Beijing 2

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Day 23 (April 4)

Next day was a 2 hour plus private bus ride to the Great wall at Mutianyu. Another perfect Beijing day complete with blue skies. We chose to climb the steps from the carpark to reach the wall. The steps were steep and not so easy a walk but you do feel that you have to earn the right to be there. Then there was more climbing up on the wall itself as it follows the crests of the hills.

It is hard to take in that you are actually on such an historic place.

I walked as far as the return cablecar deciding that the next stage (up to the highest point I’d leave for when I returned in a couple of days time).

Lunch was on the wall in one of the turret things (watchtowers) that were every kilometre or so and which offered a cool place to stop. There are bread top bakeries in Beijing and I had the best pumpkin one (filled with mashed pumpkin and topped with strips of raw pumpkin and pumpkin seeds (so very not Chinese).

On our return journey we stopped off to see the Birds Nest and Water Cube. Our farewell dinner was the famous Peking/Beijing Duck (amongst many other delicious dishes including jelly fish).

Day 1-3 (April 5-7)

I moved Hotels to link up with my next trip. I met my room mate and we headed out for some supplies for the next days trip to the Great Wall and a walk. Dinner in the evening (including more Peking/Beijing Duck) with our group of 12 plus our leader and a trainee leader.

Next day was another beautiful day in Beijing. It is such a pleasant city to be in. A little less traffic to the same part of the wall meant half an hour less on the bus. I caught the cablecar up and started the walk from where I had left off two days ago. This section was mostly up and quite challenging, the final stretch in particular, so there were many “photo” stops to catch my breath. Many more blossoms were out and the skies were even clearer.

Another stop at the Olympic stadiums on the way back - this time with a charged camera battery! In the evening we went to the Kung Fu show. This is a permanent show in Beijing that has Kung Fu skills and beliefs set into a story. We all really enjoyed it, and it helped that there were English subtitles displayed. No photography allowed in this one.

The following day was a tour to Ti’anAnmen square and Forbidden city again, but it was interesting to have a different local guide as you get different anecdotes and views.

The remainder of the day was spent getting supplies for the start of our train journey. The supermarket at the Oriental plaza near my first hotel had great variety including some important things like camping cutlery set and travel mug (which I’d completely not thought to get before I left).

Feeling better prepared it was time to head out for the Beijing Opera. Only three of us went. It was the real deal (the one the locals go to not just the one that has been abbreviated for tourists) so there were no English subtitles and it went over two and a half hours. They were filming it live to TV as it is still popular form of entertainment.

I think I got the gist of the story line - young girl encounters a man down on his luck having fainted from hunger. She persuades her father (as only a daughter can) to take him in and one thing led to another and she was again persuading her father to let her marry against the fathers better judgement. The daughter persuaded her father to help her husband obtain a better position (at some cost to the father) and over time the couple moved up through the societal ranks.

The husband however became more and more arrogant and treated the father with no respect and the daughter with no love. Eventually the daughter stood up to the husband (on a ship) and the husband pushed her overboard. However, the daughter did not drown but was rescued and taken in by the ruling family of the area. Unbeknownst to her father and husband. The final scene is a very long telling off of the husband by the daughter when he is summoned to the ruling family and is surprised to find his wife there. He is demoted and banished and the daughter is able to have her father reinstated in honour.

I’m sure that there was a lot more happening and a lot more subtleties (and jokes) that I missed but I was happy that I could make sense of it (or at least to make up my idea of the story). The style of singing is very unique and it has only been in the last 80 odd years that women were even involved in the performances (previously men took on the female roles as well). A great way to spend the last night in Beijing which is a city I really enjoyed spending time in.

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Photos

The Wall
Looking back

The wall and surrounding mountains
Day 2

View from the top
Worth the climb

Looking forward
Surrounded by blossoms

Red Theatre
Kung Fu Show

Forbidden City
Second Visit

Forbidden City 4
Gardens

Old Beijing Rail Station
Now a museum