Introduction to the Great Wall of China

[Bryan]

This thread will provide some basic information and also dispel some common myths about the Great Wall of China.

[Bryan]

The Great Wall of China is a military defense barrier along the previous northern border of China. The Great Wall consists of many different walls which were built, rebuilt, connected, and extended at different times and using different construction techniques.

[Bryan]

It is mankind's most extensive construction endeavor ever. The Ming dynasty Great Wall alone reached 6400 kilometers (4000 miles) across China.

The other dimensions of the Wall are also impressive. The average width is about 6 meters (18 feet), and the average height is about 8 meters (25 feet). The watchtowers average about 10 meters (33 feet) high. In many places, the Wall is built with stone blocks so huge that it defies the imagination as to how they were put in place on high mountain ridges.

The Great Wall winds up and down steep mountain ridges in remote locations and is fortified with thousands of watchtowers, making it one of the most photogenic structures on earth.

[Bryan]

The Great Wall served many purposes.

• To keep invaders out – The Great Wall was a psychological as well as physical barrier against invading military forces.
• To serve as lookout posts – The elevated locations of the Great Wall and its towers enabled distant observation for invaders to provide the earliest possible warning.
• To provide a communication and early warning system – Relaying from one watchtower to another using fire signals at night and smoke signals during the day, messages could be sent over long distances in a short time.
• As an elevated roadway along the border – This enabled rapid deployment of personnel from one place to another.

[Bryan]

The earliest Great Walls were built using layers of rammed (compacted) earth, sometimes strengthened with reeds. Later walls were built – sometimes using the earlier walls as a base – using adobe or with combinations of stones and very durable bricks with mortar. Millions of workers contributed to the highly complex and labor-intensive creation of the Great Wall.

[Bryan]

Today, The Great Wall is the icon of China, and one of the leading vacation travel destinations in the world. The most popular site, Badaling, receives over one million visitors every month. Some sections have been restored recently and others are in their authentic aged and weathered state with conditions varying from nearly intact to totally gone. These sections pass through areas ranging from lush mountains to dry deserts.

[Bryan]

It has often been claimed that the Great Wall is visible from space. As a result, many astronauts and even Chinese taikonauts have looked for it, and all have confirmed that it is invisible even in a low altitude orbit. The Great Wall may be extremely long, but it’s no wider than a narrow street and it’s well camouflaged by its surroundings.

[Bryan]

This is another popular claim that has never been substantiated. Neither physical evidence nor documentation to confirm this claim has ever been found.

[Bryan]

These are the most frequently visited sites on the Great Wall.

1. Badaling
2. Mutianyu
3. Juyongguan
4. Simatai

[Bryan]

Defining the best Great Wall locations depends upon your definition of “best”. Most tourists go to Badaling or Mutianyu. For visitors who are more interested in the Great Wall than in a crowded tourist destination, I usually recommend Jinshanling, and if they want to do some hiking, the Jinshanling to Simatai hike. This is about a 3-hour drive northeast of downtown Beijing.

There are several threads of discussion of this topic on the Great Wall Forum, such as this one and this one.