After breakfast, we traveled to nearby Badaling Hills. There, we saw one of the most impressive and best-preserved sections of the Great Wall of China—a 4,000-mile-long series of sandstone and earthwork fortifications built and maintained between the 5th century B.C. and the 16th century A.D. that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
 
After a lunch of local specialties, we walked along the Sacred Way, a tree-lined avenue guarded by massive sculptures of elephants, lions and camels leading to the Ming Dynasty tombs . 

For our evening meal, we enjoyed China’s famous Peking duck and a recital by Peking Opera performers.