Day 3 - The great Wall & acrobats

I feel a bit shell shocked after today so much happened and I'm not sure where to start. The highlight was definitely the visit to the Great Wall of China, and the low light was the hard sell pearl exhibition. I'll start in the middle.

I continue to be drawn in appreciation for the artist expression all around us. Where we Aussies tend to complain about our modern art installations, the Chinese just seem to place contemporary and ancient art everywhere, to the point of taking it for granted. It's not plastic imitation either, they are more often than not, massive stone lions or dragons that even stand outside the long drop loos. The most intriguing piece I have come across is a mythological beast which has the head of a dragon and the body of a turtle. The dragon, the Emperors symbol, repents power and the turtle represents long life. This idea of power and long life seems to be a strong metaphor for the culture.

The 80km drive north west to the Great Wall was not onerous on the three lane toll way. You can get a glimpse of the wall from 10km away and it does not disappoint. Every photo you have ever seen of the wall, can be captured at Juyong Pass. The country that envelops it is steep and majestic. Thankfully the crowds were not huge so we were on the wall instantaneously. The first thing that slams you in the legs is the steepness. The steps are not built to Australian standard, so it's easy to trip on the uneven gait between steps. I am thinking of suing the Qin dynasty for building the wall so far away from my bum. This is because the hand rail is useless if you are over 5 foot tall. Anyway after a serious workout to get to the top it was an exhilarating view. The wall stands out against the country side and is an imposing sight as is snakes across the top of the mountains. The two rampart walls side by side look like the back of a dragon spine. Oh no!! the symbolism is rubbing off on me.

We finished the day with a truly astounding acrobatics/magician show/balancing display/motorcycles in a sphere/plate spinning display. This really left me gob smacked. It was an hour of jaw dropping stunts that I can only compare to the first time I saw a Bruce Willis 'Diehard' movie. I still remember leaving 'Diehard with a vengeance' feeling like my heart worked over time. These young guys and girls put their bodies in the most amazing positions. One act had a young girl about 16 with her chin on the floor, which she then folded her back behind her head, to place her feet flat on the floor. Then two other girls proceeded to do the same but lying on top of each other and the first girl. The effect of three heads on top of each other, with their feet beside them was freaky. But wait there is more.

The show finished with this huge metal ball that a young guy on a smallish motor bike rode around the inside of, doing horizontal and vertical laps. When he did the loop the loop I was impressed, but then out of the corner of the stage another young guy on a similar motor bike came out and came to a holt in the middle of the stage. He waved to us then entered the cage, NO I said to myself 'that's crazy'. Two young guys zooming around the cage crisscrossing and looping the loops. Bloody amazing.

Then out came a third rider. He got into the cage and there were three of them tripping around the cage like it was a Sunday afternoon drive. Then out came a fourth rider. IM NOT KIDDING I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES. The little Chinese lady in front of the one of the ladies in our group turns around and holds up four fingers to her. She says something in Mandarin that I can only suggest was something like, 'Look at that you Aussie sheila, there are four bloody idiots in that cage now, do you reckon they are gonna crash?'

Anyway it is was ho hum after that because there were six of them in the cage by the time they finished and the crowd was getting used to the incredible spectacle. I reckon this is why the local traffic is so skilled at missing each other, everyone does their P's in the cage before they head out onto the roads.

It will take me a bit more time to digest the events of the day. The shopping culture, Olympic buildings drive by, and the visit to the Ming Emperors tombs are such a contrast of old world complexity and new world transiency. Tomorrow we are going to the zoo, the Emperors summer palace and maybe a visit to a local family that lives in a Hutong, which was the norm for a family living in Beijing not that long ago. Have fun because I am.

Ben.

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Location:Beijing