Instead of our typical wake up of 6:30am, we were allowed to sleep in until 6:45!The agenda today includes visiting China's largest produce market and largest wall...The Great Wall!

Xin Fa Di Produce Market was founded in 1998 and is the largest produce market in Beijing. Supplying over 70% of Beijing's vegetables and over 80% of fruit, Xin Fa Di is known as the "Fruit and Vegetable Basket of Beijing." Xin Fa Di is a national player in the produce market with over 1 billion RMB, or $140 million USD and is one of the largest contributing taxpaying businesses in Beijing. While the market's major trade commodities are vegetables, fruits, and meats, Xin Fa Di also trades seed, tea, and spices. Although they are already the largest market in Beijing, they are still trying to increase their market share not only in China but also overseas.

Mr. Zhou, one of the office managers, generously hosted the presentation with baskets of baby bananas, lychees, and grapes. The baby bananas tasted sweeter but tougher than the regular bananas. They were yellow outside as well just like the others we normally see in the market, but much smaller. Lychee is a common Chinese fruit that is often served after dinner as a refreshing desert. In order to enjoy this fruit, you must first peel the red outside layer in order to get enjoy the white fruit. After gently peeling the outer shell, all the tasty juice began dripping onto our hands. Afterward, we were given a tour to see the various trade areas including a niche Korean market in addition to the fruit, vegetable, and aquatic markets. Although it looked like a typical outside market, the vegetables, fruits and other products were very eye appealing. Xin Fa Di also services its high-end clients with an indoor trading floor as well as providing housing for its suppliers. Product offerings ranged from American cherries to New Zealand apples to Chilean blueberries.

We departed the produce market and drove to Cloisonne.  First we had a short tour detailing the steps enameling.After that we had a tasty lunch and finished by looking around their shop and making a few purchases.

A bus ride through narrow winding streets led us to the entrance of the Great Wall.We took a few pictures of the mountains and then began the climb to the top. Along the way we took frequent water and picture breaks.The climb was challenging but eve more rewarding. This is such a once in lifetime experience. We could not believe the impressive work created by mankind and quickly understood why it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Thousands of steps and an hour later we celebrated at the top, which included singing "Happy Birthday" to Rahul Patel! However, equally challenging was the descent. The challenge came from the climbing of steep, broken stone. This strenuous climb required breaks at the many huts along the Wall to take pictures of the beautiful scenic mountains with Beijing on the horizon. Finally, we reached the end and looked back on what we had accomplished. To end the day, we were rewarded with a luxurious peking duck dinner, accompanied by other University of Illinois students and past guest speakers.

Legend says you are not a hero until you have climbed The Great Wall. Today, we are heroes.