General Introduction of Great Wall China

knowledges of Great Wall China:

The Great Wall of China (Simplified Chinese: 长城; Traditional Chinese: 長城; Pinyin: Chángchéng; literally "Long wall") or (Simplified Chinese: 万里长城; Traditional Chinese: 萬里長城; Pinyin: Wànlǐ Chángchéng; literally "The long wall of 10,000 Li (里)" is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties. Several walls, referred to as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC, the most famous being the one built between 220 BC and 200 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. That wall was much farther north than the current wall, built during the Ming Dynasty, and little of it remains.

Great Wall-The symbol of China

Snaking acrobatically across the Precipitous and undulating mountains of north China, the Great Wall is the world's longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 7,300 km (4,000 miles) from Shanhai Pass in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. It is also the largest human-made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass.

The Great Wall is a colossal defensive construction bequeathed through ages. Starting from Shanhaiguan, northeast of Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province in the east coast, the Great Wall rises and falls with the contours of the mountains westward, crossing the provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu for 6,700 kilometers, to end at Jiayuguan, southwest of Jiayuguan City in Gansu Province.

It's fame reaches worldwide and tops all famous tourist attractions in China. Almost all visitors would be tremendously amazed by its awe-inspiring majesty. It goes without saying, however, that a trek up of the wall is a most exhilarating and challenging experience. It's beauty is caught in glimpses through the mountains and clouds, and its human cost is experienced through climbing it step by step. Due to its long-standing history and arduous working conditions, the Great Wall is regarded as one of the Seven World Wonders. It was officially listed as a world cultural geritage site by UNESCO in January, 1988.

The construction of the wall lasted for thousands of yeas. It began during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) and Warring States period (475-221 BC) during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Ducal states at that time built walls to defend their own territories. After the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty crushed all rival states, he founded the first centralized and unified dynasty in Chinese history. To consolidate the country and ward off invasion by ethnic minority tribes in the north, he had the walls linked and extended, giving rise to the 5,000-kilometer-long Qin Great Wall. Later dynasties from Han (206 BC – AD 220) to Ming (1368-1644) kept building and improving the wall, extending it more than 1,000 kilometers to today‘s scale.

The Great Wall comprises walls, passes, watchtowers, castles and fortresses. The walls are made of large stone strips. From east to west, the sections at Shanhaiguan, Jinshanling, Mutianyu, Badaling and Jiayuguan have become tourist attractions.
　　
The Great Wall we see today mostly dates back to the Ming Dynasty. The best-preserved and most imposing section is at Badaling in Beijing. The section, located outside the Juyongguan Pass, is made of large blue bricks and has an average height of 7.8 meters. Five to six horses can be ridden abreast along it. At regular intervals there is an arched door leading to the top of the wall. The walls are covered with many lookout holes, window embrasures and castellated crenels. Beacon towers were also built at fixed intervals for passing on military information. All these indicate the important role of the Great Wall in military defense.

As one of the most magnificent ancient defense works, the Great Wall is known as one of the wonders of the world. All tourists now know the saying, "You are not a real person until you have climbed the Great Wall."

Badaling Great Wall Tel: 86-10-69121383
Juyongguan Great Wall Tel: 86-10-69771665
Mutianyu Great Wall Tel: 86-10-61626894
Jinshanling Great Wall Tel: 86-314-8838378
Shanghaiguan Great Wall Tel: 86-335-5051957
Laolongtou Great Wall Tel: 86-335-5152996

view the Great Wall tours

History of Great Wall-after Yuan Dynasty

History of Great Wall-Tang, Song and Yuan Great Wall

History of Great Wall-Han Wall, Northern and Southern Dynasties

History of Great Wall-Qin Wall

Great Wall history-The first construction of the Great Wall

Can You See The Great Wall of China from The Moon?

Notable areas of Great Wall

Visibility of the Great Wall

Recognition of the Great Wall

Watchtowers and barracks

Characteristics and Condition

The General History of Great Wall