We couldn't go all the way to China and back without spending one day as Ugly American Tourists.
The next few entries will show you some of that.

Going to Beijing and not seeing the Great Wall of China would be like coming to Erie and not seeing any water.
More than a million people died building what is ultimately the granddaddy of all neighborhood fence disputes.
Longer than the United States is wide, the Great Wall was the Emperor's way of keeping China together and keeping the hordes out.

Contrary to popular belief, a Chinese astronaut recently confirmed that you can NOT see the Great Wall (or any other man made structure) from outer space, kicking off a Great Debate among Chinese educators about whether all of the text books should be changed.
I don't know if these pictures convey just how steep this wall is in places, I mean it is straight up and down, and the steps are not evenly spaced.
More than a few delegation members complained of leg aches and pains the next morning, but we simply could not visit this place without standing where sentries did hundreds of years ago, one long testament to the grit and determination of a people we have yet to fully understand.