Leaving the Jade factory mostly in one piece, we head to the Great Wall. While the day is sunny, it is a bit cool - perfect conditions for our hike. The Great Wall was a project to link the existing wall in order to unify China and protect territories during the warring times beginning in 221BC by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China. At one time the wall stretch over 10,000 kilometers. Today, through a timely preservation process, the Great Wall stretches from Yalu River in the east to Jiayuguan over 6000 kilometers! This portion is referred to at the Ming Wall in Badaling and includes the gateway to Beijing with many fortresses and beacon towers. According to Xi Jingping, climbing the Great Wall is to "realize the Chinese dream of a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation". Mao Zedong proclaimed the climb as a challenge; "one who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero". Many Chinese hike to the highest point of the Ming Wall to prove their bravery. Our students were no exception!
2 Comments
Mrs. Kaplan
3/31/2017 05:19:44 am
So nice to see all your smiling faces! Looks like the trip is off to an amazing start:) Looking forward to following your adventures - have fun!
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AuthorFortunate veteran teacher in Sharon, Massachusetts, who is traveling with the Chinese Exchange students from Sharon High to Xi'an, China. Archives
May 2017
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