After spending a wonderful four weeks in Australia at the end of 2018, our flight back to Canada routed us through China. Neither of us had ever been, and our itinerary gave us a 10 hour layover in the capital city of Beijing. China had never been high on either of our travel lists, but we decided that we wanted to make use of our layover. The People’s Republic of China is a communist country with stringent ideals, and their government puts heavy restrictions on the freedom of it’s citizens. LGBTQ+ people have very few rights, and the public opinion of our community isn’t very positive. We tend to travel to destinations that are more progressive and open minded, and places where we can feel safe to be open as a lesbian couple. That being said, we chose to experience China with an open mind, and make the most of our 10 hours.
With just 10 hours in Beijing, we only had a few options with what we would be able to experience. Considering the time it takes to go through immigration, and getting back to the airport with enough time before our next international flight, we were left with only 5 hours. We both agreed that if we only had time to see one thing, The Great Wall of China should be it! Getting into the city of Beijing from the airport would be hectic, and we knew we wouldn’t be able to experience much. We thought if we could hire a driver to take us to The Great Wall and back, we could maximize our time. The section of The Great Wall that is near Beijing is called Mutianyu Great Wall, and it’s about one hour and fifteen minutes from Beijing Capital Airport. It’s one of the most beautiful sections of the wall and has been preserved and renovated to accommodate the many tourists that come to visit. You can hike up to it, or take a cable car or chair lift to the top. There are many beautiful look out points and the mountain views are stunning. To get down, it’s quite popular to take the toboggan! The Great Wall of China is the longest man made structure in the world, and it spans across the country. It’s considered one of the seven wonders of the world, and is truly an incredible sight. We are so grateful that we were able to see it on our layover in Beijing.
Depending on your citizenship, you may be able to enjoy visa free transit in China for up to 144 hours. With Canada being one of the approved countries, we didn’t need to send in our passports and apply for a visa before our trip, and could enter China on a temporary permit for our layover. After landing and before heading to immigration, we stood in line for the 24-144 hour transit visa, where we stated our intentions for our layover, and proved that we had an outgoing international flight. We were given temporary permits in our passports, and filled out arrival and departure cards to bring back before our next flight. After that, we headed through the regular foreigner line at immigration.
Before we landed, we hired a private driver and English speaking guide to take us to The Great Wall during our layover. They picked us up at Beijing Capital Airport, and returned us before our next flight. On the drive to Mutianyu Great Wall, our guide spoke about the history of China, and told us the story of The Great Wall. He was a young man, who has lived in China his entire life, and he told us about what life is like for young people in his country. He spoke a lot about wishing for freedom, and explained why so many Chinese people emigrate to countries like Canada because of that. He explained that deeply ingrained in Chinese culture are traditional views of family, and conservative social opinions. According to him, a lot of young people are rebelling against the traditional ideas of marriage and family, and they disagree with the way the government is run, and the ways in which it restricts their freedom. It was fascinating, and certainly opened our eyes to what life is like in China, and had us thinking about what our lives might look like if we lived there.
Before arriving in China, we discussed whether or not we felt comfortable being open as a couple during our visit. We typically don’t shy away from outing ourselves when we travel, and we like to hold hands and show affection in public as long as it’s safe to do so. Neither of us were sure what to expect, so we decided that we would see how we felt once we arrived in Beijing and would put our safety first. We spent the day with our guide, and he was around our age and seemed very open minded. When he asked if we were married, we explained that we were married to each other, and he didn’t seem at all phased. He helped us take some photos on The Great Wall, and seemed very comfortable with us holding hands and being ourselves. Because we were in such a popular tourist spot, we felt safe being open as a couple, and the other travellers that we met were all very kind and friendly to us. We’re not sure how we would have been received in the city of Beijing or other parts of China, but we had a great experience at The Great Wall. We are so thankful we had the opportunity to visit such an amazing sight, and it’s a day that we will forever remember in our travels.
Have you been to The Great Wall of China? Let us know in the comments!
