The Great Wall stands as a symbol of the dauntlessly indominatable spirit of the chinese people in Ancient Times. Today it is a tourist Attraction that draws adventurers and sighseers to experience this awesome Wonder of the World.

The Towers were sturdy and strongly built of thick stone. Five thousand kilometres like a gigantic dragon winding its way across China, with many of its sections and passes now designated as Key national Cultural Sites.

Each main area divided into smaller areas with a turret window in each section, which would have been manned by soldiers in the past. A small staircase led up steep steps, to the parapet, from which one could get a 360 degree view over the land.

There were steps up to the tower and down from the tower.

The walking path ran alongside the wall in most places, and you can see it quite clearly. The tour guide told us there were 1000 steps from where we started, to the wall, when he suggested we take the chair lift to the top, at the beginning of the tour. Because of the weather in January, and also the time element of the tour, we chose the faster pulley up to the Wall, so we could spend the entire time walking the wall.

There are many stories written about the Great Wall, but the one that I like best is the fact that it was called the Wall of Tears, as so many lost their lives in the creation of this World Wonder. The faith and heart of the Chinese is very strong here. They considered it an honor to die in the course of serving their Emperor. Many died from the hard life they left, and were just buried under the wall itself making this the "Wall of Tears".

When you stand and marvel at the feat of construction, spare a thought for the workers who toiled so hard to build this Fantasy.

Yes, it is a very memorable wall and if walls tell stories, there is a story here with each stone.
It is a wonderful Physical and Spiritual Experience to Walk the Wall.

Maggi Carstairs 2006

Why the Great Wall of China is Special

It is by far mankind's most extensive construction endeavor. In its heyday in the 16th and 17th centuries, it snaked 6400 kilometers (4000 miles) across northern China.

It zig-zags up and down steep ridges and is punctuated with imposing watchtowers, making the Great Wall of China one of the most photogenic man-made structures on earth.

Today, it is the travel icon of China - and one of the leading vacation travel destinations in the world.

The Great Wall of China was Built:

To serve as lookout posts - The ancient Chinese had rational fears about being invaded by nomadic armies from the north.

To provide the army with a swift early warning system - Fire signals (nighttime) and smoke signals (daytime) were relayed from one watchtower to another. Messages could be rapidly sent over great distances.

To create an elevated military roadway through the rugged terrain - This helped speed the deployment of soldiers from one area to another along the Great Wall of China.

To impede invaders - This worked against feeble armies. However, the wall would serve more as a psychological than a physical barrier against a determined, well-manned military force. A formidable invader could easily breach a lightly guarded part of the wall. Or, it could muscle its way through one of the gaps between the individual wall sections.

Great Wall of China Insights

Over the centuries more than a million people (peasants, soldiers and prisoners) helped build the wall. Thousands died in the process.

In ancient times the Great Wall of China was called the Ten Thousand Li Wall. This name referred to the wall's length (a li is a unit of measurement equaling roughly a half kilometer or one-third mile).

While the sections in eastern China were mainly made with bricks and chiseled stones, those in western China were made with less durable materials (often with clay or pounded earth reinforced with tree branches).

The path stretches from a seaport on China's east coast to Xinjiang in China's north west. In between, it passes through a variety of terrains, including mountains, plateaus and deserts.

The width and height of some sections are impressive. The average dimensions are roughly 6 meters (18 feet) wide and 8 meters (25 feet) high. The watchtowers normally add about 4 meters (13 feet) to the height.

The Great Wall of China watchtowers are fairly close to each other along many stretche

Lots of beautiful legends and stories about the Great Wall took place following along the construction, and since that time these stories have spread around the country. Those that happened during construction are abundant, such as Meng Jiangnu's story and the legend of the Jiayuguan Pass. Meng Jiangnu's story is the most famous and widely spread of all the legends about the Great Wall. The story happened during the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC). It tells of how Meng Jiangnu's bitter weeping made a section of the Great Wall collapse. Meng Jiangnu's husband Fan Qiliang was caught by federal officials and sent to build the Great Wall. Meng Jiangnu heard nothing from him after his departure, so she set out to look for him. Unfortunately, by the time she reached the great wall, she discovered that her husband had already died. Hearing the bad news, she cried her heart out. Her howl caused the collapse of a part of the Great Wall. This story indicates that the Great Wall is the production of tens of thousands of Chinese commoners.

Another legend about the Jiayuguan Pass tells of a workman named Yi Kaizhan in the Ming Dynasty (1368BC-1644BC) who was proficient in arithmetic. He calculated that it would need 99,999 bricks to build the Jiayuguan Pass. The supervisor did not believe him and said if they miscalculated by even one brick, then all the workmen would be punished to do hard work for three years. After the completion of the project, one brick was left behind the Xiwong city gate. The supervisor was happy at the sight of the brick and ready to punish them. However Yi Kaizhan said with deliberation that the brick was put there by a supernatural being to fix the wall. A tiny move would cause the collapse of the wall. Therefore the brick was kept there and never moved. It can still be found there today on the tower of the Jiayuguan Pass.

In addition to the above-mentioned stories about the construction of the Great Wall, there are also plenty of stories about current scenic spots. A famous one is the legend of the Beacon Tower. This story happened during the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-711 BC). King You had a queen named Bao Si, who was very pretty. King You liked her very much, however Bao Si never smiled. An official gave a suggestion that setting the beacon tower on fire would frighten the King's subjects, and might make the queen smile. King You liked the idea. The subjects were fooled and Bao Si smiled at the sight of the chaos.

Great Wall of China in Winter