Great Wall, Great Mao, Great Square, Small Workers

Everything is dedicated to Zedong in Tiananmen Square. Nothing to honour thousands of students and workers who protested against tyranny.

If you have just one day to go sightseeing, and this happens to be the first day of the year (which means it probably started at 10 because of a late night), and you happen to be in Beijing, then you are in a frustrating situation.

Beijing is a vast ancient city, equally abundant is historic and modern locations. What to choose? One would think the dilemma would be endless, but the answer was logical – the Great Wall of China, the oldest monument to human magnificence!

Driving through Beijing – fighting for your life!

Seeing how our humble tourist group was swept away with New Year`s adventurist spirit, we just took a map of the city that you can find in any hotel. The first transportation option was a shuttle bus, intended for tourists who want to play it safe and includes a tour guide, a drive from the hotel and back at 800 Chinese renminbi (83 euros approximately). The second option was a taxi. Despite frequent warnings about this type of transport in China, we decided to try it. The first thing you learn when you leave the hotel (of course if you don`t already have that talent) is how to bargain. You can bargain for anything, anywhere in Beijing. The concierge kindly ordered us a taxi and he was even kind enough to translate our bargaining. The driver offered us a lift to the Wall and back for 500 renminbi and he would even wait for us while we climbed the Wall. Inexperienced as we are, we insisted on just a ride to the Wall, because we could not have assumed how much time it would take us to cross it and we did not wish to have limited time.

Even with a map of the city, it is virtually impossible to follow the route from the car. Beijing has a ring of highways, similar to the one in Moscow, while some rings clearly did not fit in the hotel map. We could only hope for the best and that our sweet driver would not drive on all the by-passes. As far as drivers in China go and the warnings about them, they are true! Driving through China is fighting for your life! Changing lanes without signal lights is nothing compared to cars, trucks, motorcycles and cyclists with four passengers in average cutting in, without any warning and they all literally wait for the moment when you come closer! Beijing is a milder version if this and our driver really pulled his weight in the end.

Sunny Day in a miracle in Beijing

The Great Wall is an hour and a half-drive outside the city and has several parts for tourists: Mutianyu, Simatai, Jiayuguan, Shanhaiguan and Badaling are just some.

We decided on the Badaling because it is best preserved and represents one of the most important commanding and strategic spots along the wall. It is at 1,000 m above the sea level, 7.8 metres tall in average and 6.5 metres wide at base and 5.7 metres at the top. It is important because it included a type of defence prearmguards. It has the name “Bada”, which means it stretches in all directions.

In average, it is recommended you take some two hours to walk along the Badaling. Once we got there, we realised we may still have time to see downtown in Beijing. This seemed to be a problem, because our driver did not speak a word of English. With various combinations of words, gestures and props, we managed to explain that we changed our minds and would like him to wait for us and take us downtown. He agreed after he managed to raise the initial price for additional 100 renminbi and even offered to lend us his jacket. It is winter in Beijing at the moment, which means the wind was powerfully blowing at the altitude of 1,000 metres and it was nearly zero degrees Celsius. Despite everything, and the fact that Beijing rarely has a bright day due to all the pollution, we were truly lucky. The sun was shining and there wasn`t a single cloud in the sky. What a beautiful day!

Ticket for the Great Wall of China only 4 euros

When we decided to buy tickets, we were shocked – a ticket for the Great Wall of China, one of the World`s Wonders and UNESCO`s world heritage, costs 40 renminbi!!! This is 4 euros!!! The ticket is a postcard and you get four stamps with it. There are various stands with winter equipment at the entrance, in case you come unprepared (there were unprepared people). The traders literally pull you by the sleeve to sell you something. And again, you can bargain your head off – we got a winter hat for 30 renminbi and the initial price was 180.

If you have a camera (and you agree it would be crazy to come without one), you want to take photos of EVERYTHING. Every rock, every check point, every step, everything. Although a great part of the Wall was restored or rebuilt, you are overcome by a strange sensation. This Wall is over 2,000 years old and stretches across 6,400 kilometres. It was constructed by thousands of people and defended by soldiers, and nearly all of their bones made the Wall`s foundations. Every now and again, there is a check point with a view into the distance and the only thing you see is a Wall which stretches towards the hillside and disappears somewhere on the horizon. Truly a magnificent sight. There is a show on Discovery Channel (and a book) “1,000 Things You Need To See Before You Die” and the Great Wall of China is always in the top 10. Once you see it, you will understand why.

Mao in a crystal coffin

After a two and a half hour walk and freezing to death, you have the need to warm up your bones and have a warm drink. Starbucks was the only open place where we could converse with the staff. After quietly commenting that it was possible to find American Pantheon of caffeine products in the heart of China, our Australian colleagues kindly corrected us, explaining that this was a Canadian chain, so we went quiet and sipped hot coffee. As it was arranged, our driver was waiting for us and we continued out adventure. Most of the fellowship decided to get some sleep, while others secretly hoped that the way to downtown in Beijing led near some newer magical Chinese buildings, like the Bird`s Nest and the Water Cube. Their hopes were answered, because the driver stopped in the middle of the road, turned on all four signal lights so that we might take a few photos of these magnificent Olympic buildings.

Our actual goal was the Forbidden City, where Mao Zedong ruled after the emperors, but downtown traffic did not allow us to be there is time. Instead, we went to the Tiananmen Square. It stretches across 440,000 squared metres and is surrounded by the Forbidden City`s exit with Mao`s portrait hanging in the North, his memorial centre in the South, a large People`s Council Hall in the West and the Chinese National Museum in the East.

Mao`s Memorial Centre is also a Mausoleum. His body is kept in a crystal coffin in one of the rooms which is decorated with fresh flowers every day. Once you comprehend the size of this monumental square, one of the first things that may come to your mind is the massacre of students and workers in 1989. Just to enter the square, you have to pass a fence and undergo a security check. Soldiers are distributed along the entire square. Every morning, the flag is raised in a ceremony and it is lowered each night, when the soldiers take it into the Forbidden City. All to honour the late Mao Zedong. There is nothing to honour hundreds of thousands of students and workers who protested against the communist tyranny, for democracy, to honour thousands of those who were killed and ran over by tanks. As they occupied the square, from April until June, which is when the protest was smuggled in blood, the students made Lady Democracy from clay, reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty. It was destroyed during the massacre. Their images are no longer put up. It seems this was long since forgotten. To make matters more ironic, there is a granite Monument to the People`s Heroes in the square, constructed in 1952, with Mao ordering the following words to be engraved: “People`s heroes are immortal”.