The
Great Wall was a gigantic defence work during
ancient China. Seperate walls were built in the 7th
century B. C. by small warring states. After the
unification of central China, Emperor Qin Shihuang
ordered in 214 B. C. to link up those walls in the
north to prevent the Huns from coming to the south.
The construction continued over 10 years. The Great
Wall undertook 18 major repairs and extensions over
200 years during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). It
runs 6, 700 kilometers from Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu
Province in the west to Shanhaiguan Pass in Hebei
Province in the east over six provinces and Beijing
and passes through high mountains, broad grasslands
and immense deserts. Most of the Great Wall has
remained in good conditions.
The section of the Great Wall at
Badaling in Beijing is now a famous tourist
attraction. It is 8.5 meters high with breast work
of one meter high and 5.7 meters wide at the top.
Juyong Pass
A point of strategic importance on the
road between Beijing and Inner Mongolia, it is
located between two sheer mountains. " Piled Emerald
at Juyong" was one of the Eight Grand Sights in
Beijing during the Liao Dynasty.
Great Wall at Badaling
The section of the Great Wall runs up
and down a mountain ridge. Four watch towers rise
majestically on top of peaks to its north and south.
Great Wall at Mutianyu
Great Wall
In 1368 General Xu Da of the Ming
Dynasty built the Great Wall from Shanhaiguan to
Mutianyu. The part in Mutianyu, 70 kilometers from
Beijing City, is well known for its dangerous
terrain and beautiful surroundings.
Simatai Fort
Built during the Ming Dynasty, fort had
submerged in water long time ago. Not far from it is
the immense Miyun Reservoir. The Great Wall
undulates gracefully among high mountain peaks. The
picture shows the " Two Dragons Playing with a
Pearl" at Simatai. |