The Great Wall is not one structure built in one place by one empire or kingdom. Rather, the Wall is a series of boundary walls, some meant to physically stop incursions of unwanted peoples into China and some meant to simply set boundaries of the state. What the walls show, without a shadow of doubt, is that China, in its many forms, has been an imposing and dominant empire for thousands of years.
This section of wall is somewhat farther North than the traditional tourist destination North of Beijing. I went with an official government guide and driver so that I could access this closed section of wall. The trip was made in the dead of Winter. This section of wall is in a part of China where tourists have to sign waivers of responsibility for loss of life before the Chinese government will issue travel permits. I stayed in a shack that hung timidly to a mountain cliff. When I looked down below in the valley, I could see just how tenuous a grip sheds like mine claimed.
While walking the approximate five miles stretch along the wall, I was in awe of both the people who built it and those who would have patrolled on it. Many of the staircases are extreme grades that make one feel as though they are climbing rather than walking on paths. At the beginning of my hike I felt strained, at the end I felt intense pain. This is a destination I definitely do not regret though I am not sure my body will ever allow me to return.
