Great Wall of China 'Magical': Obama

President visits landmark, heads to South Korea
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 18, 2009 4:33 AM CST
Great Wall of China 'Magical': Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama stands with China's Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong as he tours the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Following in the footsteps of Richard Nixon and every president since then, Barack Obama today wound up his visit to China with a stop at the Great Wall, where he stoked his hosts' pride in ancient Chinese civilization by reflecting on the wall's enduring nature. "It's magical," Obama said. "It reminds you of the sweep of history and our time here on earth is not that long. We better make the best of it."

Obama's half-hour jaunt along a 500-year-old section of the wall was the second tourist foray of his Asia trip—he also made a brief stop at the Forbidden City yesterday. The president is back to work later today in strongly pro-US South Korea, the last and in many ways easiest stop on his eight-day Asia tour.
(More Barack Obama stories.)

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