China Great Walls

The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups. Several walls have been built since the 5th century BC that are referred to collectively as the Great Wall, which has been rebuilt and maintained from the 5th century BC through the 16th century. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains; the majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia.

The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500.3 miles) from east to west of China. This is made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) sections of actual wall, 359.7 km (223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

Great Wall Facts

Chinese Name: 长城/万里长城
Chinese Pinyin: Cháng Chéng/Wàn Lǐ Cháng Chéng
English Translation: Great Wall/Great Wall of 10,000 Li
Length: 8,851.8 km (5,500 miles)
Builder: the ancient Chinese laboring people (common people, farmers, soldiers and slaves)
Construction Period: About 2,000 years from the Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC) to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Enjoying the fame of "Wan Li Chang Cheng", China Great Wall starts from Hushan in Liaoning in the east and ends at Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu in the west, via the nine provinces or cities in northern China, including Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Gansu. It is often compared to a huge dragon winding up and down in the mountains, grassland and deserts. In Chinese history, over 20 states and dynasties have built the Great Wall, and the sections built in Qin (221 BC-206 BC), Han (206BC-220) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties exceed 10,000 Li (about 3,107 miles). The new survey of the length of the Great Wall in Ming Dynasty has confirmed that  it is 8,851.8 km (5,500 miles) long.

At present, the China Great Wall has already lost its military function, and many sections have been repaired and opened to the public. Among them, Badaling is the most famous and greatest which receives the most visitors from home and abroad. Mutianyu is famous for its spectacular scenery, Jinshanling and Simatai are well known for the wildness and cragginess, and Jiankou is attracted by its dangerous location. Due to these varieties, it's no wonder that Great Wall is the most welcomed scenic sight in China.

Great Wall Tops  The wall receives most visitors: Badaling Great Wall
 The most eastern wall (Ming Dynasty): Hushan Great Wall
 The most western wall (Ming Dynasty): Jiayuguan Pass
 The most western wall (Han Dynasty): Yumenguan Pass
 The most dangerous wall (Ming Dynasty): Jiankou Great Wall
 The earliest wall: wall built in Chu State in Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC)
 The wall with most construction styles: Great Wall in Zhangjiakou City
 The highest wall: the wall built in 2,000m (6,562 feet) tall Huapiling and bingshanliang mountains in Zhangjiakou City
 The wall with most fortresses & the wall where the most frequent wars took place: Great Wall in Zhangjiakou City

The No.1 city terrace: Zhenbeitai in Shaanxi  
The No.1 fortress: Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu
The No.1 tower: Nine-Eye Tower in Beijing
The No.1 city gate: Dajing Gate in Zhangjiakou
The first pass under heaven: Shanhaiguan Pass in Hebei
The three inner side passes: Juyongguan Pass, Zijingguan Pass, Daomaguan Pass
The three outer side passes: Yanmenguan Pass,Ningwuguan Pass, Pianguan Pass
The eight big passes: Shanhaiguan Pass, Juyongguan Pass, Zijingguan Pass, Yanmenguan Pass, Niangziguan Pass, Pianguan Pass, Jiayuguan Pass, Yumenguan Pass
The first Chinese finished Great Wall hiking: Liu Yutian in 1984The first foreigner to explore the whole length of the Great Wall: William Edgar Geil in 1908

Famous Sections of Great Wall
 Beijing Great Wall: 
In Beijing, there are many relics of the Great Wall, most of which were built around 1540. The notable sections include:

Badaling Great Wall	Mutianyu Great Wall	Juyongguan Pass
Simatai Great Wall	Jinshanling Great Wall	Gubeikou
Huanghuacheng	Jiankou	Shuiguan

 Gansu Great Wall: 
In Gansu, numerous cultural relics of the Silk Road can be found, such as the Mogao Caves and Maijishan Grottoes. Also it played a very important role in the ancient military defense. A lot of Great Wall relics have been found in this region. The most famous one is Jiayuguan Pass in Jiayuguan City, which is the western beginning of the Ming Great Wall. Additionally, the Overhanging Great Wall is worth a visit.

Dunhuang Great Wall	Jiayuguan	Juyan Fortress
Yangguan	Yumenguan	Overhanging Great Wall
Shandan Great Wall

 Hebei Great Wall:
There are a large number of Great Wall relics in Hebei Province. Most of them were built in the Ming Dynasty. In the east of Hebei stand the Great Wall of Laolongtou, Shanhaiguan Pass, Xifengkou&Sandaoguan, Zijingguan, Jiaoshan,  Qingshankou, Malanguan, etc. In northwestern Hebei, you can see Zhangjiakou, Changyukou and Qingbiankou Great Wall. And in the southwest of Hebei, Wulonggou, Futuyu,  and Chajianling can be seen.

Shanhaiguan Pass	Xifengkou & Sandaoguan
Zijingguan Pass	Great Wall in Zhangjiakou City

 Inner Mongolia Great Wall: 
Inner Mongolia boasts the largest number of Great Wall relics. Its total length covers one third of the whole length of China Great Wall. However, a great many remains were destroyed and even some of them have died out. For instance, in the area of Juyanhai Lake, ten fire towers have disappeared.

  Liaoning Great Wall: 
It's thought that the eastern beginning of the Great Wall is the Shanhaiguan Pass in Hebei. However, in recent years, people find that its beginning is in Liaoning Province. Most of the Great Wall in Liaoning was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In that period, the Great Wall was divided into nine districts, called Nine Important Towns on the Border. Liaoning Great Wall was administered by Liaodong Town. Now, it's uncommon to see its relics. The remains mainly distribute in the northwest of this region.
 Hushan                                    Jiumenkou

 Ningxia Great Wall: 
In Ningxia, the Sanguankou (Three Passes) Great Wall is highly recommended. In the Ming Dynasty, the Tartar and Wala tribes of Mongolia often came into the northwest China from Sanguankou. For the sake of safety, Sanguankou Great Wall was built.

 Shaanxi Great Wall: 
In Shaanxi, the Great Wall mainly distributes in Shenmu, Fugu, Jingbian and Hengshan in Yulin, Wuqi and Fuxian in Yanan and Dali, Heyang, Pucheng, Chengcheng, Baishui and Haicheng in Weinan. In length of more than 2,000 kilometers, Shaanxi Great Wall was built ranging from the Warring States Period to the Ming Dynasty.

Great Wall in Yulin	Great Wall of Wei Dynasty
Zhenbeitai

 Shanxi Great Wall: 
In history, Shanxi was a point of battle. Thus, a lot of Great Wall remains can be found there. The Great Wall there comprises inner and outer Great Wall. The inner Great Wall is the second line of defence. In Shanxi, many famous passes can be found, such as

Guguan Pass Great Wall	Niangziguan	Ningwuguan
Pianguan & Pingxingguan	Yanmenguan

 Tianjin Great Wall: 
The Great Wall in Tianjin was mostly built in the Ming Dynasty. And most of them were stone-structured. Only the Huangyaguan Great Wall was made up of bricks. Tianjin Great Wall has a complete defensive system, including walls, terraces, passes, fire towers, fire pools, ovens and fortresses.
 Huangyaguan                            Taipingzhai   

source from: travelchinaguide.com / wikipedia.org