Beijing: Day One

This morning we first visited the Great Wall of China. It was the first time I had ever been there, so I really didn't know what to expect. Little did I know that it's pretty high up in the mountains and extremely windy. Combined with my fear of heights, it definitely was an exhilarating experience. I have posted some pictures below. There were tons of people visiting from all over the world, from Japan to Somalia. It's just amazing how people were able to build such a magnificent structure in the mountain tops; no wonder it's considered one of the wonders of the world.

We had a pretty fancy lunch afterward at a restaurant our guide found. We then went to visit two of the 13 Mausoleums in Changping, Beijing. Back in the Ming Dynasty when China was ruled by emperors, they would build elaborate burial grounds for the emperor when he died. It would bring good luck to the family to continue their reign. On the surface there would be a large area with a bunch of trees and stone trails and steps, as well as temple like structures. Behind all this would be a hidden underground tomb where the emperor was buried. Usually there would be a lot of valuable items in the tomb as well to symbolize the emperor's wealth and fortune. The first one we visited was called the Ding Mausoleum. They actually excavated the underground tomb and we were able to go inside. Everything was mostly stolen, but they had replicas of the coffins and items left inside. The second tomb we visited was called the Chang Mausoleum. The tomb here has not yet been discovered, I'm not sure why, but we were still able to see everything on top.

Gondola ride up to the top of the mountain, where we then proceeded to climb down the Great Wall:
The Great Wall of China:




Ding Mausoleum:

Replicas of the Coffins:


Chang Mausoleum:

Statue of Emperor Zhu Di: