BRING ON THE WALL
PADDY SHENNAN IS DAZZLED BY CHINA’S SPECTACULAR HISTORY ON A JOURNEY TO THE FAR EAST
THERE is being modest – and then there is being the master of understatement. “The Great Wall of China”? Don’t you believe it. Having been lucky enough to have walked along one section of it – the Mutianyu section – I can confidently say, without any fear of contradiction, that it is way beyond great.
It is breathtaking. It is jawdropping. It is awe-inspiring. It is stunning. It is spectacular. It is magnificent. It is marvellous. It is life-enhancing. It is life-affirming. And being privileged enough to visit it was, quite simply, a truly humbling experience.
The Mutianyu section is a mere 600 years old, having been built in 1404, during the Ming Dynasty, but the building of the 13,171 mile wall – when combining its various stretches – began in 700BC.
There is a sign on the approach to the Mutianyu section, which is about 43 miles from downtown Beijing, which talks about visitors gaining an “everlasting memory by virtue of the tininess of life and the magnificence of the Great Wall” – and yes, it is impossible to feel anything other than small in comparison with one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The Wall is an astonishing architectural triumph, while the man-made masterpiece is surrounded by countless acres of natural beauty. A cable car took us up through some of this gorgeous greenery, and our gasps of wonder only intensified as we walked along just one small part of a feat of engineering which simply defies belief.
Our journey to the Far East coincided with the celebrations of 70 years of the People’s Republic of China, and included memorable stays in Beijing and Shanghai. Situated in northern China, Beijing, formerly known as Peking and with a population of around 22 million, is the capital of the People’s Republic. The much more westernised Shanghai, located in the south, is even bigger – with a population of about 24 million.
Let’s put those figures in context – big, bustling London has a population of around eight million. Yes, there is big – and then there is China.
We travelled from Beijing to Shanghai (a journey of 809 miles) on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. It took four hours and 36 minutes at an average speed of 181.4mph, proof that these trains are the fastest in the world.
It’s a clear sign that China’s investment in high-speed rail has paid off that as recently as 2004 the same journey took 14 hours by train.
The journey is as smooth as it is swift – making it a very pleasant way to travel between these two great cities. And, if you are going all the way to China, you really should visit both.
We arrived in Shanghai after dark – and were treated to the spectacular sights of the Shanghai waterfront during an unforgettable cruise along the Huangpu River.
It was neon heaven – the most fantastic light show imaginable, and the best possible welcome to this most vibrant of cities.
The experience couldn’t have been more different from the Great Wall of China, and yet the feelings it engendered – not least seeing the Shanghai Three Graces, inspired by Liverpool’s Three Graces – were very similar. We weren’t just
The Great Wall of China? Don’t you believe it .... I can confidently say, without any fear of contradiction, that it is way beyond great...
smiling, we were beaming.
Wow, how lucky was I? China had me in its spell again. Just as it did on so many other occasions, such as my memorable rickshaw ride through Beijing’s backstreets – or enjoying the rare treat of curried fried rice for breakfast!
Shanghai’s Fuxing Park provided yet another highlight. But while the sights which greeted us here one morning undoubtedly put more smiles on our faces, they also made us feel a little sad that such joyful scenes are rarely experienced in our own parks.
It was shortly after breakfast, and the park was populated by groups of pensioners – many of them lucky enough to have been able to retire from the rat race between the ages of 50 and 60. They weren’t sitting on benches, silently staring into space – they were dancing, shaking their maracas and clicking their castanets, playing badminton, playing saxophones and practising their tai chi and kung fu moves.
This was a glimpse into The Good Life enjoyed by those men and women who are determined to remain active, spend time with their friends and build their own communities. Yes, they are helped by their country’s climate, but would such scenes be replicated throughout the UK if it was a little warmer and dryer? I’m not so sure.
The pensioners we watched – and envied – in Fuxing Park looked to have worked out the meaning of life without too much difficulty. They radiated happiness, and it couldn’t have been more infectious.
It was a Shanghai surprise to lift the spirits – during a trip when that happened time and time again.