Friday, February 27, 2009

Beijing Day Three in Pictures

Today, we were up early and out to the Great Wall of China.
Here we are, sitting a top the Great Wall. This particular section of the wall, Simatai (司马台), was build sometime during the Ming Dynasty, 1368 to 1644 to protect the northern boarder from the Barbarians of the North. (Of course in 1644 the Manchus, one those groups of Barbarians of the North that the Great Wall was built to protect against, came storming into Beijing and set up as the Qing Dynasty, the final dynasty of Imperial China.)
Dawson wrapped in Gould's supportive arms (or flag for warmth).

Sarah "jibbing" the Great Wall.
Mitch is enjoying himself.

Eli over looking the reservoir next to Simatai.
Jianqiang gloats over now being a "好汉"。 In China there is a famous saying: 不到长城非好汉, Those who never go to the Great Wall are not true men.
Merritt is trying to blend in... if not with the people why not with the landscape?
Jeb is king of the world.One more panorama of the Great Wall fading off into the distance.

The group after we finished hiking. If you look up on the ridge you can see the Great Wall preached up on top.
We got them really tired. They couldn't make it home without a nap.
In the evening we went to a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony (茶艺). We learned about all of the steps and processes of this ritual. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tea too.

After the ceremony, we got down to some journal writing. It was great to have our cups refilled as we sat writing away.

Tomorrow we are off to Pan Jia Yuan (the Dirt Market), the Temple of Heaven, and the Pearl Market, yet another busy day!

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