Travel Great Wall

Why Visit The Great Wall of China?

If you are planning to visit Beijing, then why not take a trip to the iconic Great Wall of China? Not only is it is one of the 7 Wonders of the World, but some believe it can also be spotted from outer space. This blog post will explore the history of this ancient wall.

The wall dates back to the 5th century, making it one of the oldest structures in the world. The 8,851.8 km long wall, stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, right across to Lop Lake in the West. Archaeological experts have calculated that there are 359.7 km of trenches and more than 2000 km of natural defences, such as hills and rivers.

Tourist guides offer walks along the Great Wall everyday. Some routes take it easy, going along flatter parts of the wall, whereas other parts are full of steep steps. For those who love adventure, whether it is rock climbing, or challenging games like Partypoker, will love the challenge of racing up and down hundreds of steps to beat your friends. Some guide groups challenge the more adventurous people to complete the physically challenging route, before the rest of the group reaches the meeting point via the flatter route. But be careful, parts of the rock have broken away, making some of the steps tricky to balance on. Unfortunately, some parts of the wall are prone to graffiti, while other parts have been knocked down to build other constructions.

Sandstorms have caused the wall to erode away and it is thought that around 60km of the wall will disappear in the next 20 years due to this cause. The parts which are constructed out of mud (rather than brick) are much more prone to erosion and they could disappear completely.

Before bricks were used, the wall was largely composed of rammed earth, stones and wood. However, during the Ming era – 1368–1644 – materials such as bricks, tiles and lime were used to built parts of the wall. This quickened the construction process as these materials were much easier to use.