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The Great Wall, the longest man-made structure in the world,
up over mountains, into rivers, across deserts, spanning thousands of miles
and different time periods. |
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Emperor Qin Shi Huang (Qin Shi Huangdi) constructed the first Great Wall
to keep out the nomadic invaders to the north. The wall, a huge earthworks
rampart, took 11 years to build, from 221 - 210 BC, and stretched 3,000
miles. |
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During the Han dynasty, the wall was lengthened and more watchtowers
were built to add protection for merchants traveling the Silk Road. |
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Over the next 1,000 years, the Great Wall crumbled, but the
Ming emperor rebuilt the Great Wall bigger and better than ever. Working
on the wall from 1368 to 1644, the new and improved Ming wall was thicker,
covered in glazed bricks and stone blocks, and lengthened to 4,000 miles,
from Jiayuguan in the west, to the sea at Shanhaiguan in eastern China. |
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The Great Wall is a series of towers, connected by a whopping big double
wall, with gates at key locations. Soldiers guarding the wall lived in
the watchtowers or forts. Beacon towers were used for communications when
invaders were spotted, signal fires were lit (or rockets were launched)
all along the wall. |
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When you visit the Great Wall, you can walk on the wall for
miles in any direction, encountering towers as you go – some towers
are elaborate multi-story forts, others are just a simple beacon tower. |
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Tip: The Great Wall is steep, it's quite uneven going
up and down, and it isn't a flat walk by any means. This is not the place
to bring a stroller. |
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The most popular place to visit the Great Wall is Badaling,
but Mutianyu is your best bet with kids. Mutianyu is less crowded,
and it has a cable car that takes you to and from the Wall – the ride
itself is fun and is helpful if you have little kids (save their energy
for running up and down the Great Wall, not walking to it). Badaling also
has a cable car, but if you opt to walk to the Wall, it can take 45 min.
to 1 ½ hours. |
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To visit the Great Wall from Beijing, the easiest way is to
arrange at your hotel for a car with driver. |
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Unfold the Great Wall, and follow the longest man-made structure in the world, from the Turpan Basin in the east, passing by snowy mountains, sand dunes, ancient and modern cities, Ming tombs, ending up in Beijing and the Yellow Sea, plus more about Chinese monuments, legends, culture and history. (Picture book, fold-out pages)
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Illustrated history of the Great Wall, the largest man-made structure in the world. How the First Emperor built the first wall with towers, packed earth and towers, and a thousand years later, an improved wall was constructed with brick and stone, which has lasted to this day. (Chapter book)
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he Great Wall is under attack from barbarians to the north. Two boys have to warn the watchtower that the wall has been breached. Their only chance is to shoot an arrow, just like the Legendary Archer Li. (Chapter book)
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