The Great Wall

The majestic Great Wall of China is the world’s largest old military defence wall and is listed as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO since 1987. The starting point of the Great Wall is at the Shanhaiguan Pass in the Province of Liaoning and the Wall ends at the Jiayuguan Pass in the Province of Gansu. The unbelievable course of the Wall stretches over steep mountains, passes through valleys, crossing even the Gobi Desert in northern China from east to west. According to historical documents the time span for the construction of the Great Wall lasted from spring of 770 B. C.  until autumn in the year 476 B.C.

After unification of the Empire by Emperor Qin, China was founded as a whole. The first Emperor Qin Shihuandi was the founder of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC). To defend his empire against attacks by nomads from the north, the emperor ordered Meng Tian, a well known Qin General, to connect all parts of an already existing, but partly adjourned, Great Wall and to extend it. The old Qin Wall has meanwhile a more than 2.000 years old history. In the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD as well as during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) the Great Wall was twice extended and fortified. Today’s Great Wall in Beijing dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Examples of the structure can be visited in Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling, Simatai, Huanghuacheng, Jiankou etc.

The Great Wall at Badaling is perfectly preserved and hence first choice as a tourist destination. A Chinese proverb states: “..a man who has not been at the Great Wall is not a real man after all”. The Great Wall is “THE” symbol of China, the spirit of the nation and the pride of Chinese people.