On 16/05, we finally engaged a local day trip to the Great Wall of China, one of the seven wonders in the world. The trip was pretty cheap (at the cost of RMB100 per person) but the quality of the tour service was not too good.
Back to the history of the amazing Great Wall, It was built based on the instruction from the first emperor in China, Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇) who conquered all opposing states and unified China in 221 BC, establishing the Qin Dynasty. To protect the empire against intrusions by the Xiongnu people from the north, he ordered the building of a new wall connecting all the states. The subsequent dynasties repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the Great Wall at great cost to defend themselves against northern invaders. The majority portions of the Great Wall we seen today were built during the Ming Dynasty.
It was granted the status of World Heritage Site from UNESCO in 1987 and it's now definitely a must-visit tourist destination in China.
The Badaling (八达岭) is the site of the Great wall covered in our trip. This is the most frequently visited and the best-preserved portion of the Great Wall. It took us about 45 minutes to climb on the uneven stair-steps. It was pretty exhausting and we had to rest many times before climbing further.
Back to the history of the amazing Great Wall, It was built based on the instruction from the first emperor in China, Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇) who conquered all opposing states and unified China in 221 BC, establishing the Qin Dynasty. To protect the empire against intrusions by the Xiongnu people from the north, he ordered the building of a new wall connecting all the states. The subsequent dynasties repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the Great Wall at great cost to defend themselves against northern invaders. The majority portions of the Great Wall we seen today were built during the Ming Dynasty.
It was granted the status of World Heritage Site from UNESCO in 1987 and it's now definitely a must-visit tourist destination in China.
The Badaling (八达岭) is the site of the Great wall covered in our trip. This is the most frequently visited and the best-preserved portion of the Great Wall. It took us about 45 minutes to climb on the uneven stair-steps. It was pretty exhausting and we had to rest many times before climbing further.
The Main Gate of the Badaling Great Wall Site 
This is just the beginning - Looks energetic
A bigger view - Still a long way to go
Keong and myself in the 2/3 of the journey. Wong gave up and become our photographer
The flagging China National FlagAnother travel itinerary is the visit to Ming Tombs - ShiSanling, the collection of 13 tombs from the Ming Dynasty.
On our way back, the travel coach dropped us on the way to Olympic Green, the Olympic Park for Beijing Olympic Games 2008.
We saw from far away the landmark building complex of Pangu Plaza ( 盘古大观) - The plaza is shaped like a dragon, a five-building complex with high-rise office tower, Dragon Corridor Shopping mall, Chinese courtyards in the sky and Pangu Seven-star Hotel Beijing.
Pangu Plaza.
The Beijing National Stadium (国家体育场) or more popularly known "Bird's Nest" (鸟巢) is the centerpiece of the Olympic Park. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, and football finals of the Games. The stadium costed $423 million and is the world's largest steel structure.
Bird's Nest Stadium
Bird's Nest in the sunset
The Beijing National Aquatics Center (国家游泳中心) or "Water Cube" (水立方) hosted the swimming, diving and synchronized swimming events. It is located next to the Bird's Nest.
Water Cube in the sunset
Full View of the Water Cube with the Pangu Plaza at the back
The following video shows the 360 view around the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest.
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