I first went to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall sometime in 2004. I went there another time, in winter. That second trip was in January, and it was cold, windy and foggy. Oh yes, and I did go there with my family once as well.
The first time, as I mentioned, was with my colleagues. This picture was taken during that first trip. I still have some shots of the trip that I went on with my family, but none of that last climb up. It was one of my many photographs that were lost when my hard disk crashed. This was one of the great tragedies of my life.
Climbing up the wall does take a lot out of you. If you want to go one one of the Great Wall treks, then you need to be bloody fit. There are times when you really feel your age, and the growing wobbliness of your knees.
The Wall itself, was constructed over a period of almost 2,00 years, by several emperors. It started with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and various sections were added over the centuries. A large part of the Wall was constructed during the Ming Dynasty. The Wall was constructed to keep nomadic tribes from the North out of the Chinese territories. It was, therefore, a defensive structure.
The Mutianyu section is near Huairou, about 70-80 kilometers north of Beijing. We had a training division there, in Huairou, and we had gone there for a team building event. Hence, the trip to The Great Wall.
The Mutianyu section was built in the 6th century AD during the Northern Qi period, under the supervision of General Xu Da. A pass was constructed in 1404, and it was largely rebuilt in 1569.
Looking at some of the watchtowers, I am - now - reminded somewhat of the watchtowers in The Lord of The Rings. Signals were passed on from watch tower to watch tower, in the old days, by lighting fires. I am not sure if this was the same for The Great Wall, in winter. The northern winds in Beijing are fierce, and they are strong. They can, literally, take the top of your head off, and I am sure that many of the guards would have frozen during the cold and dark winter nights.
Nowadays, such things are far away. The Wall has been used for parties hosted by the young, rich and beautiful. I don't suppose that there is anything wrong with this. Time, after all, marches on and we cannot be expected to shed tears over the freezing soldiers that guarded the kingdoms of that time. The tragedy would be if we were all to forget the wonders of the past, and the great things that we humans have created.
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