Before our flight to Beijing, we went to the Xian Muslim market. Xian was a main stop on the Silk Road, as a result many people from the Middle East came and settled there for trade. Their ancestors still call this city home, and preserve the interesting mix of Middle Eastern and Chinese culture. It was a unique experience to see Middle Eastern spices and dried fruit sold side by side with Chinese noodles and silk. I don't think there is any other place in the world where these two cultures have combined for as long as they have in Xian. We bought some dried Kiwis, which were so delicious, we also bought some silk scarves.
After the market, it was time to head to the airport. Our flight was delayed for over an hour, so we had time relax at the airport. We spent the time catching up more, along with some Ipod jamming. We were glad to board our plane after the delay, excited to see Beijing.
By the time we got to Beijing, it was pretty late, so we walked around our hotel. We tried to find Wanfujing (a market), but we couldn't find it. We did find a nearby convenience store, so we bought some snacks.
The next day was the big day: The Great Wall. This was the place we were most excited to see. We got up early and first went to the Ming Tombs. The tombs are home to many of the royalty from the Ming Dynasty. It covers a large area with multiple mounds holding the burial chambers of each of the emperors. What was interesting is that all of the emperors were buried close to each other, except for the last Ming emperor. He chose to be buried away from his ancestors because the dynasty fell during his reign. He was so ashamed by this dishonor that he requested to be buried away from his ancestors that built the kingdom that he lost.
We didn't get to see inside the tombs because most of them have been left untouched. We did get to walk the Sacred Way, the path to the tombs. You can see the hills that the tombs are housed from there, so that was pretty neat. It is an area that is filled with so much history, but then again China is overflowing with so much history in every nook and cranny.
After the Sacred Way, we drove to the Wall. Like the Terracotta Warriors, it is hard to describe such a historic and cultural place. We went to the area of the wall near Beijing that has been restored to its original state (a lot of the wall has fallen into ruin over time). It sent chills down my back to stand on a wall that has seen so many dynasties pass, yet remains unchanged. I think that descibes the Chinese people as a whole: They have seen so much change over their history with dynasties overthrowing each other, yet they remain one distinct people. Through all of the turmoil in their history they have kept their cultural identity. It is an incredible feeling to stand where Chinese guards walked this wall protecting China from Northern invaders over two thousand years ago.
We spent the afternoon walking the Wall. The size of the Wall is unbelievable. It was united during the reign of the emperor that built the Terracotta Warriors. One aspect of the Wall that really struck me is that many of the builders were born and worked at the Wall, and were buried in the Wall when they died. The Wall has been called the tomb of the Chinese people because so many people were buried in its walls.
It really hit me when our guide said "China's greatest resource has always been people." You see it through China's history: leaders who believed that people were expendable means to and end. It really breaks my heart that this remains the same today. Sure China is communist, a "People's Government" but the government continues this legacy of using people to reach a goal, regardless of the cost. If the government tells you to move so they can build something, you do it, no question. Enemies of the government can be executed without a trial. The list of goes on and on. It really angers me to see a small group of thugs controlling and manipulating a people the way the Chinese government does. I think the Chinese people have lived with this kind of control for so long, over two thousand years, that they don't question it. From the Chinese people I have met, they agree there are problems with their government, but they don't believe it is the peoples place to fix it. It is such a foreign mentality for this very independent, opinionated brain of mine.
After an amazing afternoon at the wall, we met my friend Xiao Chen for dinner. Xiao Chen went to school with me at SCH. She is such a sweetheart and has been excited to meet me and my family in Beijing since I told her we were planning to come back in October. She left SCH in December to start school again in Beijing, so it was great to see her again and hear about her new semester. She met us at our hotel, and was overjoyed to meet the girls. She took us to a nearby restaurant where we had some spicy Chinese food. It was good, but Mom and Hannah had a hard time with the temperature of the food.
After dinner, we went to see Tienanmen Square at night. It was gorgeous to see this huge square light up at night. Tienanmen is the largest square in the world, so we spent quite some time walking around. It was neat to see this place that has so much significance in modern China with a friend who could tell us so many stories about the square. It wasn't crowded at night, so we practically had the square to ourselves, apart from the guards that stand watch 24/7.
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