The Great Wall of China
Beijing Attractions
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Introduction to Great Wall of China(万里长城) Great Wall of China is located in Beijing and is one of the most famous tourist attractions of China. To begin with the Great Wall was a series of small walls that were not interconnected. The beginning of the Great Wall can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty where Qin Shi Huang the first emperor of China ordered that fortifications should be made to keep out enemies. As time progressed Chinese emperors from different dynasties connected the walls together to keep out Huns, Mongols and other tribes. It is however worth noting that it was not until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that the wall was completed and the majority of the Great Wall seen today dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Thousands of soldiers, criminals and peasants worked on building the wall. The Great Wall of China is primarily made of earth, mud, stone and bricks. The height of the wall is between five and nine meters tall and up to eight meters wide. There are towers every few hundred meters that were once used to store military supplies and more importantly were watch posts that were used to send information. Cannonballs and smoke signals were used by guards to inform other towers of possible intruders. Over the course of time different sections of the wall have been damaged by weather, earthquakes and war. The western part of China is affected by sandstorms that have covered parts of the wall. As a result almost half of the wall has disappeared completely, while about 30% is in remarkably good condition. The best preserved sections of the Great Wall are Badaling and Mutianyu. Since 2006, the Chinese government began taking precautions to protect the Great Wall. Today the wall is a World Heritage Site and is a major symbol of China. The Wall is separated into several sections and it is estimated the most visited section is a part near Beijing which 6 million tourists go to visit every year. |
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Location Stretching from Dandong in the east to Lop Lake in the west. |
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Main Sights Badaling Great Wall, Jiayu Pass, Yumen Pass, Pingxing Pass, Yanmen Pass |
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Travel Information
Admission CNY 40 |
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Transportation
1. You can take No.980 bus from Dongzhimen to Miyun West Bridge Station, then take bus Mi 38 or 51 to Simatai Village Station. |
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Travel Tips Today Great Wall of China is popular where hiking is one of the top choices for tourists. One of the most popular hiking routes amongst hikers is from Jinshanling to Simatai West where the scenery is absolutely magnificent. |
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Tour including Visiting Great Wall of China Beijing Gubei Water Ancient Town and Great Wall Simatai 2 Days Tour |