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View allAll Photos Tagged Badaling
About 50 miles/80km northwest of Beijing is a major access point to the Great Wall in the town of Badaling.
The day we visited, the smog had lifted a bit. You can see the haze discoloration in the sky, but also if you look carefully at the center top, you can see that the wall continues on past the horizon.
Climbing this historic structure is awe inspiring - and great stair stepping exercise! This section was built in 1504-5 and restored in 1957.
My 2015 experience: the Chinese residents whom I encountered over a few trips, including the ones who were also tourists at Badaling & were from many diverse cultures and parts of China, are among the most respectful, generous and kind hosts whom I have encountered globally.
I’m also a comparatively tall white guy with a beard, so I am in a few family photos now ... a curiosity on a landmark. :-)
0441 Explore 12/10/2024
China, Beijing, Mùtiányù, …a touch of ”Indian Summer“ at a section of the Great Wall located in Huairou County & about 75 km Northeast of Beijing. The Mùtiányù section of the Great Wall is one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall & used to serve as the northern barrier protecting the capital & the imperial tombs against the Mongols & Manchurians.
Built for the most part with granite, the wall is 7- 8 mtr high & the top is 4-5 mtr wide. Compared with other sections of the Great Wall, Mùtiányù Great Wall possesses unique characteristics in its construction. Original built in the mid-6th Century during the Northern Qi, is older than the Badaling segment of the Great Wall, about 85 km away from Beijing. During the Ming Dynasty, under the supervision of General Xu Da, construction of the present Wall began on the foundation of the wall of Northern Qi. In 1404, a pass built in the wall consisting of three watchtowers, one big in the centre & a smaller one on each side standing on the same terrace; the three watchtowers are linked to each other inside & compose a rarely seen structure among all sections of Great Wall. In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt & until today most parts of it are well preserved. The Mutianyu Great Wall has the largest construction scale & best quality among all sections of the Great Wall.
Whenever friends visited me in China, I always preferred taking them to Mùtiányù instead of the Babaling section. To get up to the Mùtiányù Wall you have to use one of the three cable cars, taking you to different sections of the wall.
Great Wall Badaling, due to the easy access for buses with sightseers from China & abroad right to feed of the Badaling wall, about 85 km away from Beijing, this section on the wall is crowed & overflooded by visitors;…but what would be a visit to China without putting a feet & an eye on the Great Wall?
However, less frequented than Badaling, but also interesting sections of the Great Wall are Juyongguan, Jinshanling or Simatai, but farther away from Beijing, therefor not at all overrun by tourists like Badaling.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
14 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
On the 19th of March I had a little trip to the Great Wall of China, location: Badaling. Pretty easy to get there from Beijing city centre: subway to train station Beijing Bei (North). From there you take the turbo train to the Badaling station (fare 1st class: €5, no seriously). I think it was a 45 min ride. Entrance to the wall is 35 yuan (€4,50). You can take the ski lift to the 8th tower which is 100 yuan (€12,50 but you don't have to take the cable car).
Train is super modern and comfortable 2+2 layout. Exit the station and the walk to the ski lift station is 200m. No queue! Walk straight into the cabin. Great views from the cabin and the ride is a couple of minutes and you end up all the way in tower 8. I walked/ climbed to tower 12 and then went down via the bear park and souvenir shops.
Weather was fantastic! It was about 18 degrees Celcius but windy at some places. You have to be a bit fit because some locations are pretty steep. You need good sturdy and grippy shoes. Take enough food and water with you because you can't buy anything on the wall itself. Between tower 8 and tower 10 was a bit more crowded but after that very little crowds. When you get down there is even a KFC! Super experience, highly recommended.
China, Harbin, "Ice & Snow Festival" on Sun Island.
This over 120 mtr long & approx. 40 mtr high snow sculpture still in the finalizing carving process is the master piece & the main sculpture of the around 500 small size to larger sizes snow show pieces. The snow sculpture park is located next to the gigantic ice festival area
Sun island scenic area, covering about 3,800 hectares, approx. 35,25 square km, is the second biggest venue of the annual Harbin Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival & has become Harbin's main parkland & recreation area, used all year long.
The impressive "Ice & Snow Festival" is the greatest & unusual one in the world, therefore Harbin is also called the "Ice City".
The city centre Zhaolin Park futures the “Disney Ice Festival” as part of the Harbin "Ice & Snow Festival" / "Ice Lantern Festival". Besides the for floors ice castle with electric elevators there are more than hundred sculptures of different sizes & motives in the Zhaolin Park organized by Disney, at night all sculptures are colourful lighted with LED.
For the "Ice Festival" over a 100.000 Tons of Ice Blocks, cut from the around 1 mtr thick ice sheet covering the Song Hua River, are used for the festival sculptures & carvings from January till March. It is one of the largest of its kind & most interesting one in the World.
The carved fishermen Ice-lanterns can date back to ancient times. It was said that some fishermen made rough & simple ice-lanterns just for lighting. With the time passed, ice-lanterns embodied their cultural features & gradually the artistic fascination of making of ice-lanterns, ice sculptures started in the 1960th, leading to today's impressive Ice & Snow Festival.
Also in the city you will see everywhere ice carvings of all sizes, besides there are several expositions in different Park. The three major Parks are the Ice World, & the Snow Sculptures parks on Sun Island, they are more artistic, the Ice Carvings at the Zhao Lin Park by Disney in the centre of the City. Harbin Ice & Snow World are gigantic & LED illuminated at Night.
Harbin with population of almost 4.5 million, is heralded as the Ice City for its well-known unbelievably impressive ice & snow recreations during the yearly international “Ice & Snow Festival” from the end of December until beginning of March. Harbin is also well known besides his important historic & economic past & present for China, for its historical Russian heritage, this cultural influence is still notable till today.
Due to the Siberian high & Harbin in the Heilongjiang Province location above 45 degrees north latitude, the city is known for having the most bitterly cold winters among major Chinese cities. Winter Temperatures can drop to below -35° C., when I visited Harbin beginning of January the Temperature varied between -20°C & -26°C below, but with dry air.
As well the large Siberian Tiger & white tigers research centre, with about 500 tigers & a few other species, does an important work to prevent this species from extinction. The Research centre can be visited, tours in small a bus are available, passing through wide natural, separated, sections, however the focus point is to save the tigers.
❄ ❆ ❅🌛 ★ 🌠 🎄 🌲 🔔 🌠 🌲 🎁 🎅 🎁 🌲 🔔 🌲 🎄 🌠 ★ 💤 🌝❅❆❄
🎅 Despite all the complications & inconveniences in 2020,
I wish all of you an exciting, cheerful fairy-tale like festive season.
🌠 Trotz aller Komplikationen & Unannehmlichkeiten im Jahr 2020,
ich wünsche euch allen eine märchenhafte Weihnachtszeit.
🌲 A pesar de todas las complicaciones & inconvenientes en 2020,
yo desearles a todos ustedes un emocionante & encantada temporada festiva,
🎁 Malgré toutes les complications & inconvénients de 2020,
je souhaite à toute une joyeuse & magique saison festive
🔔 Nonostante tutte le complicazioni & gli inconvenienti del 2020,
augurare a tutti voi una emozionante & eccitante stagione di festa.
🎄 Apesar de todas as complicações & inconveniências em 2020,
desejo a todos um conto de fadas do tempo do Natal.
❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ 🎅 ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄ ☃ ❄
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
14 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
China, Harbin, "Ice & Snow Festival".
The Sun Island scenic area, covering about 3,800 hectares, approx. 35,25 square km, is the second biggest venue of the annual Harbin Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival & has become Harbin's main parkland & recreation area, used all year long.
The impressive "Ice & Snow Festival" is the greatest & unusual one in the world, therefor Harbin is also called the "Ice City".
“Disney Ice Festival” at the city centre Zhaolin Park is part of the Harbin "Ice & Snow Festival" / "Ice Lantern Festival". Besides the castle there are more than hundred sculptures of different sizes & motives in the Zhaolin Park organized by Disney, at night all sculptures are colourful lighted with LED.
Over a 100.000 Tons of Ice Blocks, cut from the around 1 mtr thick ice sheet covering the Song Hua River, are used for the festival sculptures & carvings from January till end of February. It is one of the largest of its kind & most interesting one in the World.
The carved fishermen Ice-lanterns can date back to ancient times. It was said that some fishermen made rough & simple ice-lanterns just for lighting. With the time passed, ice-lanterns embodied their cultural features & gradually the artistic fascination of making of ice-lanterns, ice sculptures started in the 1960th, leading to today's impressive Ice & Snow Festival.
Also in the city you will see everywhere ice carvings of all sizes, besides there are several expositions in different Park. The three major Parks are the Ice World, & the Snow Sculptures parks on Sun Island, they are more artistic, the Ice Carvings at the Zhao Lin Park by Disney in the centre of the City. Harbin Ice & Snow World are gigantic & LED illuminated at Night.
Harbin with population of almost 4.5 million, is heralded as the Ice City for its well-known unbelievably impressive ice & snow recreations during the yearly international “Ice & Snow Festival” from the end of December until beginning of March. Harbin is also well known besides his important historic & economic past & present for China, for its historical Russian heritage, this cultural influence is still notable till today.
Due to the Siberian high & Harbin in the Heilongjiang Province location above 45 degrees north latitude, the city is known for having the most bitterly cold winters among major Chinese cities. Winter Temperatures can drop to below -35° C., when I visited Harbin beginning of January the Temperature varied between -20°C & -26°C below, but with dry air.
Also it is worthwhile the trip to the world's largest breeding centre for Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, in Northeast China is in the process of releasing captive-bred big cats into the wild to restore the population of one of the world's most endangered species. Less than 500 Siberian tigers are supposed to live in the wild, mainly in East Russia, Northeast China & northern parts of Korean.
In 1986, China began a captive breeding program, at that time, the Hengdaohezi feline breeding centre in the suburbs of Harbin, had only eight tigers, but today it is home to more than 1,000. with about 500 tigers & a few other species, does an important work to prevent this species from extinction. The Research centre can be visited, tours in small a bus are available, passing through wide natural, separated, sections, however the focus point is to save the tigers.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
14 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Explore highest position: 138 on Thursday, February 19, 2009
Great Wall at Badaling, north of Beijing
A Grande Muralha, em Badaling, ao norte de Pequim
More info: / mais informação:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China
Virtual tour: www.thebeijingguide.com/great_wall_of_china/index.html
To browse through my Beijing photos using flickriver/ Para ver minhas fotos de Pequim com o flickriver
Or here to see photos with descriptions / ou aqui para ler as descrições das fotos
the most efficient trip to the most touristy great wall, with my technical support (his verison of Badaling www.flickr.com/photos/emura/4601220646/
We left at 2:30pm, 1 hour cab ride+1 hour cable car and photo shoot+1hour cab ride, got back at 6pm, if you have done the great wall trip you would know this's totally crazy, as most people spend the entire day there.
China, Harbin, "Ice & Snow Festival", Harbin with population almost 4.5 million, is heralded as the Ice city for its well-known unbelievably impressive ice & snow recreations during the yearly international “Ice & Snow Festival” from the end of December until beginning of March. Harbin is also well known besides his important historic & economic past & present for China, for its historical Russian heritage, this cultural influence is still notable till today.
Everywhere in the city, you will find ice carvings of all sizes, besides there are several expositions in different parks. The three major parks are the snow sculptures at the park on Sun Island, they are more artistic, the ice carvings at the Zhao Lin Park - Harbin Ice & Snow World are gigantic & illuminated at night, in the centre of the city is the Disneyland Ice Festival.
Ice-lanterns can date back to ancient times. It was said that some fishermen made rough & simple ice-lanterns made of ice just for lighting. With the time passed, ice-lanterns embodied their cultural features & artistic fascination gradually of making of ice-lanterns, ice sculptures started in the 1960s.
Due to the Siberian high & Harbin in the Heilongjiang Province location above 45 degrees north latitude, the city known for having the most bitterly cold winters among major Chinese cities.
Winter Temperatures can drop to below -35° C., when I visited Harbin beginning of January the Temperature varied between -20°C & -26°C below, but with dry air.
...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you for over
4,8 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
China, Beijing, Dashanzi 798 Art Zone, located in the Chaoyang District.
At the plaza old disused chimneys of a former factory, now the side of the “KU EIGHTEEN” event lactation & shops.
The three digit number "798" which stands for much more than the numbers for this once booming compound for the State's pre-reform electronic industries, in Beijing these numbers symbolize country's cutting edge art movement by the Chinese vanguard, untied artistic personalities with alternative life goals.
China's artist vanguard has turned an industrial graveyard into an artistic paradise wild & unconquered attitudes breeze inside 798's free & inconsequential atmosphere.
The large area was once a booming compound for the State’s pre-reform electronic industries, the buildings, designed by the former East German Republic & constructed with help from the now former Soviet Union, were vital for China's old industrial development projects & they're just as key to the art scene at 798.
Old Maoist slogans are visible on the ceiling arches. The Dashanzi factory complex began 1951, production in 1957, as an extension of the "Socialist Unification Plan" of military-industrial cooperation between the Soviet Union & the newly formed People's Republic of China.
Attracted by the Bauhaus Style buildings, around 2002 an amazing reincarnation process began when artists' studios started cheerily popping up like daisies over graves.
This area feels an affinity to what can be discovered & sensed along the Left Bank in Paris or around Greenwich Village, NYC. 798 has become the biggest arts area in China & earned great international reputation acclaim in just two years.
📌 …Artists began to gather to re-make the factory spaces, gradually developing them into swanky galleries, hip art centres, artists' studios, design companies, fashion stores, cosy coffeehouses, bistros, restaurant, bars etc. …..& one of my favoured paces in Beijing.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
16 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Le président Richard Nixon et sa femme, accompagnés du vice-Premier ministre Li Xiannian, ont visité Badaling le 24 février 1972 au cours de sa visite historique1. Il s'agit également de cette section de la muraille que Mao Zedong a gravi avec 370 autres dignitaires et célébrités internationaux.
China, Beijing, Zoo & Giant Panda Research Centre,
… Group cuddles during the afternoon nap in the Panda-Kindergarten…..
The panda, with its distinctive coat considered a national treasure in China. The bear also has a special significance in the logo since the founding in 1961 of the WWF. The actual wild panda population is approximately less than 2000.
Pandas live mainly in moderate temperate broadleaf & high in the mixed forests mountains of southwest China, mainly in Sichuan, but also in neighbouring Shaanxi & Gansu.
Their diet is almost entirely based on bamboo, eating around 12 to almost 45 kg of it every day, depending on the part of the bamboo they are eating occasionally other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents, or carrion, but bamboo accounts for 99% of their diets. Pandas eat fast, they eat a lot, since bamboo is not very nutritious they spend about 12 h a day “munching” it & digest only about a fifth of what they eat.
A new-born panda is about 1/900th the size of its mother, 20/ 25 cm, females can grow up to about 100 kg, while males can grow up to about 150 kg as adults. Pandas can climb as high as 40 m & are also very good swimmers,….sometimes male pandas relax by doing handstands against trees.
📌 …Forest loss also reduces pandas’ access to the bamboo they need to survive. The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves, but only around 67% of the total wild panda population lives in reserves, with 54% of the total habitat area being protected.
First founded & build in 1906 during the late Qing dynasty. The Beijing Zoo is a zoological park in Xizhimen, Xicheng District, is the oldest zoo in China & oldest public park in northern China. The zoo is also an important centre of zoological research that studies & breeds of rare animals mainly from China, but also from various continents.
The area of the 89 hectares large zoo is including 5.6 hectares of lakes & ponds, it has one of the largest animal collections in the country. The zoo & its aquarium have over 450 species of land animals & over 500 species of marine animals; it is home to over 15,000 animals.
The Beijing zoo's grounds resemble classical Chinese gardens, with flower beds amidst natural scenery, including dense groves of trees, stretches of meadows, small streams & rivers, lotus pools, hills dotted with pavilions & historical buildings. The Beijing Zoo is well known for its collection of rare animals endemic to China including the giant pandas, which are zoo's most popular animals.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
17 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Digitising negatives and prints, I came across these from my Second Visit to Ba Da Ling.
On this visit we went in the opposite direction to our First visit.
A very hot day, we took the gondola, thankfully.
If you visit here in 2018, then expect crowds of people, I visited last in 2017, could not move for people and queues. so disappointing.
On the 19th of March I had a little trip to the Great Wall of China, location: Badaling. Pretty easy to get there from Beijing city centre: subway to train station Beijing Bei (North). From there you take the turbo train to the Badaling station (fare 1st class: €5, no seriously). I think it was a 45 min ride. Entrance to the wall is 35 yuan (€4,50). You can take the ski lift to the 8th tower which is 100 yuan (€12,50 but you don't have to take the cable car).
Train is super modern and comfortable 2+2 layout. Exit the station and the walk to the ski lift station is 200m. No queue! Walk straight into the cabin. Great views from the cabin and the ride is a couple of minutes and you end up all the way in tower 8. I walked/ climbed to tower 12 and then went down via the bear park and souvenir shops.
Weather was fantastic! It was about 18 degrees Celcius but windy at some places. You have to be a bit fit because some locations are pretty steep. You need good sturdy and grippy shoes. Take enough food and water with you because you can't buy anything on the wall itself. Between tower 8 and tower 10 was a bit more crowded but after that very little crowds. When you get down there is even a KFC! Super experience, highly recommended.
Digitising negatives and prints, I came across these from my Second Visit to Ba Da Ling.
On this visit we went in the opposite direction to our First visit.
A very hot day, we took the gondola, thankfully.
If you visit here in 2018, then expect crowds of people, I visited last in 2017, could not move for people and queues. so disappointing.