Eric's Beijing Diary

Just got back from a church retreat to Guandi on the outskirts of Beijing. This area of Beijing (Beijing Shi, not the city proper) is interesting, because there is an old section of the Great Wall that has never been developed, and it is very close to the road. Right off the road there is a sign notifying the public that this section of the Great Wall is not open to the public, but there is a trail, and no fence keeping people out. I don't know if I would want to take small children there, because it really is not developed, and it is quite dangerous in spots. This is the second church retreat I have been on with the English Fellowship. I did go on a trip to Tianjin with Haidian Church years ago before the English Fellowship was started, but that was just for the day. This particular retreat was actually a combined retreat with the English Fellowship and the Youth Fellowship from Haidian Church. In Chinese churches, "Youth Fellowship" roughly equates to "college and career." Some of the folks from the Youth Fellowship could speak English, so they were also involved in the English Fellowship, but I had not met any of them.