From China with Love: Why Great Wall is More than a Wall

The Great Wall of China with a watchtower in the background at Mutianyu near Beijing. [XN Iraki, Standard]

The tour of the Forbidden City brought me back to Beijing Friendship Hotel on my first day in Beijing, just in time for a dinner hosted by Renmin University of China.

Other visitors from different universities who are members of Worldwide University Network joined us. I loved Chinese food, less fatty and tasty. I loved the variety too. For once I tasted Chinese wine. The second day was spent in the conference, with lots of focus on One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. To my surprise, I found ngwaci (Sweet Potatoes) and chapati in the menu during lunch and dinner.

My third third day was free before my flight at 1 am. It was time to visit the Great Wall. Mutianyu, part of the wall is about 2 hours drive North of Beijing. The highway to Mutianyu resembles Thika Road and has a toll station. My driver had an express card and there was no need of stopping. Just out of Beijing City, zoning strikes with high rise apartments on one side and industries on the other. There were empty spaces too with trees that had shed their leaves, it was spring.

Soon we could see the mountains on which the Great Wall is built. The Chinese seem not bothered with names of mountains. We drove off the main highway into the “countryside” characterised by men riding bicycles or tricycles and small villages with traditional Chinese roofs. I can’t recall any of the town names.

We were soon at the base of the mountain and the great wall could be seen at a distance. The mountain seemed to be the height of Mt. Longonot in this section. We parked our car, and then after about 10 minutes’ drive by a shuttle bus, we were dropped at another station where we could either take a cable car or walk. We preferred the cable car.

About 10 minutes and you are dropped up next to the wall. The cable car never stops, you have to embark and disembark quickly but there is someone to assist just in case. The view from the cable car was breathtaking, Great Wall ahead of you on top of the mountain. Imagine a wall where the crater starts on Mt. Longonot. Behind were valleys and picturesque towns.

Once you disembark from the cable car, you walk up the stairs for about 50m into the Great Wall. No matter how many photos or videos of Great Wall you see, they can never equal the site of one of the wonders of the ancient world.

Once back to Kenya, I asked a history teacher if they cover great wall in the history syllabus. I was told no. But zinjanthropus, Cro-Magnon, Neanderthal are in the syllabus. That is what a new Form 1 meets; that we are descended from apes, after the preacher said the previous day, we were created. No wonder in Africa, our beliefs are so confused and inspiration is in short supply. After waiting all my life, I finally was on the Great Wall. Do you recall the long lasting Black and White TV imported to Kenya named Great Wall? There are also pickups by that name.

The Great Wall, Chinese call it the long Wall is about 8,000km from East to West is a site to behold. In some parts it’s as high as 50 feet tall, but in the middle is a walkway with two walls on the side about the height of a human being. The walkway is wide enough I was told to walk ten men side by side or five horses.

The base is made of stone blocks. The sides are made of bricks put together with lime. Those who died building the wall are said to be buried beneath it. The number is put as high as a million people. Sources say Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered construction of the Great Wall around 221 B.C.

My hosts told me each block was originally inscribed with the maker’s names and where it was made to ensure accountability in case something went wrong with the wall. Heard of traceability?

The wall is broken by watchtowers, with living quarters, some with an extra roof. The watchtower is designed such that you can see both sides of the wall and the top of the wall. The two walls had spaces, for watching and for guns. I saw a ‘cannon’ somewhere on the wall. The Great Wall has many branches and you could see other walls on adjoining mountains as you walk on one wall. The wall extends as far as the eyes can see.

The wall slants to one side to ensure drainage. Water is drained off the wall with “stone gutters” to ensure the wall is not eroded by water. The top of the two walls are v-shaped, to let snow and water flow?

Despite the height and fortifications of great wall, The Mongol Dynasty (1206-1368) associated with Genghis Khan eventually controlled all of China, parts of Asia and sections of Europe. They must have breached the wall. The Manchus, in the mid-17th century, from central and southern Manchuria broke through the Great Wall too and eventually led to the fall of the Ming dynasty and beginning of the Qing (Manchu) dynasty (1644-1912). There was political confusion till the start of New China in 1949.

The mountains to the North of the walls are endless, ridge after ridge. One wonders why walls were necessary with all these mountains that look barren and uninabitated. Visitors from all over the world come to see this ancient wonder.

We hiked for about three hours, on a hot day that exhausts you. Wherever you see a Chinese flag next to the wall, there is a restaurant selling food and drinks. The wall has openings; I was told to allow supplies, in the past. By around 2pm, we took the cable car down, we could have taken a toboggan, which slides down, but the queue was too long.

We took a traditional Chinese lunch at the bottom of the mountain. The waiter gives you a menu and a pencil to tick what you want. The Great Wall has generated lots of business for the locals from curios to food. We drove back to Beijing at around 5pm but not before seeing the Nest where 2008 Olympics were held. On the way, we saw the ongoing construction of a high speed rail that will be used to transport sportsmen to Xiaohaituo Mountain the site of 2022 winter Olympics, about 90km away.

Back in Beijing, I tried shopping. I found the city expensive despite China being labelled the workshop of the world. Locals told me it was because of high tax. Global brands like Eland, Zara, Bata and many others were present.

Yuan is the Chinese currency, also called Renminbi, the people’s money. The currency is gaining prominence and got into IMF special drawing rights in 2016. My debit card worked quite well. Most Chinese shoppers use e-payment, something akin to M-Pesa, where the cashier scans your phone which has an app connected to the bank.

By 9pm, tired but happy to have experienced the Great Wall, it was time to leave Beijing behind. Next Week, why China will become the next economic power.

 —The writer teaches at the University of Nairobi. 

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