Yesterday we took the bus to Badaling and walked upon the Great Wall. I'm amazed that I didn't fall off becasue the realisation that I was stood on top of the Great Wall of China was so dizzying and improbable that my head couldn't really get around it. In itself it is quite a fantastic piece of engineering when you see it snaking over such tricky and vast distances, especially when you remember that most of it was constructed about 200 BC, but really it is the sybolism that staggered me: the Great Wall has always been a far-off exotic marvel that I really did never expect to see. As it was there were plenty of visitors near the cable car point, but a little walking in the opposite direction found solitude. Stunning views from the wall in a very beautiful part of China and one of those life-affirming moments.
Other than that we have had a wonderful time, doing plenty of tourist things as Beijing demands (is there anywhere else in the world with such a concentration of first class attractions?) - the Summer Palace was a delight, the Forbidden City was, well, being renovated mostly but what we did see was super, and today I went to the Taoist Dongue Temple, a kind of chamber of horrors Chinese style where there were many depictions of weidness such as 'department of wandering ghosts', 'department of 15 ways of implementing death' adn so forth. Its not called Beastly Court of Hell for no reason, and my only regret is that I didn't get to come here with Vincent Price.
All these things were very good fun, but the best part of our visit has been staying with our hosts - such warm and generous people as so many Chinese people are. To be taken to Chinese cafes off the tourist beat, to help with making supper - regional speciality of dumplings, and to talk about life in China has been an amazing honour and the perfect start to our time in China. If Beijing is anything to go by China is doing really well at the moment - it is a safe and happy place where people have time for each other, and where there is plenty of opportunity. However so much is being built, in 'partnership' with the west, that I very much hope that the things that make China special do not get forgotten along the way.
Off to Pingyao tomorrow by train, which is a well preserved Ming dynasty city, made famous as the location for shooting Raise the Red Lantern (actually shot some distance away, but the rough area is correct). We shall stay 1 night before moving on to Xi'an in central Shaanxi province where we can explore much of ancient China, as this was the capital until the Tang dynasty. Very exciting and I can't wait - China is really amazing!