Beijing 2006: Forbidden City and Great Wall 北京2006年:故宫长城
Obama’s recent trip to Shanghai and Beijing made me decide to go through some pics of when I first came back to China in late 2006 and visited Beijing for the first time. Other than the city itself (which is awesome and deserves its own post), I checked out the Forbidden City (故宫, literally ‘Former Palace’) and of course, the Great Wall (长城, literally “long fortress”.)
The Forbidden City is massive – my friend and I got lost several times trying to work our way through it. When I went, some significant construction/restoration was going on, so it would be nice to go back and see how it was completed.
Another reason I’d like to go back is because the eyesore that was Starbucks located on the site was shut down because of public pressure. Call me fascist, but I was thrilled to hear this. It’d be like having a McDonalds in the courtyard of the Taj Mahal.
The Great Wall is one of the few landmarks I’ve visited that is more impressive in person than in pictures. I’m not good at describing things like this, but looking out into the valley and seeing the wall snake over mountains for miles is incredible.
The only issue I had was that even on a freezing day in early December, it was completely packed with tourists; so much so that half the time, walking on the wall was just being stuck in a tourist traffic jam. I couldn’t imagine visiting during a busy season. That said, still more than worth it. Next time I hope to check out some more remote (but less preserved) sections of the wall, other than Ba Da Ling.
The Chinese have a saying: “You aren’t a great man until you’ve been to the Great Wall.” I’m not sure I believe this though… Ellen has visited it more than once – wouldn’t that make her at least twice the man I am?