From Shanhaiguan, northeast of Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province
in the east coast, the Great Wall rises and falls with the contours
of the mountains westward, crossing nine provinces, municipalities
and autonomous regions for 6,700 kilometers, to end at Jiayuguan,
southwest of Jiayuguan City in Gansu Province.
The construction of the wall began during the Spring and Autumn
period (770-476 BC) and Warring States period (475-221 BC) during
the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Ducal states at that time built walls to
defend their own territories. After the First Emperor of the Qin
Dynasty crushed all rival states, he founded the first centralized
and unified dynasty in Chinese history. To consolidate the country
and ward off invasion by ethnic minority tribes in the north, he
had the walls linked and extended, giving rise to the
5,000-kilometer-long Qin Great Wall. Later dynasties from Han (206
BC – AD 220) to Ming (1368-1644) kept building and improving the
wall, extending it more than 1,000 kilometers to today's scale.
The Great Wall comprises walls, passes, watchtowers, castles and
fortresses. The walls are made of large stone strips. From east to
west, the sections at Shanhaiguan, Jinshanling, Mutianyu, Badaling
and Jiayuguan have become tourist attractions.
The Great Wall we see today mostly dates back to the Ming
Dynasty. The best-preserved and most imposing section is at
Badaling in Beijing. The section, located outside the Juyongguan
Pass, is made of large blue bricks and has an average height of 7.8
meters. Five to six horses can be ridden abreast along it. At
regular intervals there is an arched door leading to the top of the
wall. The walls are covered with many lookout holes, window
embrasures and castellated crenels. Beacon towers were also built
at fixed intervals for passing on military information. All these
indicate the important role of the Great Wall in military
defense.
As one of the most magnificent ancient defense works, the Great
Wall was put on the world cultural heritage list in 1987.?
Badaling Great Wall
Address: Yanqing County, 70 km from Beijing's
city proper;
Entry ticket: 45 yuan;
Traffic: Tourist Bus No.s 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5; or Bus
No. 919 from Deshengmen Bus Station; or drive along the Badaling
Expressway via Madian Overpass;
Tel: 86-10-69121235, 86-10-69121338.
Juyongguan Great Wall
Address: North of Changping, government seat of
Changping District;
Entry Ticket:?45 yuan;??
Traffic: Bus No. 919 from Deshengmen; or Tourist
Bus?No.s 1-5; or drive along the Badaling Expressway;
Tel: 86-10-69771665.
Simatai Great Wall
Address: Gubeikou Town, Miyun County;
Entry ticket: 40 yuan;
Traffic: Tourist Bus No. 12 from Xuanwumen and
Dongsi Shitiao; or take bus from Dongzhimen to Miyun and then
change to a local bus or hire a taxi;
Tel: 86-10-69031051, 86-10-69035025.
Jinshanling Great Wall
Address: On the border between Beijing's Miyun
County and Hebei's Luanping County.
Entry ticket: 30 yuan;
Traffic: Take a bus from Dongzhimen to Miyun and
then change to a local bus or hire a taxi.
Mutianyu Great Wall
Address: Huairou District;
Entry ticket: 35 yuan;
Traffic: Tourist Bus No. 6 from Xuanwumen, Qianmen
and Dongsi Shitiao; or take Bus No. 916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou,
and then change to a local bus or hire a taxi (17 km);
Tel: 86-10-61626873, 86-10-61626022.
Jiankou Great Wall
The Jiankou Great Wall (Arrow Lock) is located in Huairou
County, 73 kilometres north from Beijing City. It connects with
Mutianyu Great Wall ten kilometres to the east, and with
Huanghuacheng Great Wall to the west. This section was built in
1368 during the period of the Ming Dynasty.
The Jiankou Great Wall is constructed of large white hill rocks
which makes it very noticeable from a distance. The major section
of this Great Wall is built along a mountain ridge with large
cliffs on each side, and due to the lack of repairs, it is now one
of the most dangerous sections of the entire Great Wall.
Address: nortwest to Zhenzhuquan Village, Bohai
Town, Huairou District;
Traffic:Tourist Bus No. 6 from Xuanwumen, Qianmen
and Dongsi Shitiao; or take Bus No. 916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou,
and then change to a local bus or hire a taxi;
Ticket: 10 yuan;
Warning: Some tourists got lost there. Finding a
guide is a wise choice and the danger is there, be careful.
(China.org.cn May 24, 2007)
