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Tips 1 - 4 of 4 Beijing Off The Beaten Path
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Off the beaten path?.
I decided to leave the crowds and go to a place where the wall was not renovated and seemed quiet and, who knows why, I wanted to go there. . . At the end of the renovated section, the wall was closed and wardens told me it was forbidden to go beyond. I came back and looked at a staircase going to the cable cart (not in service) and I decided to go down and I quickly was on a small path in the woods on the Mongolian side; I followed this path where nobody could see me from the wall and after one kilometre I was at the foot of a little fort on the wall, far from the renovated section, but I was on the foot, had to climb up somewhere; I followed the wall for another half kilometre and at another small tower I could climb up easily the ruins and I was on the wall, finally, the real wall, in ruins, yes but it was the real one, very quiet (I met nobody), had the wall for me alone, could look at the landscape, look at the stones, dream about what could have happened here or there. Main picture: Ah, here we are on the un-renovated part of the wall; do these bricks and stones not look more authentic than the ones on the renovated part? And the perspective through the slit (a wide slit, I do not find a correct name for this “window”) is really what I was expecting coming here. Picture 2: Walking in the woods on the “Mongolian side”, little towers, little forts along the wall. Picture 3: A little fort seen from the “Mongolian side”; I was already walking in the woods when I could see the fort; from here, it looks seriously as a military construction and from a Mongolian perspective, it looks impressive. Picture 4: A small pagoda the visitors of the renovated part will not see, hihihi. I like to see that kind of little building isolated in the mountain. Picture 5:And again, the old wall, the old rocks and the quietude. . .
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Website: http://badaling.gov.cn/english/history/history.htm
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I walked slowly for about 3 kilometres on the old ruins, looking at the small forts, the small towers, being like attracted to go further and further. At one point I had to stop and think of returning.
I could sit for whiles without being disturbed, listening to the noises of nature, the birds, the wind. . . I thought of this tremendous piece of architecture: its building began 2400 years ago and it is now 6400 km long; lets calculate quickly: between 5 and 7 metres wide, 6 and 17 metres high (let us take 6 and 12 as averages), 6400 km long: 461 million cubic metres construction (do not count towers, little forts and short side sections. . . ); compare to . . . the Kheops pyramid for instance: 2.6 million cubic metres. The great wall represents 180 Kheops pyramids (in stone volume used for construction, nothing else can be compared of course!!!!), I just imagine the construction site with thousands of people working and dying there.
It is the only human feature you can see from the moon, etc. . I will not write the book of records. . . I was thinking, walking on the ruins even the biggest human artefact will disappear one day, that is history, and geology. . .And this wall proved almost totally useless against the Mongol invasions for the prevention of which it had been built!!!
Ah how did I come back? I walked back on the wall almost until the renovated section and found a place where I could go down on the “Chinese side” this time (Mongolian side is the northern (but not north everywhere, as the wall turns a lot) side, where defensive towers are built in front of the wall, and where are the crenels, on the Chinese side there are usually no crenels.) and I followed a small track which led me to a barb wire fence; there was a big hole in the fence and going through the hole I was back in the legal area for visitors of the Great Wall!
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Website: http://badaling.gov.cn/english/history/history.htm
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Off The Beaten Path: Visit construction sites
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Beijing looks like it is building all the time; there are lots of construction sites throughout the city and near my hotel there were several which I visited from outside and even from inside, thanks to some of the workers who took me with them; I would otherwise not have dared to go inside not only because it is dangerous to walk around on that sort of place, if you do not know and if the people there are not aware there is a foreigner who does not know where all the machine move, what can fall from the sky, etc. . .
The Chinese are building, building, building. . . like if they wanted to catch up with the capitalistic world; they are already in this world and it is just amazing to look at all what they are building. So many people work in construction, pharaonic projects like the Yang Tse dam are not in Beijing, but it is impressive, and with the light, the misty weather and the sand storms, it gives an unreal image, a bit science fiction, or it reminds some science fiction movies like “green sun” or T. Giliam’s “Brazil” in some cases.
Main picture: Cranes, scaffolds, steel bars sometimes can make “interesting” arrangements or strange geometries. In Beijing there are probably more cranes working than in any European country; it is really impressive to see the construction sites throughout the city, on the roads, etc. Picture 2: And they even try daring architecture; the two inclined buildings will meet somewhere in the sky. Picture 3: In the mist and sandstorm, the landscapes look weird, a bit surreal; Picture 4: I still remain as a kid and like to watch the cranes working; they are impressive, like wading birds fragile and strong in the same time. Picture 5: If the flowers could think, what would they think? They are still there, but may be more buildings will be erected, and the little trees will have to give space, may be.
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Off The Beaten Path: People at construction sites
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One day, one of the guys working opposite my hotel handed me over his helmet and “told” (told, well, with signs we could understand each other) to go in, visit a bit, make some pictures. As I noticed many times, it is the people who have few or even nothing to offer who at the end give the most; here it was not a big deal to go on the construction site, but I am sure if I had asked officially or so, I would not have been allowed to go there.
So, working people here, probably coming from the poor countryside of China, find a living in the big megalopolis. Sorry it is not exactly a tourist “tip”, but I am curious and think other people are curious and I think it has some “charm” or “exotism” to visit places and people like that.
Main picture:Steel, steel, steel and little guys; look, there are the white ones with blue helmets (and protection glasses), the white helmets, the yellow helmets; each “team” or brigade makes a specific job. They look really tiny on the site and with the giant steel beams. Picture 2: Keep smiling. . . hard working people still keep morale. Picture 3: Building scaffolds, the guys there look like ants with twigs. Picture 4: The giant hook and the little guys. . . Picture 5:He reminds me comic movies (Harry Langdon, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton. . . ) on the beam, waiting for a cable to tie it ; but he probably is not playing. . . .
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 Comments for kokoryko about Beijing | | | | |
nomorewars Sun Sep 21, 2008 09:55 UTC
You truly have a knack for bringing to life the obscure, oblivious, & the otherwise unnoticed. Through your wisdom & sense of compassion you always manage to elicit respect for the modest people of every nation you visit. Such a wonderful gift you have! | Helenbb Thu Apr 24, 2008 06:43 UTC
hehe. sharp eyes. they are not show windows. these women ,their official job is hairdressing. but the real one.... u already got it.daozibao was the history , appeared in a special period only . those are not dzb , just posters for commercial purposes. | wonga0 Sun Oct 7, 2007 06:36 UTC
Hi Herman, very true Beijing experience! | elpariente Mon Sep 17, 2007 15:25 UTC
Very good and interesting tips!!!!! |
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on Apr 23, 2007
