On the third day of their weeklong visit to China, Michelle Obama and daughters, 12-year old Sasha and 15-year old Malia, explored the Great Wall of China.
The trip to Beijing, where Mrs. Obama met with Peng Liyuan, the wife of the president of China, marks the first time that a first lady has visited China independently.
On the White House blog, Mrs. Obama wrote about she and her daughters’ experience.
“To get to the Wall, we rode a cable car up a mountain (and we later rode back down on a long slide!).
“During our visit to the Wall, I couldn’t stop thinking about what a massive undertaking it must have been to build it. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and peasants were given the dangerous, painstaking – and often fatal – task of carrying ton after ton of granite, brick, dirt, and wood through the forests, up over the hills, and down through the valleys to create this incredible structure. They did this year after year, decade after decade – and it’s because of their hard work and sacrifice that the Great Wall remains standing today.”
In the spirit of modern technology, FLOTUS also posted a few pictures to Twitter.
"Simply breathtaking" —The First Lady on her visit to the Great Wall today: http://t.co/LyZlco0Xae #FLOTUSinChina pic.twitter.com/dy8aI6Zv98
— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) March 23, 2014
On the first day of their trip, Mrs. Obama and her daughters posed with President Xi Jinping and his wife at the Diaoyutai State guest house on Friday.
Her oldest daughter, Malia, wore a high-waisted floral skirt and matching short-sleeve crop shirt for the occasion. Black tights and flats accompanied the outfit.
Malia’s fashionable outfit was so popular that websites are posting links to show where fans of the frock can buy a similar one of their own.
Not only has the First Lady and daughters wowed with their fashion elegance, but also with their personalities.
“She is very warm and frank, and when she is talking to people she conscientiously listens to what they have to say,” said Wu Qing, a retired professor of Beijing Foreign Studies University after meeting with Mrs. Obama on Sunday.
But this trip hasn’t just been about pleasure. So far Mrs. Obama has also visited a Beijing High School and a high school in the southwestern city of Chengdu. On Saturday, she visited Peking University where she promoted the free flow of information and freedom of speech and on Sunday, hosted a discussion about education with Chinese professors, students, and parents.
“Education is an important focus for me. It’s personal, because I wouldn’t be where I am today without my parents investing and pushing me to get a good education,” she said.
Mrs. Obama, along with Malia and Sasha, will return to Washington on Wednesday.
Image via Twitter