Women's Basketball in Beijing

Dec. 29, 2007 :: A few members of the group were able to witness the flag ceremony in Tianamen Square. During the ceremony, two lines of Chinese soldiers marched across the street from the palace towards the flag. Trained to walk at exactly 108 paces for minute, the whole square came to a halt as the soldiers made their way across the hectic main avenue and lowered the massive flag.

Women's Basketball in Beijing

Dec. 29, 2007 :: The team ended its day with its first true Chinese dinner at Beijing’s famous Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. The members of the Emmanuel group sat down to sample a variety of cuisine highlighted by the roast duck, a "must-try" for any visitor.

Women's Basketball in Beijing

Dec. 30, 2007 :: Departing from the hotel at 9:00 a.m., the group set off by bus for the roughly 90-minute trek north to Badaling, the most visited and well-preserved section of the Great Wall.

Women's Basketball in Beijing

Dec. 30, 2007 :: View from the bottom of the Great Wall of China – Originally built to protect China’s borders from Mongolian tribes from the north, the wall dates back over 2,000 years and stretches over 4,000 miles along the country. Badaling, the northern outpost of the Juyongguan Pass, once existed strictly as a military stronghold, yet now serves as a tourist site for more than five million visitors a year.

Women's Basketball in Beijing

Dec. 30, 2007 :: Upon arriving at the scenic wall, the group once again found itself facing icy weather conditions, yet little could stop the Emmanuel crew from making the impressive ascent. – At points, the angle of the wall felt as if one were climbing straight up. With the wind howling back ever fiercer with each step, the group continued to battle it’s way northward.