The Great Wall in Beijing Badaling, China

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The Great Wall - Beijing Badaling

Visiting the Great Wall is inevitable for visitors from both domestic and foreign countries who come to Beijing the first time.

There is a well-known Chinese saying written on the Great Wall, "He Who Has Not Climbed the Great Wall Is Not a Real Man". It is a scenic spot with a lot of tourists.

Badaling Great Wall lies in Yanqing County in Beijing and stands on the ridge of infinite steep mountains. There are two high peaks, generally called the south high peak and the north high peak. The highest point is about 1,000 meters above sea level.

The base of the wall was made of granite and lump of soil and the top was paved with square bricks.

The great wall averages 7.8 meters in height and is 6.5 meters wide at the base and 5.7 meters at the top. The width is enough for five horses to go side by side.

On both sides of the road there are dwarf walls called "parapet wall". The 1.7-meter-high "crenel wall" is the outer wall. On its top, there are battlements for patrolling and watching. Below the battlements are peepholes, used for firing at the enemy. At intervals along the inner wall are arched entrances with stone stairways leading to the top of the wall.

Every other 300 to 500 meters, there are fortresses. There are two kinds of fortresses. One is two-storied fortress called fighting tower. The ground floor was used for living, storing weapons and the top floor was used for watching and shooting. Another kind is fighting terrace or enemy terrace, which was used for patrolling and fighting.

Many piers or castles, which also called smoke pier or beacon tower, were set up on the higher part and important fort along the Great Wall.

In ancient time, soldiers made smoke in daytime and fire at night if they found the enemies. The soldier that saw the fire in another beacon tower faraway would ignite fire immediately and the next beacon tower would do the same. The message could be transmitted in a short while to the command post. It was one of the means for communication in the ancient times.

The Great Wall has a history of more than 2,000 years. As early as the Warring States Period, in order to self-protect, rival kingdoms built walls around their territories. This is the earliest Great Wall.

When Qin Shihuang, the first emperor in Chinese history, unified the whole country in 221B.C, he ordered to build another new wall on the base of the original walls of the Countries Qin, Zhao, and Yan in effort to guard against the invasion of the northern nomadic tribes.

Subsequent dynasties continued to strengthen and extend the wall. Most part of the existent wall were build in Ming Dynasty (1386~1644A.D.).

Looking from the space, you will find a construction. This is the Great Wall in China.

It is an indisputable fact that the Great Wall of China is the longest defense wall in the world. From the aspects of culture and history, the wall is an ancient masterpiece that you can fully enjoy.

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