CEI Staff outing explores China’s Great Wall!
On December 2, 2016 CEI staff gathered together near the companies head office in Beijing to embark on a fun team building exercise. The company had arranged a trip to the Great Wall of China. Early in the morning on an almost clear sunny day the staff from the many different departments caught a bus to the Mutianyu part of the Wall, which is located in Huairou District on the outskirts of Beijing.
After arriving at scenic Mutianyu which is surrounded by mountains, a number of fun outdoor activities were arranged which included warm up games on what turned out to be a rather chilly morning. After lunch at a local restaurant the group headed to the Great Wall, which looked quite spectacular from the Mutianyu tourist area. Before climbing began on the Wall, all the employees were divided into 4 teams and given instructions about a number of tasks they had to complete as they made there way along the Wall. This was a competition designed to test the cooperation skills of every team and its members.
The Great Wall –Mutianyu, is regarded as one of top tourist spots not only in Beijing but also around the world. It’s famous for its ancient history and also it’s magnificent architecture. To make the climb even more interesting and fun, every team had to find a selection of CEI flags placed along the Wall and also take photos with them.
Surprisingly, Mutianyu wasn’t as busy as it normally is and this was due in part to the time of year, but also the little chill in the air. As the CEI teams started climbing towards the Wall everyone really started to heat up, and jackets were quickly taken off! The scenery at the Great Wall is really stunning as its located in a mountainous area covered by trees and this means it isn’t easy to climb up to the top of the hill to reach the Wall. Even though the whole route is a paved pathway, many found the challenge quite difficult! There is actually an old Chinese proverb which says, he who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero.
Seeing the tremendous views from the top of the Great Wall was really something, because It helped CEI’s teams forget about the fatigue they felt after their long climb up the hill. The design of the ancient Wall as it meanders across the mountain top for countless miles is another feature which is really quite breathe taking to see!
By 3pm many of the CEI teams had completed their Great Wall tasks, and it was then that they also started to feel a change in the weather as the sun ascended in the sky and it turned kind of chilly. Still, everyone had a great day out on China’s major tourist attraction, and CEI’s team building event was rated a big success!
