The Great Wall of China

The Path of the Wall: China's Great Wall stretches from the banks of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province near modern North Korea to Jaiyuguan in Gansu Province - the place in China's far west where the "barbarian" territories of Central Asia were considered by the Chinese to begin.

How Big is the Wall?: Estimates of the Wall's length vary. The Chinese refer to it as "The Wall of Ten Thousand Li" (a "li" being about 1/3 of a mile). The distance from the eastern end to the western end is usually put at about 6,000 kilometers -- slightly more than 10,000 li -- as the crow flies. But people can't fly; and to actually walk from the length of the Wall's twisted path through northern China would be much further. One estimate places the actual length of the Wall at about 15,000 kilometers (9,000 miles).

The Wall's Use: Over the centuries, armies have been stationed along the length of the Wall to provide early warning of efforts to invade China. They were the first line of defense for "civilized" China. These troops lived in some of the most isolated military positions known to man and were probably under supplied much of the time. It was hard service, and only part of the human cost of the Wall. The Wall served China well. The Chinese lost self-rule to outside invaders only when corruption made them weak.

Visiting the Wall at Badaling: Badaling is the most popular spot for foreign tourists in China to visit the Wall. It is less than 50 miles north of Beijing. The Badaling section of the Great Wall highlights the continuing growth of the structure throughout Chinese history. Parts of the Wall in China's west date back as far as the 3rd century B.C.; Badaling, by comparison, was built in 1505 A.D. by the Ming Emperor Hongzhi. So portions of the Great Wall are more than 1800 years older than here at Badaling.

Visiting the Wall at Mutianyu: Mutianyu is usually agreed to be the most scenic section of the Wall, at least in the Beijing area. The Wall here is about one-and-a-half miles long and includes 22 watchtowers. There is a cable car for visitors who don't want to climb the steps up to the top of the Wall. The drive from Beijing is less arduous, with only the last few kilometers of the trip being in the mountains. A minibus leaves every morning from just south of the Great Hall of the People near Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Visiting the Wall at Simaitai: Simatai is a good place to visit the Wall if you are looking for exercise and adventure. This section of the Wall is about three miles long and includes 35 towers. It climbs the ridgeline of Yanshan Mountain and is very steep in places. The steps of Wall are not always evenly spaced; some are crumbling and there are portions of the Wall where sides no longer exist and a traveler could easily fall off. Parts of it are just plain dangerous. Some spots are only half a meter wide at the top.

Why Visit the Wall?: The Great Wall of China is a unique attraction - the only manmade object visible from space.

Despite the distance that it covers, the majority of visitors to China's Great Wall come to it at one of these three locations near Beijing, where it can be reached as part of a day trip from the city. In 1987, the Badaling section of the Wall was added to the "World Cultural Heritage" list by the United Nations. It houses a museum of Chinese history, including a photo gallery and theater.

For all the glory of Badaling, it is also the most touristy section of the Wall. It is crowded, and at times feels like a carnival -- complete with tacky little souvenirs.

The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall adjoins the Wall at Badaling. The history of the Wall at Mutianyu is much longer; the section was originally built during the Northern Qi Dynasty in the mid-sixth century. Some renovation occurred in 1368. In 1404 the Ming Emperor installed a pass gate to allow his military to get from one side of the Wall to the other here, and in 1569 a project to completely rebuild this section of wall was begun. In 1983 it was further renovated to promote tourism. Ninety percent of the terrain around this section of the Wall is woodland, and among the Wall's attractions here is a small zoo with local wildlife.

The human cost of the Wall and the price paid by the average Chinese lives on in a legend about a woman named Meng Jiangnü. The traditional story describes how, shortly after she and her husband married he was conscripted to work on the Wall. Meng Jiangnü feared he would suffer from the cold of the north and made a jacket for him. She took it to the Wall, but found that he had been killed in the construction project. The sound of her mourning made a section of the Wall collapse.