Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China, one of the most popular Seven Wonders of the World, is a stone and earth construction built by the erstwhile Chinese Empire as a fortification to protect North China from attacks by nomadic groups. Built throughout the 5th century BC, the Great Wall of China is a series of walls clubbed together to form one continuing fortification. Several parts of the Great Wall of China had to be rebuilt and repaired from the 5th century through the 16th century BC. The first wall was built between the years 220 BC to 206 BC by Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.

Today the majority of the first wall stands ruined. Needless to say, the Great Wall of China length has been the favorite topic of discussion of many an onlooker and historian. It is impossible to see one end of the construction standing on the other end. The latest archaeological survey, conducted using modern scientific technique, says that the Great Wall of China runs a length of 8,851.8 kilometers.

 

 

Great Wall of China – the Great Historical Site

 

 

The Great Wall of China is not only one of the most important tourism sites of the world, it is also a site of archaeological importance. It is one of the oldest constructions of the world that still stands today, and hence is steeped in history. A travel to this wonder of the world is a fun as well as learning experience. The Great Wall of China location map shows the construction runs from Shanhaiguan in East China to Lop Lake in West China, with a little stretch towards Inner Mongolia.

The 5th century BC was characterized by sudden attacks on the various states of China. This period in history is known as the Warring States Period and it was during this time that rulers in each state decided to build simple walls of earth and gravel to prevent attacks temporarily. However, invasions continued, and Qin Shi Huang was successful in conquering several states of China in 221 BC. He wanted to establish the Qin Dynasty in China and hence ordered to destroy the temporary walls replacing them with concrete structures to fortify his kingdom from feudal lords and nomads. This wall was built to protect the northern frontiers of the Qin Dynasty and contributed to the walls classified under the Great Wall of China. Portions of this wall still stands erect today as part of the modern Great Wall of China. In the coming years, the Northern, Han, Sui and Jin dynasties of China started constructing similar walls in the border areas of their respective states fro protection from foreign powers. These walls, though not entirely erect, have partially contributed to the modern structure of the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China facts state that more than 2 million laborers were hired to build this long stretch of wall for months and years on end. Among these workers, 1 million lost their lives in the course of the construction work owing to unfavorable weather conditions and inhuman work policies.

The end of the 5th century also marked the end of the construction of China’s fortification; it was in the year 1449 that the construction work was revived during the rule of the Ming Dynasty. The constructions undertaken by the Ming Dynasty are considered stronger than those of the earlier dynasties in China because they made use of stones and bricks as opposed to rammed earth used by earlier rulers. It was the rulers of the Ming Dynasty who first proposed to construct walls in North China, the walls which still stand erect in parts of China’s Great Wall. Asides stone and bricks, the Ming Dynasty also used earth to construct the Liaodong Wall in China, which performed the same function as the Great Wall of China, but was more primitive in form. It was the wall fortifications which kept the Ming Dynasty protected from the Manchu invasions of the early 17th century. However, in the end, the Ming Dynasty had to accept defeat after a general from the Ming border area opened the gates of the wall and allowed the Manchus capture Beijing.

The end of the Ming rule introduced the start of the Qing Dynasty which was more concerned with extending the borders of China and annexing parts of Mongolia than constructing and repairing the Great Wall of China.

 

Tourist Areas in the Great Wall of China

 

One must keep in mind that the Chinese protective wall is not a construction of earth, bricks and stone alone, but also of trees, passes and trenches that occupy considerable portions of the Great Wall of China stretch. Here is a list of the notable areas of the Great Wall that tourists normally visit on a tour to China.

• North Pass – the Badaling pass located in Juyongguan was built to protect land in Beijing. It is made of stones and bricks obtained from the surrounding hills.




• West Pass – also located in Juyongguan, this is a fort on the eastern part of the Great Wall.




• Shanhaiguan Pass – this is another fort on the eastern edges of Great Wall of China.




• Ming Great Wall – this part of the Wall built during the Ming Dynasty is characterized by steep slopes and steep steps from where you have to climb further up to view the remaining portions of the Wall. This is a stretch of 11 kilometers, where is located the Wangjinglou watchtower, one of the highest watchtowers (3220 feet) above sea level.




• Mutianyu Great Wall – this is an area characterized by mountainous paths extending from the southeast to the northwest of the Great Wall.




• Liao Tian Ling – this part of the wall has a silvery surface and is also not very high. It stands at a height of only two to three stories. The silvery surface of the stones used here is because of the fact that they had been mined from the Shan Xi area all stones are rich in metal content. Today though the silver surface has transformed to the color black after bearing all the years harsh weather conditions.




• Jiaoshan Great Wall – also called the Number One Pass Under Heaven, this is located in the extreme eastern part of the Great Wall. The specialty of this part of the Wall is the fact that it had been built to serve the purpose of a bridge.

 

Favorable Time of Year to Travel to Great Wall of China

 

The scenery near the Great Wall of China varies with the passing seasons. It is essentially a mountainous area and therefore chilly winds and rains are your constant companion as you travel to the Great Wall of China. Spring is good time to travel with green plants and pleasant winds soothing you as you walk along the Wall.
Summer is the best time of year to visit because temperatures are high, bordering on the pleasant. But the late summer months of July and August must be avoided because this is when China receives the maximum amount of rainfall.
The fall season falling between the summer and winter months is a good time of visit for a nature lover. There are various flowers growing on mountains at this time of year, and the weather is also pleasant.
Winter is a good time for traveling to this part of the world only if you love the snow and snowfall. China becomes extremely cold during the winter months, and even lots of warm clothing is not enough to protect you from the biting cold.

 

Hotels near the Great Wall of China

 

There are many hotels located around the Great Wall of China to make your trip to the country comfortable. Here is a list of a few:

• Days Hotel Suites Beijing
  27 Hua Wei Li, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
  Ph No. 86-755-88850655

• Plaza Hotel Beijing
  No.100, East 3rd Ring South Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
  Ph No. 86-7555-39622829

• The Ritz-Carlton Beijing
  1 Jinchengfang Street East, Financial Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, BJ 100140, China
  Ph No. 86-106-601-6666

• Park Plaza Beijing Science Park
  25 Zhichun Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
  Ph No. 86-10-8235-6699

• Wangfujing Grand Hotel
  57 Wangfujing Avenue, Beijing, BJ 100006, China
  Ph No. 86-106-522-1188

Enjoy touring the Great Wall of China and do not forget to take several Great Wall of China pictures.