Day 8 - The Great Wall, Beijing Zoo, flying kites and San Le Ton

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I can’t explain how good it was to have an extra hour in bed this morning. It is really exhausting starting class at 8 o’clock every morning. I genuinely think it’s good to get up early and make the most of the morning; it’s just a bit of a shock to the system! Apparently large groups of people practice Tai Ji in the parks at 5 o’clock every morning- I might need to build up to that!

Today is a public holiday called “Tombs Sweeping Day”. The Chinese stop their daily routine and visit the graves of lost relatives. They pay their respect, clean the surrounding area and lay flowers. The date of the holiday was only confirmed by the Government a few weeks ago, perhaps it has some thing to do with the position of the sun?

We went on a group trip to the Great Wall this morning. The roads were a lot busier and the public buses looked absolutely packed with people holding flowers. I find it quite sad that the Chinese have to put a day in the calendar year to dedicate the time to visiting lost relatives. I suppose it is reflective of the busy Chinese lifestyle.

The Great Wall was just as chaotic as the roads. We started our climb at the Juyongguan Pass, which is one of the most renowned passes of the Great Wall. Apparently there were a lot of military battles at that part of the Wall, I noticed there a few Chinese men wearing military uniform. I also noticed a girl climbing the Wall with platform heels, not a good idea!! I did not anticipate the steps would be so steep and uneven. I found it difficult climbing each step so I can’t imagine how wee Chinese legs would manage! I was surprised to see lots of very young children climbing too. We were told that they sold ice cream at the top so that was our incentive haha. Words can’t explain the Great Wall - it was such an uplifting moment and one that I will never forget. We had not stopped all week and it was so breathtaking to stop, look around and absorb every thing around us.

We were all exhausted but there is no time to stop in China… as soon as we were back at our University campus it was time to call for a taxi to take us to Beijing Zoo. I thought the taxi driver had dropped us off in the wrong place because we got off in amongst a very busy area. I thought the zoo would be in a secluded area, further away from the pollution - I was wrong. I’m certainly not any expert when it comes to animals but they did not look in good health at all. It was surprisingly cheap to get in, about £4.

It was the first time I had seen so many children. It was also the first time I had observed a caring side to Chinese parents, particularly fathers. Perhaps they were using the Tombs Sweeping Day holiday to spend time with their son/daughter instead? It was visibly apparent that the one child policy is still in force. The only time I saw more than one child per couple was with twins.

There was a square outside the zoo packed full of people flying kites, apparently there is a kite festival in China this month. (Fife Youth Forum crew - remember when I bought a kite in Norway and the wind sadly never came? I finally got to fly my kite, with Mary Poppins playing in the background - I got a wee bit caught in the moment haha)

In the evening we hit the streets of San Le Ton - the busiest nightlife area of Beijing. In Beijing many bars/clubs offer free/reduced entry and drink prices for females. During the week my Chinese teachers said that she wasn’t aware of any drinking laws in China. She said it is possibly 18 but it isn’t enforced. She mentioned that there are not really any alcohol problems with young people, but there are with older people. It is really interesting to compare the Chinese drinking culture with the Scottish. Could you imagine if females got free drinks in Scottish pubs/clubs? I’ll save my thoughts around that topic for else where, I’ll be here all day!

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Comments

[anonymous]

In China, there is no alcohol restriction at all. Every one can drink beer, white wine and the others.