Winding up and down across mountains, plateaus, grasslands and deserts, the Great Wall of China Beijing is among the world’s Seven Wonders. Standing as a symbol of determination and unbeatable power, the Great Wall speaks volumes of China’s eventful past. Stretching over 5,500 miles from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Lake in the west, the imposing wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Originally built of wood, stone, earth and grass to defend the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against invasions by various groups, the wall has been reconstructed and maintained through the 16th century. Whilst the majority of the prevailing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty, one particular section of the wall built by Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, is famous world over.

Built throughout a period of over 2000 years, the Great Wall is very much connected to the nation’s culture, economy, policies and especially its history.  The effort of thousands of workers was required for its building and the legend has it that among the building materials were the bones of deceased workers.

Although the wall’s intended function was to act as an impenetrable line of defence, it mainly served as a type of elevated highway, transporting people across mountainous terrain. However, the most popular tourist attraction of the wall is Badaling. There were many guards at this section of the wall to defend Beijing. Signal towers were created upon high points or hill tops along the wall, to provide visibility for the army units along the Wall, to whom communication and the ability to call reinforcements was of great importance.