Beijing Diary: Part 7

Sunday 17 April.

The alarm went off at 7 am, giving me time to go look for some breakfast for us both. The tour guide, Annie, was on time and walked us down the laneway of the Hutong to the waiting mini-van. Our first stop was not the Great Wall, as we had thought, but the National Jade Factory, the first of several commercial stops. First we were shown how the jade was cut and sculpted, then how it was polished to heighten the lustre. The “happy ball” was the most ingenious – a solid block of jade is chiseled into to a certain depth, then cut around to creat a sphere within a hollow ball, then the inner ball is treated in the same way as the first to create a third sphere, the whole now representing a happy family of three generations. The outer sphere is then carved with decorative motifs and the whole polished.

Then our guide in the factory, Maria, explained the different qualities of jade, the criteria for determining value, and how to tell real from fake. And then came the sell when we were led into a huge display area, brightly lit with cases containing all manner of jade pieces from small animals (we bought a rabbit) to enormous amphora costing Y320000.

After that it was on to the Great Wall. According to Gordon, there are several places to visit the Great Wall near Beijing: one is in a poor state and difficult to access; a second one has been restored and the top can be accessed by cable car; our destination was a third one which has been fully restored, but you have to do the climbing. After finally leaving the city and climbing into the mountains the scenery changed quite dramatically; instead of acres of appartment blocks stretching into the distance, the motorway G6 wound through valleys and small villages, some of which had been cut in half by the road. We pssed a Disney type amusement park that has not been completed, and perhaps never will.  It looked somewhat forlorn. After about 45 minutes we arrived at a series of parking lots already filled with tour buses, but our driver, who spoke no English, got us eventually right to the entrance. Annie purchased the tickets (all included in the tour cost) and led us into the first courtyard to explain the temple that stands there and the massive statues of Samurai (?)warriors, fiece-looking individuals. Then, having arranged to meet at the exit in 90 minutes, we were left to choose our own path. To the left, the steps looked vey steep, so we chose the right, which initially was manageable, but then became suddenly steeper, with some of the risers being over two feet! So we got only about half way to the first “summit”, but it was well worth the effort to see the view up the valley and across to the other section of wall we had not chosen. It was amazing to see so many old people undertaking the climb, some so crippled they could hardly walk. For some the visit was a formal, even solemn occasion and they wore suits; for others it was a chance, as Annie said, “to become heroes.”

On the way, it began to get windy and we just managed to get to shelter before the shower came. It did not last long, but with the stronger wind it became clear how bad the littering problem is at this site. The Chinese don’t even look for a waste bin; they simply throw anything and everything to the ground. I felt sorry for the couple or so street cleaners who had to deal with the mess.

We went to a local restaurant for lunch, but the tour guide had not anticipated it would be so busy. There was one large table in the middle of the room, seating a dozen or so Chinese who were there to celebrate the birthday of an ancient lady. They were obviously the centre of the servers attentions as dish after dish arrived at their table. We had to wait about 15 minutes, but the three dishes eventually made their appearance with bowls of steamed rice, of course. The Columbian couple with us did not speak a lot of English, and neither of us speaks Spanish, so apart from the occasional exchange we kept to ourselves. Beer for men and cocacola for the ladies arrived and we thought it was included in the price. Towards the end of the meal, the confusion was cleared up. The dishes were tasty, with the first being unusual—julienne potatoes, not cooked but warmed through with ginger, hot chili peppers, garlic and onion in a light sauce of oil and vinegar.

After lunch we made a brief stop to photograph the Olympic Bird Nest Stadium and Water Cube… through railings! When the Columbian asked if we could get any closer he was told “maybe later”, ie no “it’s too windy”!

Then a series of commercial stops: the silk museum and shop where we were treated to an explanation of silk making, from the worms to the cocoons to the silk thread to the finished product; to the jewellers dealing only in pearls, where we learned the distinction between sea-water and freshwater pearls, and how to tell real from fake; and then a short ride to have a free foot-massage.

I had never had one before and was intrigued by the experience. First we had to soak our feet in hot (40C) water in which was placed what looked like a tea-bag. The young student explained that the bag contained herbs and flowers from Tibet, culled in the Himalaya and therefore “free from pesticide, herbicide and other chemicals.” Unfortunately her pronunciation of “Tibetan” sounded lke “teabagan”, and somewhat undermined her presentation. Then the foot massagers came in and proceeded to rub, slap, punch, and knead one foot for about ten minutes before the “professor” came in to examine my hand (not Heather’s) to determine the state of my blood and general health. He spoke only Chinese, but had a translator, who spoke gently in contrast to the “professor” who prodded his finger at me, glared and said sternly that my blood was sticky and if I wanted to live I would be wise to purchase his detoxification medicine, 6 bottles for Y5400! When I politely declined he urged me to purchase at least one packet of “teabags” which would doubtless save my life for Y40, and when I declined, again politely, he turned on his heel and left without another word, obviously expecting me to die on the spot. It was hard not to laugh.

The student finished my massage, I put on my shoes and socks and we left. The tour was over, and we were brought back to our hotel by 5 pm. A very full day.