Travel and leisure
Destinations
China: in the realm of the dragon
With a transformed Beijing proudly hosting the 2008 Olympics, modern China is a land of amazing contrasts, where ancient culture rubs shoulders with the fast-paced development of a 21st century superpower, writes Richard James
You have to stand on China's Great Wall and see the way it marches away over the horizon to truly appreciate the majesty of the structure. OK, we have all seen those stunning pictures of it and heard tales of it being the only man-made edifice visible from space.
But to truly grasp its enormity one has to stand by it or upon it and see the way it snakes though forests and up impossibly steep hills. It is a magnificent feat of engineering and vision.
The earliest parts of the wall were built in the 5th century BC, but it was not fully linked and extended until the Qin Dynasty between 221-206 BC. Most of what remains today was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as a defence against invasions from the Turkish and Mongol peoples of the north and west.
Its continuous defensive line, from western Gansu to the Gulf of Liaodong, stretches a staggering 1,450 miles. It is 25 feet high and was made mainly of stone with a series of square watchtowers.
For the traveller, the wall is easily accessible from Beijing – it can be seen and visited as a half-day trip – and is just one of many sites in and around the city that should not be missed.
Chief among them is the Forbidden City, which stands by Tiananmen Square, in the centre of the capital. Tiananmen Square is huge. A flat expanse that is worth a walk across just to watch the Chinese at play. This is the heart of Beijing.
It is the largest public square in the world. From it, one can see and get into a score of public buildings: the Tiananmen Tower, the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People and Mao's Memorial Hall. One of the best daily events is the national flag-raising ceremony, almost the Chinese equivalent of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
The square was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD to 1644 AD) as the approach to the Forbidden City, with the Gate of Heavenly Peace as its front door. It was from here that Chairman Mao declared the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, and it is his huge portrait that hangs above the gate. It was also here, 40 years later, where the government brutality quashed democracy protests led by students.
The Forbidden City was off limits to the public for 500 years and was home to two generations of Chinese Emperors – the Ming and Qing dynasties – who would rarely leave its confines. Work on the Forbidden City started in 1406 during the Ming Dynasty and took 14 years to complete. It was home to 24 emperors and is the world's largest palace complex.
When you are not taking advantage of trips to ancient and cultural sites in Beijing it is well worth the effort just to stroll around the city. The Chinese are welcoming and friendly and even though this is a cosmopolitan place, be prepared to be stared at. After all, it has not been long since Westerners were a rarity on Beijing's streets.
The 21st–century clash of East and West is particularly evident in Beijing, where shopping streets as modern as any in America are yards from alleyways and streets that have not changed for centuries. These are the Hutongs.
They started as a maze of thousands of lanes, alleys and quadrangles that grew up around the Forbidden City. They represent a way of life that the residents of Beijing followed for centuries until the recent march of progress prompted by China's incredible free-market boom.
Fortunately, against the unstoppable tide of change some of the Hutongs are being preserved. The Chinese government has realised that this form of cultural history is as important as any ancient temple or tomb and should not be bulldozed in the race for modernity.
