Stephanie Kendall, a senior public relations major from Singapore, is taking part in the Baylor in China program this summer. In the fourth in a series of blog posts, Stephanie describes her visit to the iconic Great Wall of China.
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As we traveled and the beams of light reflected through the windows, I could see the vast landscape of China. A country so full of history, and home to more than 1.3 billion people, is also home to some of the world’s greatest architectural structures like the Great Wall of China.
During the 1.5-hour drive I began to think about the existence and architectural feat that is the Great Wall (长城). All the years it took to build, the triumphs and falls between the reigning dynasties, along with all the lives lost by creating such a magnificent structure.
We arrived at the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall around 9:30 a.m. and proceeded to get our tickets before lining up for the chair lift, which would take us to the top of the Great Wall.
When we reached the top, we could see the size of the Great Wall along the side of the mountains. As a group we took a few pictures before heading different ways to explore the paved rocky path. To the left was a long pathway with a couple of guardhouses throughout the trail; while to the right laid a pathway to reach the top of the mountain with what seemed like neverending stairs to get there.
While the majority of the group went left, Amanda Russell, Billy Stockton, Olivia Offringa and I decided to venture off to the right in an attempt to reach the top of the peak. As our breathing started getting heavier with each step forward, we soon realized why majority of the people had chosen to go left.
We trudged on as we climbed through the buildings and started our ascend to reach the top of the mountain. We approached a nearly vertical set of stairs and stopped for a moment to prepare ourselves for this uphill challenge. After a tiring 15 or so minutes climbing up a nearly vertical set of stairs, I was in need of cold water and didn’t mind spending double the normal amount of money for an ice cold water.
Olivia, Amanda and I took a few pictures while Billy climbed further up the wall to get his dream picture of himself doing a handstand on the wall, which he’s been dreaming of doing for nearly 10 years. After his picture was taken we climbed down the stairs to meet up with our group before we took the toboggan down the mountain!
We lined up one by one and took turns racing down the face of the mountain. The view was spectacular with the Great Wall directly behind us, while the natural beauty of the rainforest engulfed our path.
After our lunch we headed to Shendong to see the home of our tutor, Yudong Cao, and meet his family. His house was beautifully built with big red doors and stone lion carvings at the entrance. The further we walked in the more beautiful it looked with calligraphy paintings on each wall and intricately carved pieces of furniture.
As a special treat his family prepared fresh fruits for us, before teaching us how to make traditional dumplings. We spent some time kneading, rolling and filling each dumpling before exploring his Dad’s paper factory and the local nature reserve about 15 minutes away from his house.
When we returned his mother and sister had prepared a huge meal for all of us, full of rice, vegetables, shrimp and the dumplings we had previously made. With our stomachs full and a long drive back to Jiasuo Hotel, we thanked them for their hospitality and amazing food and headed back to get some rest.
PHOTO INFORMATION:
Top photo: a view from part of the Great Wall
Second photo: (L to R: Stephanie Kendall, Olivia Offringa, Billy Stockton and Amanda Russell)
Third photo: another view from the Great Wall (the steep part)
Bottom photo: (L to R and top row: Olivia Offringa, Jacob Emerick, Nathan Laseter, Billy Stockton, Professor Wang, Amanda Sawyer and Yudong Cao. Bottom row L to R: Amanda Russell, Holly Hunt, Juanita Gamboa and Stephanie Kendall)