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DRAGON DOG |
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 The Great Wall of China is about 4,000 miles long. © David Muenker |
The uncle's van left the busy city of Beijing and chugged up a steep mountain road to the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China.
The huge stone wall stretched as far as Sonya could see. The uncle began telling the group some fascinating facts.
"Emperors had the wall built to protect their empires from invasion by people living north of China. It is the longest manmade structure in the world."
 Vendors sell many colorful items. © David Muenker |
"Almost 4,000 miles. About 6,350 kilometers."
"That's longer than the distance across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States to Europe!" Lian said.
"Most of the wall was built under the Ming Dynasty," the uncle added.
"That's the same dynasty that built the Forbidden City," Lian whispered into Sonya's ear.
At the entrance, vendors sold all sorts of souvenirs. "You might want to have a snack now. You'll need lots of energy to walk on the wall," the uncle said.
Lian and Sonya ate dumplings, spring rolls and other popular Chinese New Year foods. They took some fortune cookies to eat later.
 A camel stands ready for photos. © David Muenker |
"I'm not stopping until I find a dragon to dance with at the Chinese New Year festival," she shouted.
On top of the wall, hundreds of people walked on a lane as wide as an alley.
The wall curved up and over mountain slopes. Many places had steep steps. Visitors huffed and puffed as they climbed up the wall to panoramic views of the landscape.
Sonya peered over the edge of the wall. "What's that strange animal with two humps on its back," she asked Lian. "Is it a weird type of dragon?"
"No, it's a camel. Kids can sit on it and have their picture taken."
Watch towers stood at regular intervals. "That's where the dynasty guards kept an eye out for invaders," Lian explained.
They climbed past one watch tower. Then another. "I'm pooped out," Lian sighed. "I'm going to sit down and rest."
"Not me," Sonya said. "I'm going to find a dragon!"
 Sonya finds her Chinese New Year dragon. © 2007 Ravay Snow |
A big shadow started to block the sun shining on her.
"That smells good. Can I have some?" a deep voice asked her.
When Sonya looked up, her eyes became as big as CDs. A creature with fangs, wings and jagged scales on its back looked down at her.
"You're a dragon!" she exclaimed. She dropped the cookies at its big feet.
"I like my cookies best right out of the oven. I'll warm these up," the dragon said. When it blew on them, flames came out of its mouth and curled around the cookies.
"Yum! These are delicious!"
"Are you a friendly dragon?" Sonya stuttered.
"Of course, I am. Storybooks give us a bad name."
Big tears began dropping from the dragon's eyes.
"Why are you crying?" Sonya asked.
"I took a wrong turn a few mountains back and got separated from my friend. We were going to dance together at the Chinese New Year party. Now I don't have anyone to dance with."
"I'll dance with you," Sonya told him. "I've been looking all over China for a dragon to dance with!"
"Whoopee!" The dragon exhaled fiery, red flames into the air.
"Woof! Woof!" Sonya barked with joy.
The two of them jumped up and down, forward and backward. They spun in circles. And then they danced along the Great Wall of China, celebrating the Chinese New Year.
On the following days, they danced over mountains, deserts and plateaus. They danced and danced as far as the eye can see.
Note: This story is fiction based on fact.
Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights and wildlife of this World Heritage Site.
Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.
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Photographs ©2005-2008 David Muenker. Text ©2005-2008 Rose Muenker. Illustrations ©2005-2008 Ravay Snow Any use without express written permission is illegal and punishable by law. All rights reserved. Site designed and developed by Josh Bergman. |
