Constructed from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD by successive Chinese Empires, the Great Wall begins in the east of China at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province in western China. With a total length of more than 20,000 kilometers, this military defense is considered one of the wonders of the world. Parts of the wall that are less intact are still being rediscovered today. When I was a little girl watching the classic Disney movie “Mulan” I never thought I would make it to the historical landmark where the opening scene takes place. Of course, sitting in my Disney Princess pajamas I would pretend to be Mulan fighting the Huns in China, jumping off the furniture and driving my mother crazy; however, to actually be standing on one of the bigger wonders the world has to offer is a much more eye-opening and exhilarating than standing on top of your living room couch.
The wall stretches on as far as the eye can see. For some reason I expected it to be built in a straight direction and for it to be a flat wall; however looking out across the mountainous terrain you could see the wall twist and turn in every which way, and walking the wall will sometimes be an uphill walk or a downwards one. It is not very easy to describe, but I am not quite sure how they pulled off such a big wall that is more like a series of brick hills. I think these somewhat awkward qualities give it more interesting character, and I especially loved walking the wall when it slopes down and gravity had pulled me into more of a run.
The most unexpected part of the wall was one of the most thrilling: the toboggan down. Though the wall took about thirty minutes of hiking up steps in the hot sun, the ride down was a breeze! You are on this toboggan going down a metal slide from the top of the wall to the bottom. Though you are not supposed to stop many people do so you will experience faster paces and slower ones, or in my case a complete stop here and there. Eventually one of the men standing beside the slide along the way down will tell them not to stop (shouting in Chinese). I would wait for the slower group in front to go a bit before starting again, as I liked the fast pace. This toboggan was well worth the 80RMB. It ended the trip on a fun note, and was a great break from all the walking up to and along the wall. Needless to say almost every TBC student was asleep for the bus ride back.
The problem with checking things like this off your bucket list is that you tend to add multiple new things to the list just as you check one thing off. Now, I want to see the sun set and rise from the Great Wall. I bet that view is a hidden gem that not many people have experienced with their own eyes. After thinking about this, my mind then wanders to the fact that this was only one section of the wall… I want to see every part! The bucket list continues, and my ambitions in China seem uncountable after being here for only four months. One semester at TBC is just not enough.
By Casey Cunningham, Loyola University Maryland, TBC Communications and Social Media Intern and Spring 2016 Student
The past few weekends have been some of the most exciting of the entire semester, full of trips to the zoo, mountain hikes, ancient parks, and more! Our first trip out of many was a visit to the Beijing Zoo. I had mentioned earlier in the semester that I wanted to see some pandas, since I was in China after all, and our TBC friend Andy made it happen.
Spending a whole semester in Beijing, I knew I had to make the trip down south and check out Shanghai, and the city certainly lived up to the expectations. Everyone describes Shanghai as this super futuristic metropolis, and after spending a weekend there I understand why it has this reputation.