Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China City, Country : Beijing, China Nearest Airport : Beijing International Airport

The Great Wall of China is an iconic structure. The arc-shaped wall stretches from the Shanhaiguan Pass to Jiayuguan Pass. It covers such diverse Geographic features such as the yellow ridges at the Huangya Pass, the Ordos desert, across the Ju River, through cities and towns, mountain ranges in the Simatai and forests in Mutiany. The main regions covered are Hebei, Beijing Gansu, Shanxi and Shaanxi.

Great Wall in Hebei-

• Shanhaiguan Pass
• Laolongtou (popularly known as Old Dragon's Head)

Great Wall in Beijing -

Badaling, Huanghuacheng Jiankou Jinshanling

Juyongguan Mutianyu Simatai

Han Dynasty Section of the Wall in Gansu -

Dunhuang Hecang Fortress

Yangguan Pass Yumenguan Pass

Ming Dynasty Section of the Wall in Gansu -

Jiayuguan Pass

Zhangye

Great Wall in Shanxi -

• Yanmenguan Pass

Great Wall in Shaanxi -

• Yulin

Contrary to common belief, the Great Wall of China is actually a series of walls, first built in the 5 th Century, rebuilt in the 16 th Century and augmented in between in different time periods. The earliest sections of the Wall of China was little more than straw and earthen structures. The first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty, built the new wall to prevent attacks from the Northern Xiongnu Tribes. The material was indigenously available stones and mortar and even packed earth in sections. Later rulers patched damaged portions or made expansions to the Wall. Major renovations and extensive building once again occurred in the Ming Period. The construction was now made out of both brick and stone. The Great China Wall was constantly monitored against damage from the Mongol raiders and later Manchu armies and was strengthened from time to time. The Ming rulers had the Wall renovated 18 times. As a result, not the remains from the Qin dynasty were restored, but some 1000 kilometers were constructed to a full length of 6,700 kilometers. Finally the supposedly impenetrable wall was defeated when a traitorous Ming General opened the gates to the Sanhai Pass.

Great Wall of China Facts

• The Wall has several names in Chinese Chengquiang or 'Defensive Wall', Changcheng or 'Long Wall' and Wanli Changcheng, meaning a wall that was over 10,000 meters.
• Declared as a World Heritage Site in 1987.
• In May 1932, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Claimed that the wall is the only man made structure that can be visible to the human eye from the moon.
• At its widest point, the China wall is 30 feet wide.
• There is a Real Man Stone inscribed with Mao Zedong's words saying You are not a real man if you have not climbed the Great Wall of China. It is now used as part of the advertising campaign for the Great Wall.

Great Wall of China tours
For the more adventurous tourists, there are 2 to 8 days hiking packages available. The traveler can enjoy full day hikes at Huangya Pass and enjoy the natural beauty of Simatai. Biking tours are also available where one can bicycle across the China Wall.

The best time for hiking and biking are during spring and autumn. The recommended months for touring are April to early-June and September to early-November.

The China Wall has several attractive stops; the recommended places to visit are -

• The 67 watchtowers at Jinshanlin,
• The Sanhaiguan Pass or Number One Pass Under Heaven, where the Great Wall of China Museum is located.
• The Jiankou or Jiumenkou Section, where the Wall bridges across the Ju River.
• The Mutianyu Section, because of the great natural beauty of the Mountains and Forests.
• The North Juyongguan Pass, better known as Badaling.

ACOD~20121210

Last Updated On : January 04, 2013