Can you imagine having the Great Wall of China in your own backyard? We were amazed to look over the edge of a lower portion of the wall and see a small farm nestled below. Chickens scratched the bare ground, small fields waited for seed and trees grew on the terraced hillside while the wall towered above. That’s some windbreak!

As we began to climb, we could see a small Chinese village nearby, its red roofs standing out against the brown of early spring, and when we reached the peak, a narrow branch of the Yalu River wound its way across the landscape spread out below. On the North Korean side of the river, flat agricultural land disappeared into the distant haze. The scene was deceptively peaceful considering the tension that that country is visiting on the world stage today.