I’m Hubert Hirwa, a Rwanda student studying in the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) for my PhD degree. I begin to learn Chinese language and China panorama at UCAS, during which I heard about the saying “不到长城非好汉”, which means that if you want to be a hero, you have to climb the Great Wall of China. I got really curious, as a result, I joined in a trip to the Great Wall with other Chinese and international students from UCAS.
When climbing the beauty of spectacular mountains scenery, I was fearful and ecstatic. I was able to see the whole lowland and Yanqi catchment area; the best view I have ever seen. I have been so impressed by how the Great Wall of China is constructed by the earth, stone, brick, lime, and wooden materials on the top of hills. These materials made it difficult to lay a strong, lasting foundation, however, part of this magnificent stricture is still available after more than 2200 years. During the trip I also got more knowledge about the Great Wall, for example, this magnificent structure was initially designed to protect the various reigning dynasties of the era from raids by outside invaders and for hundreds of years stood as a symbol of strength and resolve, it is classified as the world's most extended man-made structure, stretching a formidable 3,948 miles. The Yan wall stretched from the Liaodong peninsula, through Chifeng, and into northern Hebei, possibly bringing its western terminus near the Zhao walls. The ruins in Jianping County, Chaoyang, are its best existing section. Ruins of the Yan Great Wall were also found close to the Ming Great Wall at Badaling, Changping, northeast of Beijing.
The trip was terrific and excellent. I made many friends and learned a lot from different culture and people.
Chinese and international students at the Great Wall (source: WeChat)
Hubert climbing the Great Wall (source: WeChat)
Author: Hubert Hirwa
Photographer: XYZ
Edited by: Pralhad Gupta, GAO Yuan
