Change in China

Together with four friends I joined a Syracuse Chamber sponsored trip to China. The trip, offered for less than a plane ticket to this far-away country might normally cost, was an opportunity I did not want to miss. A major reason for me to go was to see one of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China.

There were other temptations too, of course! Just imagine, being able to visit the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs, Tian An Men Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, ancient and new neighborhoods in Bejing; a canal ride in China’s Venice, Suzhou; the world-famous Longjing Green Tea Plantation, and the 64.3 ft-high camphor-wood carved Buddha in Hangzhou; the “Bund” waterfront park, and the “old city” in Shanghai; and learning about silk-making, silk-embroidering, and so much more.

Among all these fascinating highlights, the Great Wall remains my favorite. The wall was completed in 221-210 B.C., making it way over 2,000 years old. Hard to believe! Sections have been restored of the wall’s crumbling remains in some areas. We visited one of the restored sections. My friend Christl and I climbed all the way up and enjoyed wonderful panoramic views.

The wall was originally built taking advantage of the natural terrain for defensive purposes following the highest points and clinging to ridges. It snakes through the countryside 4,000 miles long over deserts, mountains, and plains. It was supposed to protect China from outside ‘Barbarians’ and keep it detached from the rest of the world. However, in the 13th century the wall was breached by the Mongols, and in the 17th century by the Manchu.

The ramparts – Christl and I came across some – were built to enable defending soldiers to fire on the attackers with great impunity. We learned that signal beacons were used by burning dried wolf dung and that the wall enabled speedy communications via smoke, flares, drums, and bells, as well as allowing for the rapid transport of troops across the country.

Christl and I climbed, enjoyed, lingered, explored, and climbed again on this eve of Election Day. Even though we were the first to start up the mountain, we were the last to come down. And on one of our panoramic stops, we encountered pre-election CHANGE – two couples with a New York For Obama Biden sign! Within seconds we joined the couples and shouted with Obama and Biden Yes, We Can! We called out for change and decided that one of us – it turned out to be me – should pose and call to this great historic monument, the Great Wall – Yes, we are ready, more than ready, for change!

It must have worked! Two days after the election someone in our group received news from home, and we knew from him that Obama and Biden had won the election. We also knew from positive and optimistic comments made by people in the streets and in our hotels … that hope for CHANGE had even reached China!

I am still struggling to recover from an intense, very intense, nine-day trip which encompassed 14 to 16 hour days and very little sleep. Nevertheless, I would not want to miss a single experience of this momentous trip, least of all the wondrous Great Wall on the eve of our historic election. Xia-xia, Syracuse Chamber of Commerce!

Elisabeth Hurley
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