WHERE IN THE WORLD: THE GREAT WALL, CHINA

By George Fontana

As we crossed the shallow Yellow Sea heading west into Chinese territorial waters, our shipboard Western news cable reception was blocked. A mixed blessing since the news from home was decidedly grave as a result of the month-old, chaotic Trump Presidency. When I last visited China in the 1990s, the country was still emerging from the repressive Cultural Revolution of Chairman Mao Zedong. Our young guides at the the time came of age in a tightly Communist controlled society knowing little of their pre-revolution
history or culture, and fearful of speaking against Party line.

Not so in 2017. Our highly educated guides, while expressing fealty to their homeland, freely  criticized the Chinese government. Despite the government’s efforts to control all information, the increasing influx of tourists and the pervasive influence of the internet, however furtive, helped to breach the official wall of secrecy. China, one guide explained, views the U.S.A. as a business ally as well as competitor.

The same guide debunked some well-established Great Wall myths. The Great Wall cannot be seen from space; it is not a continuous structure and it has not always been an effective defense against northern aggression. Also, while earthen sections of the wall pre-date the birth of Christ, much of the wall’s present rock construction was undertaken by the Ming Dynasty in the 15th Century. Whatever the facts, The Great Wall is most impressive.

Our arrival at the Wall was delayed several hours as the highways were closed due to a once-in-five-years snowstorm the previous night. At the Wall, our walking was curtailed by iced over steps and surfaces, and yet the snow added a dramatic element to one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

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