The Hindu Business Line : Famously fortified

Can a description of `Bustling Beijing' be complete without talking of the Great Wall of China or the Forbidden City? So, here goes, as promised in the earlier article.

Familiar, yet exotic

The excitement began even before the bus ride started, when our guide told us, "we are now making our way to The Great Wall of China." From Beijing city, the Badaling section of the Wall is about a 40-minute drive. From the foot of the mountain, you can either climb up or take the cable cars.

The gondolas, as they are more romantically referred to, rose straight up into the air, grazing the steep sides of the mountain. After a breathless 3-minute ride, they deposited us on the Wall.

The first few moments went by in a swirl of crowds, and concentration on the winding steps ahead, and then the magic set in... The noisy tourists, souvenir shops, whirr and click of cameras... everything faded. Only the magnificence of the mountains — and the man-made monument — reigned. Time stood still, suspended in the crisp, clear morning air.

For some time, I was a part of history, standing where thousands of men had toiled with their own hands, hauling material to forbidding heights, shaping it, and then guarding it.

All that the guide had said earlier took form and meaning now... that there were three layers to the walls, outer, middle and inner. That the men in the outer layer raised alarms using smoke, fire or cannons, depending on the time of day. That the walls were made of a special mix of materials that lent strength and durability.

Nothing one reads in history books, or now on the Internet, can prepare one for the impact of the exotic real. So it was at that moment. The slideshow of history was grand, and the controversy over whether the Wall can really be seen from the Moon suddenly didn't matter.

All the while, something else was trying to make itself felt. It was the haunting melody a local was playing, coaxing sweet sounds from what looked like a slim stick of wood.

The vale profound did overflow with the sound, to borrow a line from Wordsworth.

The descent from the heights to the mundane was reinforced by the dirty restrooms, which, hopefully will become a thing of the past with China's cleanliness drive, ahead of the 2008 Olympics.

Skim or skip

Some interesting tid-bits from history: The Great Wall was built by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China, over 2,000 years ago, during the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it was made bigger, reaching 6,400 km, and renovated over a 200-year period. Watchtowers and cannons were added. Through the centuries, the army, stationed along the length of the Wall, provided early warning of invasion threats to China. The historical accounts give one a feel of the human cost, and the price paid, to build such a magnificent structure.

Aura of mystique

One of the chambers at Forbidden City

In the heart of Beijing is the Forbidden City. The residence of emperors for nearly 500 years, from the 15th century to the early 20th century, it was the actual and symbolic seat of imperial power. It was built by the Ming Dynasty.

Today, the `Inviting' City shares its mysteries with the untiring tourist. Even a cursory trip as you walk through it takes a couple of hours. Both the Chinese, and tourists from outside, are keen to explore the city, which was out of reach for over hundreds of years. One moves from grandeur to grandeur, chamber to chamber, through milling crowds.

Despite the bustle of everyday life — as youths practise martial arts and the army stages a smart march in the City — an air of mystique clings to it. After all, emperors and dynasties have lived here.

We got to see it the inadequate way, seeing and feeling just a fraction of its riches. Those wanting a taste of the real thing would do well to set apart at least a day, to soak up all that magnificence and opulence. The City, today, is a treasure trove of Chinese civilisation and culture.

Sense of space

Tiananmen Square.

From the gates of the Forbidden City, one emerges across Tiananmen Square. The Square, the largest in the world, draws huge numbers of local people and tourists every day, besides on holidays.

Despite the crowds on that day too, there was room to sit on the ground, simply rest and relax.

With the end of the day, ended the trip. But the sights stay etched in the mind.

PICTURES BY THE AUTHOR