I finally visited and climbed one of the NEW 7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD. Thank you to the AIR FORCE COMMAND COLLEGE (BEIJING, CHINA) for this remarkable JOURNEY. It was another EDUCATIONAL TOUR for the INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS programmed by the school.
After lunch or about 1pm on March 30, 2016, we boarded the bus and proceeded to the BADALING SECTION of the GREAT WALL OF CHINA. After an hour and 20 minutes of exciting trip, we finally arrived at our destination. It was a long but interesting walk to the entrance gate. We were all excited to finally have the glimpse of the famous structure. Majority were taking pictures almost every step along the way.
I used to admire the GREAT WALL just from the pictures and videos online, but today I finally stepped, walked, and climbed the amazing MAN-MADE MASTERPIECE!
Another UNFORGETTABLE moment for me!
Another DREAM became a REALITY!
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| The Author at the GREAT WALL OF CHINA |
GREAT WALL OF CHINA is one of the GREATEST SIGHTS and the LONGEST WALL in the WORLD.
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| One of the remarkable moments at the GREAT WALL OF CHINA |
Here are some of basic information about GREAT WALL OF CHINA:
The GREAT WALL OF CHINA is called "CHANGCHENG" (literally means LONG WALLS) in Chinese. It is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along east to west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian steppe. Another reason why it was built is to PROTECT SILK ROAD TRADE.
The length of entire wall is 21,196 kilometers or 13,171 miles.
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| Tourists from all over the world flock to witness this amazing structure |
The history of GREAT WALL has a long history more than 2,300 years ago. It was built and rebuilt in 4 different dynasty.
During the ZHOU DYNASTY: The Pre-Warning States Period
(770-221 BC) - The first part of the GREAT WALL was built.
During the QIN DYNASTY: (221-207 BC) - The first Emperor of Qin linked the GREAT WALL sections on China's northern border.
During the HAN DYNASTY (206 BC - 220 AD) - HAN WUDI extended the GREAT WALL west to Yumen Pass and Beyond.
During the MING DYNASTY (1368 -1644) - Hero General QI Jiguang rebuilt the Great Wall around BEIJING.
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| Time to take a needed rest after a memorable walk and challenging climb at the GREAT WALL |
The GREAT WALL of CHINA has 8 sections: BADALING, JUYONGGUAN, HUANGHUACHENG, JIANKOU, MUTIANYU, GUBEIKOU, JINSHANLING and SIMATAI.
For this educational tour, we visited the BADALING SECTION.
The section was built during the MING DYNASTY in 1502.
It was once served as a crucial military fortification, and is now the most impressive and representative section of the striking GREAT WALL. It is located in YANQING COUNTY, about 70 kilometers (43.4 miles) from the downtown area of BEIJING. It has twsiting and turning at an altitude of 1,000 meters (3,281 feet).
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| Meet Stephen, a classmate and friend from UGANDA |
In 1987, it was placed on the WORLD HERITAGE list of UNESCO, a list reserved for destinations considered to have outstanding universal value.
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The recommended number of hours of visit to the BADALING SECTION is for from 2 to 3. Be sure that you are in good physical condition during the climb to the GREAT WALL because it is certainly a challenging climb.
HOW TO REACH THE BADALING SECTION OF THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA?
There are several ways to reach BADALING:
1. From downtown BEIJING near the DESHENGMEN SUBWAY STATION, take BUS ROUTE 877, 919, 880 to BADALING.
2. Take a tourist bus from TIAN AN MEN to BADALING.
3. Take BULLET TRAIN from the BEIJING NORTH RAILWAY STATION to BADALING.
4. TAXI.
How much does it cost?
For BADALING:
Entrance fee from November 1 to March 31 is RMB 40 per person (about 7 US Dollars) or 280 Pesos.
Entrance fee from April 1 to October 31 is RMB 45 per person.
The travel time from downtown BEIJING to BADALING is 1 to 1 and a half hours.
THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS WONDERFUL JOURNEY IN LIFE!
Interesting blog, it reminds me of Great Wall, the wall visible today largely dates from the Ming dynasty, as they rebuilt much of the wall in stone and brick, often extending its line through challenging terrain.
ReplyDeleteI tried to write a blog about it, hope you also like https://stenote.blogspot.com/2018/10/beijing-at-great-wall.html.