Great Wall of China, Great Wall Facts, Great Wall Sections

Introduction

Badaling Great Wall of Beijing

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.

Comments and Questions

hello which is the most touristic part of the great wall? last year i visited simatai ,,,but are they working on it? which exursion is the bet ? which the final prize?

Reply6/22/2010 11:06:00 AMlolo , Spain

Joey :6/22/2010 8:38:00 PM

i heard that Mutianyu is really good.

hi, can anyone recommend to me a good tour guide for beijing? leaving this weekend for a few days. with access to a car to go to the great walls. excited already. thanks

Reply10/15/2009 7:10:00 PMNilo , Philippines

Chow Feure ( China ) :10/15/2009 11:10:00 PM

Do you want a private tour guide and hire a car? Maybe you can find your answer in this forum:http://community.travelchinaguide.com/forum/

dd ( Bosnia And Herzegowina ) :1/29/2010 7:36:00 AM

yes it is isnt it lovley

For a school project, i have to know when the great wall of china was made. so, my question is : when was the great wall of china built? :-P

Reply4/18/2010 8:38:00 PMrosemary , United States

David :4/19/2010 8:47:00 PM

Rosemary, I notice that the above article do tell you the time.

how many men built the wall? how many died?

Reply3/4/2010 4:47:00 PMkathy , Poland

Vivien ( Canada ) :3/4/2010 8:02:00 PM

I read in the Chinese history that Qinshihuang recruited thousands of labor forces to built the great wall, and most of whom died.

this is very interesting...
i have to do a project before b.c and i think i found what to talk about.

Reply9/25/2009 4:14:00 PMlytle , United States Minor Outlying Islands

jake ( United States ) :10/13/2009 11:09:00 PM

Ok I can answer 3. The wall was made of packed earth. Then a layer of stone. The wall is 30ft tall. Messages were sent in day by smoke and at night fire. The messages traveled along towers until they reached the capital.

this looks like a damaged wall.

Reply8/18/2008 6:21:00 AMjoy , Australia

Jake ( United States ) :10/13/2009 11:18:00 PM

Yes but imagine what it looked like 2,000 years ago.

Hi Brittany,
Are you kidding? You mean walk the Badaling Great Wall in Beijing or the whole Great Wall in China? Badaling is easy for you to walk, only taking several hours; but if you mean the whole Great Wall measuring 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles), it's hard to caculating the time. It's up to your speed! Last year, a young couple from Britain had walked the Great Wall using 167 days. :)

Reply4/2/2009 9:15:00 PMSera , China

Jake ( United States ) :10/13/2009 11:13:00 PM

Your probably right. If you tried to you'd have to be in your best shape.

I have a few questions,
1. why is the wall so famous?
2. what is the wall made of?
3. since many men died building the wall, what was its nick name?
4.how tall is the wall?
5. how were messages sent along the wall???

Reply4/28/2009 7:04:00 PMBill , United Kingdom

Wow, it will be a great goal. Then which section of the Great Wall would you like to start with?

Reply4/23/2009 10:10:00 PMDuan Yulan , China

I am planning a trip to china in 2010 or 2011, which includes walking the ENTIRE Great Wall of China. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding preperation?

Reply4/23/2009 9:30:00 AMKiyana , United States

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