A Chinese saying goes that He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man. If we laid the bricks and rocks used in the Great Wall of Ming to form a wall one meter (1.1 yard) wide and five meters (16.4 feet) high, it could circle the earth at the equator with great ease. It is such a spectacular and formidable architectural feat that anyone who comes to China should not miss it under any circumstances.
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China's Great Wall is the world's longest architectural structure and is widely renowned as one of the seven great wonders of the world. The wall stretches 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles) from the Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu Province to the Shanhaiguan Pass in Hebei Province. Like a gigantic dragon, this imposing wall meanders across mountains, spans vast plains and trudges through the barren deserts of China's northern interior. This amazing marvel of engineering took over 2,000 years to build. It is acclaimed to be a most magnificent miracle created by the Chinese people demonstrating the tenacity, diligence and wisdom of the Chinese people.

Construction of the Great Wall began early in the Warring States Period (475BC-221BC) when independent small states came into existence. In order to defend their territories, long walls were built along the borders. In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), toppled the former states and unified China. To protect the country from intrusion of the nomadic Hun ethnic minority in the north, earlier separate walls were joined and extended dramatically. The walls at that time began at Linyao in Gansu Province and ended in Liaoning Province, reaching a total length of over 5,000 kilometers, hence it was known as the 'Ten Thousand Li Great Wall' (Li is a unit of length used by the Chinese and one li is equal to 0.5 kilometer.).

Thereafter, the Great Wall was restored and lengthened time and time again. The later walls were not a long and frail wall but were complete fortifications with more annexes such as: castles, watch towers and beacon towers. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), large-scale extensions generated the 'Great Wall of Ming', the ever longest wall in the history of China. The wall that we see today is primarily the result of a restoration that took place during the Ming Dynasty. However, some sections of the Great Wall fell into ruins.
Now, sections at Shanhaiguan Pass, Badaling, Simatai, Mutianyu and Jiayuguan Pass have become celebrated tourist resorts. The Badaling Great Wall, a typical section of the Great Wall, is the most famous place in China and is always thronged with visitors coming from all over the world.
Hereunder are the introductions to the different sections of the Great Wall of China, from which you can also have a view of China Great Wall Pictures.
| Badaling Great Wall | Jinshanling Great Wall | Huanghuacheng Great Wall |
| Badaling Remnant Great Wall | Juyongguan Great Wall | Simatai Great Wall |
| Meng Jiangnu's Bitter Weeping | Mutianyu Great Wall |
Recommended Tours including the visit to Great Wall:
Grand Beijing Travel: 4-Day to Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Summer Palace
Happy Beijing Tour: 5-Day to Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven
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Recommended Beijing Tour Itineraries:
Beijing One-Day Tours: 5 itineraries for you to choose.
Beijing Two-Day Tours: 2 itineraries to visit Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Badaling Great Wall, etc. 4-Day Beijing Travel: to the most popular attractions in Beijing.
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Comments and Questions
Can anyone explain the reasons for the Great Wall's architecture? Why was it built in such a way?
Reply3/9/2012 6:02:55 PMthe unknown
Anne :3/10/2012 1:45:22 AM
i think they built the great wall into a long and high wall to prevent the invaders.J ( United States ) :5/8/2012 12:09:14 PM
It is said that they built it zigzag because the evil Quin emperor was told that evil demons couldn't pass through if it was zigzag. Little did he know that he was the evil one,hah!keosha :5/14/2012 8:56:26 AM
well it was built that way so to confuse the invadersHas anyone ever walked or ran the entire distance of The Wall?
Reply5/19/2011 9:04:03 AMHunter Kelley, United States
Gina :5/22/2011 12:56:22 AM
i don't think any can finish the whole journey.Milkshake ( Australia ) :6/16/2011 2:39:10 AM
I think someone can walk the whole wall if some of it was not broken.anna ( China ) :11/2/2011 6:01:53 AM
i have been there it was an amazing tripElizabeth :2/25/2012 1:13:17 AM
no one can. it wasn't completed and some parts were destroyed and ruined.Justin Bieber lover :2/26/2012 1:49:35 PM
I dont think anyone has walked or run the entire distance of the great wall!:)Waffle king :3/22/2012 5:57:26 PM
I want to be the first maybe skip the parts that have been ruinedtehijiss:P :4/30/2012 8:36:41 AM
i ran/jogged 3746 kilomters on the great wal.. not non stop but in total in a month :DI've got a project due and I need some good info on why it is significant and describe how it was built. Any Ideas??
Reply4/13/2012 10:31:10 PMKatie <3
Bobby :4/14/2012 7:45:23 PM
Great Wall of China was built to protect the Chinese people in northern China from being invaded by the northern nomadic tribes.they also burried the people who died making it in the wall its self
Reply3/15/2012 11:37:26 PMjay
how long would it take you to walk the Great Wall of China?
Reply4/2/2009 8:41:00 PMBrittany, United States
kjzxrf :10/31/2011 5:33:52 PM
it would take 2-3 daysApple :10/31/2011 7:07:09 PM
the Great Wall of China is over 5,000 km, and there are many sections in different provinces, so i think it is difficult to finish all the sections.i heard a man traveled through the Great Wall of China for many years.
mykee ( United States ) :4/13/2012 8:15:57 AM
I'm sorry to put you down, but I never walked the great wall. :DI have never been there but I would have to fly on an airplane and im afriad of hieghts and airplanes
Reply4/2/2012 7:16:18 PMMalahree
Hank :4/2/2012 7:28:25 PM
I advise you visit the Great Wall on foot, which may provide you true feeling of its maginificence. If you are afraid of heights, I advise you go to the well-developed sections such as Badaling and Mutianyu.why did they build it ? (:
Reply12/13/2011 8:20:38 PMkate emily, Afghanistan
Remond :12/14/2011 5:07:04 PM
they built it to protect their farmland, cities and villages from the invaders.Shua Yuang ( China ) :2/10/2012 2:33:22 PM
For Protection!! I swear, kids these days really need to know how to read!!!!!!!!!!!!anonymous ( Australia ) :2/24/2012 2:11:04 AM
they built it for their protection against the Barbariansrob :3/7/2012 1:29:30 PM
they built it to keep other countrys and enimies from ivading their landannomous age 12 ( China ) :3/15/2012 12:39:21 AM
they built the wall to keep the mongolians out and also keep the chinese cilvilsation ini bet ( Australia ) :3/15/2012 11:35:44 PM
to protect the chinese empire from the mongolian and manch enemies to the northhow much of it is still left
Reply2/28/2012 7:12:43 AMgregory, United States
Lulu :2/28/2012 6:24:07 PM
it is said only 1/3 of the Chinese Great Wall is left.rob :3/7/2012 1:31:14 PM
ya about only 1/3when was it built?
Reply2/28/2012 9:56:49 AMjacob, United States
Remond :2/28/2012 6:27:21 PM
the Great Wall of China was firstly built in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and in the Qin dynasty in a large scale. The great Walls were renovated in the Ming Dynasty.rob :3/7/2012 1:34:10 PM
221 BC to 210 BC is when it was builthow many dynasties where there in the building process of the great wall?
Reply2/13/2012 9:35:53 AMsteve cobelingtonson the III, Djibouti
Keith :2/13/2012 7:55:24 PM
the construction of Great Wall started from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Ming Dynasty, involving the Warring States Period, Qin, Han, Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Liao, Jin, and Ming.jacob ( United States ) :2/28/2012 9:57:58 AM
how long is it?Fanny :2/28/2012 6:28:59 PM
Read the above article,it says clearly that "The wall stretches 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles)".