| Beijing January 10th, 2010 Page 3 |
complex that housed the Emperor and served as the seat of the Imperial government for five centuries. We took a bus north from Beijing to see a restored section of the Great Wall, which completely exceeded my expectations. From an elevated guard tower, I could see the Wall snake its way across the mountains into the distance, representing only a small section of an impossibly long man-made structure. Although the sightseeing was enjoyable, perhaps the most profound moment so far was a conversation we had with a woman who lived in Old Beijing. We had gone to her house to learn how to tie traditional Chinese knot work, but instead ended up talking to her about her life. Through the interpreter, she told us that she had grown up in a wealthy family, complete with large agricultural land holdings and servants to help dress her in the morning. However, when Chairman Mao and the communist party gained control of the country, the government confiscated much of her family’s property. Life got progressively worse for her family, and finally the Great Leap Forward (a failed economic initiative led by Mao) caused massive food shortages throughout China. She and her family became homeless, and were forced to eat grass and tree bark to |
