Imperial Beijing - The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China needs little explanation. Second only to the Great Pyramids, it is one of the greatest man made structures on earth. The Great Wall snakes through the countryside like an endless, slender dragon over deserts, hills, and plains from the Yellow Sea through five provinces and ends up in the Golbi Desert. Originally only earthen ramparts built by individual states, the Great Wall was created after the unification of China under Qin Shi Huangdi (221-210 BC). It proved to be ineffective in keeping the Mongols to the north out. Of the thousands of miles of Wall only selected portions have been fully restored. The top of the walls were wide enough that 5 or 6 horsemen could ride side by side. Fortified towers, signal beacon towers and garrisons living within the towers completed the defenses. As we climbed up and down the wall and took the winding roads through the rough terrain I kept asking Sophie, "Are we on the China side or the Mongolian side?" She didn't care, it was all China now. The Wall may have been built wide but in many places it is very steep requiring steps so I couldn't ride my Goldwing. We visited both the unrestored and restored wall.
The Unrestored Wall
After Climbing We Deserve Lunch & A Little Shopping
The Restored Wall - Nixon Was Here
The Ride Back to Beijing
Index to all China 2007 Adventures:
so be patient and come back to watch its growth.
This page was created by Bob "Belli" Frazee
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