became a place of fantasy. Back on
the ground, after the two hours that I had
spent atop China’s most well-known historic
site, I remembered Chairman Mao’s words,
“You will not be a great man if you do not
climb the Great Wall.” “Was I a great man
now?” I smiled to myself. In any case, I
had fulfilled a dream.
On our way back to Beijing, while discussing
the Wall and Chinese history, our
guide summed it all up as he announced,
“The Wall was built to keep out the
Barbarians from the north, but today its
function has changed. It is drawing visitors
from the four corners of the globe to gaze
upon the handiwork of our forefathers.
Imagine, our ancestors are still helping us -
this time drawing in the dollars.”
www.tourismchina.org
American World Traveler Spring 2017