On and Below The Great Wall |
Shanhai Pass |
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Summer Palace |
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Laolongkou Pass |
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Jiayu Pass |
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Palace Museum
Beijing |
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Zhengyici Theater
in Beijing |
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The Earth Temple
Fair in Beijing |
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"Siheyuan",Beijing's
fradifional courtyard |
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The Great Wall is the only manmade work in the earth that astronauts can see from the space with their naked eyes. It runs from Shanhai Pass in the east to Jiayu Pass in the west, stretching more than ten thousand-il. The Wall bricks made in Qin Dynasty can clearly be recognized and the mysterious beacon towers are still standing there.
The Great Wall, has gone through many wars, is still
lying proudly on the land of China. To build this wonder of the world, numerous soldiers devoted their lives. The legend that the wall was collapsed by the cry of a woman named Meng Jiangnu is an evidence showing that the price of the set up of the Great Well was not only money, but also the lives of constructors.
The Great Wall, its construction along the mountains and its magnificence,has been unchanged while the world has experienced great changes. The wall becomes a symbol of the Chinese people's character of unyieldingness.
The saying"He who does not reach the Great wall is not a true man" has encouraged numerous visitors from China and abroad to climb the long and magnificent Great Wall. In Badaling and Mutianyu,touching a battlement,climbing a beacon tower,bathing in cold autumn winds, looking the endless mountains far away, all sorts of feeling will remain in your mind. Walking in the rebuilt section of the Great Wall, you will find an old section stretching beyond your sights and the feeling you have is hard to describe.
Only brave and indomitadle people dare to go to the Simatai section of the Great Wall. Those who have visited Badaling and Mutianyu and those who have run in Shanhai Pass and Jiayu Pass won't have imagined that there is a section of the Great Wall built in such dangerous ridge of the mountain. Our ancestors added a man-made barrier on the natural barrier. Only after climbing with hand and foot over this precipitous section of the Great Wall can you have a chance to relax yourself and feel luckily that you have not fallen in the valley .Then you will be proud of it.
Below the Great Wall is the beautiful and lovely Beijing, capital of china, in the past and at present.
The splendid glazed tiles in the Palace Museum signify the dignity of the imperial palace. The upturned eaves and "dougongs", the towers and deep courtyards in the palace are the collection of the essence of ancient Chinese
construction. There is also a history that can beread and history that cannot be read, as well as art treasures, heard and unheard hidden in this mysterious palace.
In ancient China, every emperor held an annual ceremony to offer sacrifices to Heaven, praying for blessings from Heaven. The Temple of Heaven is the place where the emperors set up the sacrificial altars. Today, more visitors like to see the Echo Wall in the Temple of Heaven and listen to voices of their family members or friends transmitting from the wall.
The imperial gardens are another attraction of Beijing. The Wanshou Hill in the Summer Palace is near the Kunming Lake. Both of them are in royal style. The beautiful Su Dike and the graceful Long Corridor are two most romantic scenes. The fine paintings on the ceilings of the Long Corridor will make arts and history fans overjoyed.
The Yuanming Yuan is another royal garden that makes the Chinese and the foreigners feel pain. Actually, it is the remains of a royal garden that was burned and looted by the British and French allied forces more than 100 years ago. It was the biggest and beautiful garden in China. Today, the remaining and renovated garden is still attractive although it is not as complete as it was just built.
The Earth Temple Fair is a collection of the traditional Beijing-style culture and has strong appeal to people in and outside Beijing. Water in the high copper kettle is being boiled, waiters are crying, children with "bingtanghulu" (candied haws on a stick) and pinwheels in hands are running, craftsmen are making and selling dough and clay figurines. It is also pleased to see a variety show or to listen to a "xiangsheng", or comic dialogue.
A reporter couple in Beijing have been busy taking photographs for "hutong", or ancient and traditional lanes. Today ,many lanes they took have been already demolished as well as "siheyuan", Beijing's traditional courtyards. The construction once was one of the most nice features of Beijing. Screen walls. jujube and the neighbours living in the courtyard are so lovely and unforgettable for all who love Beijing.
Beijing opera is something that cannot be ignored when we talk about Beijing, Its unique costume, makeup, singing, acting and acrobatic fighting are full of charm. It is a treat to see lively acrobatic fighting and graceful postures in Beijing opera. If you know some Chinese history and can understand what the actors said and sang, you will have additional enjoyment finding somewhat the way Beijing opera works. Some old theatres specially for Beijing opera, the Zhengyici Theatre behind the famous Qianmen Roast Duck Restaurant for example, have been renovated. The quaint tables, chairs and environment themselves in the theatres have a lingering charm.
After having climbed the Great Wall and toured Beijing, one will be able to understand more why the dynasties in ancient China spent so many human and material resources to build the Great Wall, a military barrier for protecting such culture and such land in Central Plains. |
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