Trekking the Great Wall

by Shannon Smith (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

Making a local connection China

China was one of those I’ve wanted to go to from a very young age…before I even considered the logistics and cost and blood, sweat and tears it would take to get there, I knew I was going. And when I got there, it was worth it. So. Very. Worth. It. I know a lot of people that have travelled to places to see famous sites or attractions, and while they have been happy that they’ve gone and done it, they have expressed their disappointment or even annoyance at how the destination compared to their expectations, how it let them down or how it wasn’t what they expected it to be. I can guarantee you: The Great Wall of China will never be like that. It is every bit as awe-inspiring and incredible and surreal as you can imagine, every step I took all I could think of was: “how the heck did they build this thing?!” As one of the group put it poetically: “This wall just goes on forever!” The Great Wall of China stretches over 5000km across the country – contrary to my belief, the Emperor of China in 5 B.C. did not suddenly wake up one day next to his concubine and demanded that his soldiers build him a huge wall. Instead, back then China itself was made up of several nations, each with their own dukes and armies, and each built their own Walls around their territories. When the nations were merged in 221 B.C. by Emperor Qinshihuang, he ordered the Walls to be linked, and new sections added to cover more territory. I can’t describe the Wall anymore than my camera can capture it – it has to be seen in front of you to be truly appreciated. It’s beautiful in a way that can’t be experienced in any form except reality: I spent a week trekking different parts of it – The Heaven’s Ladder, Jinshanling, the Huangya Pass, Badaling – and every day, multiple times a day, I was in awe of it. The sights and the views, the construction and the steps (the last one wasn’t so fun…) it was an incredibly humbling and unforgettable experience. Of course, China is more than just a huge wall! The Terracotta Warriors were definitely a highlight – it was busy and crowded as most tourist attractions are, but walking into that hall where they were excavating them made you suddenly forget about everyone around you. It was hard to wrap my head around, actually - the fact that approximately 8,000 soldiers were buried underground, and they were found by pure chance: because a farmer decided one day in 1974 to dig a well in a new field. They have only brought up a fraction of what they think is actually there – the oxygen is reacting with the terracotta, and the warriors we have today will eventually dry out and turn to dust: within hours of finding them they had lost their colour. They are leaving the others there for the time being, until they can find of way of preserving them. It’s amazing to think there is so much more waiting to be seen. It was incredible, and humbling, thought-provoking and unforgettable. I’ve always thought myself a reasonably-okay writer: but I don’t think even Shakespeare could properly put into words how standing on the Wall, looking back and then looking forward, can make you feel. I think that’s what travelling is meant to do: leave you speechless, leave you humbled, and finally: leave you frantically searching for the next affordable flight! There is a stone that sits at different entrances of The Great Wall – they all say the same thing: “…不到长城非好汉…” “…He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man…” The English translation leaves much to be desired, but this comes from a classical Chinese poem, and the real meaning behind it is simply that a ‘true man’ can overcome many difficulties and accomplish his ultimate goals. Of course, this the 21st Century, and so I take it to mean that anyone can overcome anything in order to reach their goals.