Pakistani journalists visit Great Wall - tourists’ destination all around year

Pakistani journalists visit Great Wall - tourists’ destination all around year

By Akram Malik BEIJING, April 29 (APP): As Pakistani journalists panted, a young couple paced past them to reach top of the Great Wall, built by toil of Chinese generation after generation to stave off aggression from the North by Mongols-it now has become one of the 7th Wonders of the world.“What an achievement and a landmark accomplished by the Chinese,” said a freelance journalist Shazia Mehmood as she tried to balance her steps while negotiating a bend at the Great Wall. A group of Pakistani journalists have visited Beijing and a few other cities in Shandong province at the invitation of the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad and have returned this week- impressed by the level of progress made by China in short span of time. The Great Wall is swarmed by tourists throughout the year except in freezing winter of China when parts of it are closed. But the adventurous ones do like to visit it for sun bath amidst snowy peaks and rocky mountains. “Think of how centuries ago the Chinese would have carried the bricks and material to build the Wall while we have a chairlift to go up and see the fascinating feat of the Chinese nation, “ said Salim Bukharianother very senior journalist as he jumped off his cabin. Over 6,000 km long and built 2,500 years ago during different Chinesedynasties, the Great Wall has beacon towers to house soldiers and store both grain and weapons. “It safeguarded the trading routes such as the Silk Road, andsecured transmission of information and transportation,” centuries back. “Whosoever comes from Pakistan to Beijing, the first question they ask is how to get to the Great Wall because this is a “must see” place for every tourist”, said a Pakistani youth working in a shop. “Silvery snakes dancing among mountains, white elephants running along the vast lands,” said the architect of Chinese revolution chairman Mao about the Great Wall. The Wall, part of Beijing - a sprawling city of 20 million souls which can boast of being as clean as any Western capital with its glossy high rise buildings.Many world leaders have visited this part of the Wall. Impressed by the grandeur of the Wall, president Barack Obama during his visit commented: “ It’s majestic. It’s magical. It reminds you of the sweep of history, and that our time here on Earth is not that long, so we better make the best of it.” Those thinking to visit the Great Wall snaking through mountains must have the stamina to walk up and accept the challenge of descent which is more difficult. It remains a major attraction for tourists and newly wed people. Married couples in China have to stick to One Child policy which was being implemented successfully since 1979 to check the population which according to the old census stood at 1.3 billion. The new census has already been conducted and its result is expected to be announced shortly. But this policy is not strictly implemented on 56 ethnic minorities constituting 10 to 15 per cent of the population, said a Chinese requesting anonymity. Travelling through Beijing at this time of the year one could not miss noticing white tiny fluffy objects flying around the city which caused people allergy which reminded us of Islamabad where life for pollen allergy patients become miserable during tree sprouting season. Beijing hardly look like a city of a developing country because its spacious and clean boulevards with clean air, impress most visitors. Once known a city of cycles, cars have replaced cycles although it remains a mode of travelling as in case of the western cities. Though China meets 80 per cent of its energy needs from coal, strict procedures are in place to check air pollution and those units violating the policy are shut down. It will be unfair not to mention what now has become the pride of Beijing the Birds Nest stadium where it hosted Summer Olympics in 2008. “It is truly pride of the Chinese as they have proved beyond any doubt they can organize such a gala event,” said Makhdoom Babar, an editor-in- chief of the English daily as the journalists delegation was guided around the Olympiad village in Beijing. “World Olympics games in Beijing in 2008 are very important milestone in contemporary Chinese history. A large number of sportsmen and tourists looked at China with their own eyes,” said Chinese Vice minister of the state council information office prof. Dong Yunhu. It has become pride of the Chinese commitment to take their own chosen route to development and their success have surprised the West when it absorbed the shocks of 2008 recession indicating strength of its economy despite present day’s increasingly interdependence of the world economy. Prof. Dong Yunhu made it clear: “ we will never change our path of development under Western -biased media reports,” but he was candid enough to admit that China had still a long way to develop itself - hinting at the daunting challenges to reach new heights of progress and over all development across the country. Passing through the centre of Beijing one cannot ignore the imposing Great Hall, the venue of the top official meetings and chairman Mao’s mausoleum. Mao’s body which used to lay at Tiananmen square now has been removed inside the mausoleum which is opened twice a week.