“You speak Chinese?”

“You speak Chinese?”

When I had to answer no, my conversation partner seemed to grow more, not less, excited.

“Good! I speak English! Why are you so tall?”

It was just past 8 am, my first morning in Beijing, and aside from our wonderful tour guide, Ying, this was my first conversation with one of the natives. And this particular native looked up from just about waist height, tugging at his bright blue tank-top excitedly as he smiled ear to ear. Behind him, his elderly grandparents smiled good-naturedly and nodded slowly at his proficiency. I had to admit that I was not too sure why I was so tall, but perhaps because I was older than he was. As I pointed this simple fact out, an elderly European gentleman flashed the boy the universal symbol for good job, the thumbs-up, as he strolled by.

“No, he is old. You are young. Like me!”

 

I had to chuckle at his crisp, precise English and his candor. I asked him if he was from Beijing, and whether this was his first time at the Great Wall of China.

“Oh yes, it is my first time—how did you get up here?”

I told him that I had traveled by cable car, to which he burst out laughing.

“Rich Americans can take the car up; it is expensive! We walked all the way here, to save money that way!”

At this, my new little friend flexed his arm and grabbed at his bicep and Grandma and Grandpa continued to smile behind him. Somehow, I sensed that they were more happy with saving the money than with the walk itself. As I glanced over their shoulders, I realized that I could no longer see any of my traveling companions on this section of the Wall, called the Mutianyu Section, so I bid my new friend a hasty adieu and raced off after them, ducking around an odd mixture of Asian and American/European tourists. As I went, I could hear my friend chatting with his grandparents, perhaps being congratulated on getting to know a tall, rich American.

My first morning in Bejing was filled with one of the most iconic Chinese sites in the entire country, the Great Wall. After deciding that our delayed flight meant we could get started on our day that much earlier, we traveled to the famous wall built across 3 different Chinese dynasties as a symbol of power, but also as a defense against invaders. It stretches 3,730 miles across China, and is dotted by more than 10,000 beacon towers. To walk along it in the morning fog, especially after travelling up over the treeline via cable car, was a perfect introduction to China, and the natives we met only made us more excited for the trip.

Almost every Chinese person we ran into along the Great Wall wanted to stop and chat (to practice their English, according to Fr. Nowel) and to take a picture with us. It certainly feels strange to be the odd-man out here, where our wide eyes, pale skin, and ‘big’ noses certainly set us apart from the natives. We took a toboggan ride down from the Great Wall and went off on our way to see some of the country’s iconic arts and crafts being made in factories by skilled workers.

 

We moved quickly through the Jade and Cloisonne factories, where we were amazed by the process but often turned off by the price tags. I saw several Chinese Chops just like mine being made in the Jade factory, and managed to pick up a present for a friend in the Cloisonne factory. Cloisonne is a type of enameling, done and painted by hand over a process of over 15 firings in a flame kiln, resulting in a mix of artwork: some looks tacky truth be told, while others are absolutely breathtaking pieces that have a unique feel to them. In the Jade factory I most admired the ‘cabbage’, pictured here, which often finds a home in the offices of businessmen and represents money and good fortune coming in to whoever the narrow end points to, but also to those they transact with.

We traveled down the beautiful Sacred Way, dotted by beautiful stone sculptures of various animals and humans, along the way learning about different representations in Chinese culture—the Dragon represents the Emperor, while the Phoenix represents the Empress. The Turtle represents longevity and strength, as his hard shell protects him, and as individuals of the species may grow to be centuries old. The combination of the Dragon and the Turtle is not uncommon, but as our tour of the Ming tombs began I quickly learned just how one of my own eyes glossed over different parts of the Chinese cultural heritage, even when it came to one of my favorite things: the dragons.

The Chinese dragon is an iconic symbol—so different from the winged fire-breathers of European medieval tales. But oftentimes, what I thought was a dragon, was actually any number of other creatures from myth—for example, the biji, a beast that appears to be a dragon and is often seen at the base of temples, palaces, and tombs. The creature is famed for its mythical strength, and thus forms the foundation to carry a building. Apparently, even the iconic Chinese dragon is more than meets the eye!

Passing numerous Biji, we entered the grounds of the Ming tombs, walking under some beautiful ‘Dragon’s Claw’ trees, which provide shade and protection for lovers during the summer when they are fully leafed, as well as the strange ‘Deer Horn Cypress’, called so because of its thick branches and odd formations. The tombs themselves are based around the Chinese concept of feng shui (wind and water), and contain 13 of the 16 Ming emperors in various tomb sites, chosen for the presence of hills, rivers, and other natural wonders meant to make the tombs more sacred and serve as a sign of the Emperor’s careful planning. The Ming ruled China from 1368-1644, during which the capital of China was relocated to Beijing from Nanjing, and were the first Dynasty following Mongol rule in China. The emperors grew more and more autocratic, as well as more and more ostentatious, and the beauty of the tombs both inside and out is no exception.

Throughout the day, and perhaps one of the newest aspects of China, was the food: we began with a quick breakfast before our trip to the Great Wall, featuring fried dough, red-bean soup, tofu mixed with broth, mini-shrimps and seaweed (very fresh, and very salty!), bean-paste dumplings, which were much thicker than the dumplings at home, pickled vegetables, and a few other delicacies whose name I didn’t catch. For lunch we enoyed some more ‘American’ Chinese food in the form of sweet and sour chicken, but also sweet and sour fish, fried tofu, hot and sour soup (with mushroom and eggs), ham and beef slices (much like American cold-cuts to be honest), and cherry tomatoes. Finally, our dinner was at a delicious dumpling restaurant featuring leek and pork dumplings, beef, tofu, and vegetables mixed together, steamed broccoli, and a seaweed dish. Certainly quite a few dishes I recognized, but even those I did were bursting with more flavor, more spices, fresher tastes and sometimes even vastly different textures. I left no meal hungry, and truly enjoyed the communal meal system, as itlet me graze across a variety of dishes without feeling like I was sneaking it off someone else’s plate!

Every day here has been absolutely packed, so expect more posts soon, but until then, hope everyone is doing well!