this section seems pretty empty
at the entrance
during the pulley travel you get a first glimpse of the wall
the Badaling Pulley Train brings you up the mountain
in May 2004 you first have to pass through the Bear Park. This one seems to think OMG
it is getting too crowded for comfort
time for a quick bite
It's the May holiday in China and many people decided to climb the wall today
but this is where we are heading and the wall is full of people
the Great Wall at Badaling
Since early history states and dynasties of northern China were pestered by raids and invasions of nomadic tribes living
on the vast plains of the
Eurasian Steppe.
From the 7th century BC earthen walls and fortifications were erected to protect the
land against the
Xiongnu nomads.
Notably the First Emperor
Qin She Huang invested capital and scores of lifes
in improving these fortifications. Later the walls deterioted, but the
Ming restored them again and extended the lenght to
almost 9000 km.
But any wall becomes useless when you open the gates. That happened in 1644 and promptly resulted in the end
of the Ming Dynasty at the hand of the Manchus.
At
Badaling, north of Beijing, a section of the wall has been restored and opened
to the public in 1957. Since then it has drawn millions of visitors.
We were at the Great Wall on a rainy day in May
1991. When we returned in May 2004, we found the place much more commercial and extremely crowded.
the section of the Great Wall at Badalin, the blue traces on the mountain are the tracks of the pulley system
in May 1991 it was pretty quiet on the wall, probably because the rain was pouring down
a nice view of the wall
so we have to leave through one of the gates
