2010-03-19 Tombs, scorpions and a really colossal wall (Rick post 13)

Our first stop today was the Ming Dynasty Tomb. After constructing the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, the third Ming dynasty Emperor Yongle selected the site for his family’s burial grounds. Thirteen Ming emperors are buried at the site, which is about 30 miles north of Beijing.

Nelson, our tour guide, told us the site was carefully selected in accord with Feng Shui teachings. For instance, the Emperor chose to build at the foot of the Jundu Mountains to deflect evil spirits from the north. There’s also a river nearby, another important part of Feng Shui. Nelson told us Beijing's planners actually dug a canal so the city would have good Feng Shui.

There are many architectural similarities between the Forbidden City and the Ming Tomb, given that they were built during the same era by the same Emperor.

The Ming Tomb feels old and very peaceful. The scenery is beautiful, even if you happen to visit on a foggy gray day like we did.

We next traveled to one of the most impressive sights I’ve ever seen: the Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Spanning more than 4,000 miles, the Wall’s construction began during the 5^th century B.C.

We visited the section of the Wall at Badaling. Climbing the Great Wall is much harder than it looks. The steps are huge and it goes up high into the mountains. Steps on some parts of the wall are heavily worn down, so you can only imagine how many people have walked along this same route over the hundreds and hundreds of years.

It feels like you've accomplished something when you reach the top. I was tired just from climbing the wall. It's hard to believe humans were able to build such a vast structure through the mountains, all without any machinery!

We were all exhausted after our climb, but we went to the Dong Hua Men Night Market. We heard you could try some pretty wild food there. Octopus tentacles, fried silk worms and seahorses were some of the delicacies on the menu.

We decided to try some scorpions. Appetizing, aren't they?

It was actually kind of anti-climactic because they don't taste like much. Kind of like greasy fried chicken skin.