The late China’s chairman Mao Zedong said, “A man who has never been to the Great Wall shall not be considered as a hero.” Since the time he said so, more and more Chinese people have flocked to the Great Wall, for they all want to be heroes to answer the top leader’s call. But some may say it’s for a man rather than a woman. That’s a narrow view. In English we can find the word “heroine”. So, don’t worry about that. Truth be told, a large number of females, young and middle-aged and old, have climbed the Great Wall. Because this chairman said this when he climbedthe Great Wall at Badaling, and probably due to this reason, this section of the Great Wall has become extremely renowned and appreciated by people from around the world.
The Great Wall at Badaling is located in Yanqing County, 74 kilometers from the Beijing urban areas. Everyday there are many buses and cars heading for there with a firm will to the northeastern part of Beijing. Like I said in the passage above, they want to be heroes or heroines! But to me, this is but a laugh. If I didn’t go to the Great Wall, I would never be a real hero? No, that’s not correct. I think the late chairman would never consider you correct either if he were still alive. I guess he probably meant the Great Wall is a place that cannot be easily overcome by any person because of its steep slopes and rugged topography. Besides, I should make it clear that I have no too much intent to become a hero or anybody like that. Or I even thought those who hold this belief are idiots. However, I changed my view after I visited the Great Wall at Badaling with the push of my best friend.
In the city you always feel you are in a cage, and you will feel refreshed when you get out of this place. Truly I got this feeling as the bus pulled out of the city, fast running on the expressway to Badaling.
Actually I don’t want or need to tell you too many details of our climbing route, for it is tedious to listen to. I just want to say it was very refreshed and great when we get off the bus and were welcomed by the strong wind. Maybe it was even a little cold, for we both wore T-shirts (about one month ago). Although I had a coat in my bag, I refused to put it on, for I just wanted to experience the nature’s power at that very moment. So did my friend.
The tour was of course very tiring, but worth it. You could see a lot of people beside you. Some girls even took off their shoes to climb or walk down the Great Wall. I was amazed by that. Although the weather on that Sunday was not hot, you could feel it was very hot and you could have too much sweat when you climbed up the Great Wall, for it was too steep and challenging. I visitedthe Great Wall at Mutianyuonce and think some parts of it are really steep, but they are nothing compared with the slopes of Badaling. So, I sighed with emotional feelings quiet a few times while climbing along with my friend, who shared my feelings too although he had never climbed Mutianyu.
To my amazement, some ladies were really heroines, for they reached the topmost point of Badaling while most females stayed behind, watching or just turning away. But at least I knew that Badaling got its reputation not only because of the chairman’s encouraging words, but because it is something really challenging, and you have to summon up your courage and will to overcome this great wonder!
