China

In China I headed straight for the Great Wall. We spent two days hiking the Wall, which was one of the most incredible experiences I had on my trip. The Wall simply stretched on for miles over the mountains. It was overwhelmingly beautiful! The Great Wall of China was built over centuries by several emperors over several dynasties. It was built to protect China from invaders and remarkably is still standing today. After hiking for two days we travelled to Beijing where we visited the famous Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is where Chairman Mao ended China’s previous government, declared the nation communist and himself the leader. It was also the starting point of the Cultural Revolution, which destroyed a large amount of China’s cultural heritage and turned the country upside down. Mao is still a national hero in China despite the fact that he is responsible for more deaths than Hitler and Stalin combined, approximately 50 million died as a result of Mao’s policies. However, the current Chinese government does now officially recognize the Cultural Revolution as a mistake. A portrait of Mao hangs over the entrance to the Forbidden City, overlooking Tiananmen Square. The square is enormous and usually crowded with people. The Chinese national flag flies in the square and is always guarded by several soldiers. The Forbidden City was the home of the Chinese emperors. Common people were forbidden to enter the enormous complex. The emperor’s bedroom, throne rooms and important meeting halls ran down a central axis while smaller rooms for concubines and royal family members were on the sides. The buildings were ornate and highly decorated and incredibly beautiful. When Mao ended the previous regime and started the Cultural Revolution he went about systematically destroying remnants of the past just like the Forbidden City but someone on the inside of the new communist government protected it. Although it wasn’t destroyed it fell into disrepair and is in the process of being restored. After leaving Beijing I flew to Shanghai, which is a very modern city. The cityscape along the river at night was breathtaking. Despite the modern buildings Shanghai has a lot of history. This included old colonial buildings and parks remain in the city as well as ancient market centers. I visited an antiques market filled with old communist propaganda and ancient Chinese coins for good luck.