2nd day in Beijing, China. Today our plan was considered one of the major of our trip. The place we wanted to visit was very synonym with China and also considered as one of new 7 wonders of the world. Your visit to Beijing is not considered complete if you’re not visiting here!!
Ok, to make you boring, lets me gave the introduction first even I knew most of you have heard about it right…
Ya… as the title already spilled the beans, lets me presented to you…
Great Wall of China (Changcheng)
During the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475–221 BC) when the eastern and central region of what is now China consisted of many small states or princedoms, the princes ordered independent walls be built along state borders to protect their states.
Then around 220 BC, Qin Shi Huang, also called the First Emperor, united China. He masterminded the process of uniting all the existing walls into one. So that’s where it all started. At that time, rammed earth and wood made up most of the wall. Emperor after emperor strengthened and extended the wall, often with the aim of keeping out the northern invaders (Mongol), to promote expansion and protect the Silk Road. In some places, the wall was constructed of brick. Elsewhere, quarried granite or even marble blocks were used. The wall was continuously brought up to date as building techniques advanced.
The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest sights in the world — the longest wall in the world, an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. It’s winding path over a rugged country and steep mountains take in some great scenery.
So how long is this wall…. Get ready for this!!
The length of the Great Wall of China is ,21,196.18 km (13,170.7 mi), half the equator!. The data came from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. However, nearly 1/3 of the Great Wall has disappeared without a trace.
The Great Wall of China runs from west to east in northern China; from the eastern borders of Xinjiang to the Yalu River on the border of Liaoning and North Korea, with remains in 15 provinces and municipalities: Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin, Henan, Heilongjiang, and Shandong.
Mind-Blowing Great Wall Facts
1. The Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space by the human eye without aid.
2. The Great Wall is more than 2,300 years old (9+ dynasties' worth).
3. The typical height of the Great Wall is 5–8 meters (16–26 feet), around three to five times the height of an adult.
4. The Great Wall is not a continuous line; there are sidewalls, enclosing walls, parallel walls, and sections with no wall (high mountains or rivers form a barrier instead).
5.. The First Emperor of Qin was not the first to build the Great Wall. He linked the northern walls of the states he conquered.
6. Glutinous rice mortar was used to bind the Great Wall bricks, which is much stronger than ordinary lime mortar, and also water-resistant.
7. The Great Wall is poisonous. Arsenic, “the poison of kings” was used to prevent erosion of the Wall by insects like ants.
8. Part of the Great Wall coincided with and protected the route of the ancient Silk Road.
9. The Great Wall also had test projects in Zhangjiakou of Hebei, to calibrate the quality and specifications of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty.
10. The main purpose of the Great Wall was for border defense but it also transmitted messages using beacon towers (communication) and allowed troops to travel in a faster way (transportation).
11. The Han people were not the only nation to build a Great Wall. The northern nomads also built their own walls for defense.
12. Large-scale battles were rarely fought at the Great Wall. It was not cost-effective for the nomads to attack its fortifications.
13. The most popular Great Wall legend is about Meng Jiangnv, whose husband died building the Wall. Her weeping was so bitter that a section of the Wall collapsed, revealing her husband's bones. But in reality, no bodies have been found buried in the Great Wall.
14. Writing on the Great Wall was not allowed, but in the Ming Dynasty, every brick was carved with the name of the worker and the dates for individual responsibility.
So that’s it a bit about The Great Wall. As mentioned above, the Great Wall has remained today in 15 provinces / municipalities however the most visited sections of the Great Wall are around Beijing city. But did you know in Beijing itself, the wall is split into many sections? (imagine how long the wall is!!)
There are total 10 sections in Beijing:
- badaling
-Juyongguan
- Huanghuacheng
- Jiankou
- Mutianyu
- Baimaguan
- Gubeikou
- Jinshanling
- Simatai
- Huangyaguan
Owh here some of 6 Interesting Facts on Famous Great Wall Sections.
1. The Gubeikou section of the Great Wall has bullet holes in it, evidence of the last battle fought at the Great Wall.
2. Shanhai Pass is the only section of the Ming Great Wall that meets the sea.
3. Badaling is the most visited section (with over 63,000,000 visitors in a year), and it is often overcrowded with domestic visitors.
4. Mutianyu is popular among international travelers — well-restored and family-friendly, it’s suitable for combining with a half-day city sightseeing at the Forbidden City or Temple of Heaven.
5. The Jiankou section of the Great Wall, known for being steep and winding, enjoys the most appearances on Great Wall picture books and postcards. It is also the most challenging section for a Great Wall hike.
6. Simatai is not the only Great Wall section that is fully lit up with lights at night, and so is recommended for a night tour alongside Gubei Water Town, which it overlooks.
Ok… based on the above facts, can you guess which section in Beijing that we preferred? The famous Bandaling? Well no as that’s too easy (there’s a direct train and bus to Badaling).. berlagakkan. We opted for more adventure, clue..... read point 4 above. It is popular among international travellers (means less crowd) and well-restored. We don’t want photo-bomb! So anyone got it right?? Bingo!! We went for MUNTIANYU section.
So ya what a long introduction. So as ussual we continue next post ya dear on my adventure to Great Wall. Why I mentioned adventure, well to the next post......