Great Wall (Badaing, Mutianyu, Simatai and Juyong
 The incredible Great Wall of China began construction almost 2,500 years ago under the direction of one of the most notorious, shortlived, and influential of China's Emperors,Qin Shihuang. The Wall was completed over a period of more than 1,000 years, perhaps due to conflicting dynastic zoning regulations and building codes, not to mention workers dying on the job. It was a massive project involving countless millions of hands building the Wall stone by stone, the original purpose was to keep out barbarian invaders from the North. In the end, the barbarians just went around it and got in anyway.
Today, barbarians from the eight directions all flock to the Great Wall to walk on the only man-made structure visible from space. To look out from one of the guard towers out at the barren mountains and the Wall snaking off into the distance is a view not to be forgotten. The oldest sections of the Wall have all but crumbled into nothing. But some sections were built in the Ming Dynasty or restored more recently. In these sections you can get a good feel for what the Wall was all about. The Wall extends for a good 3,000 miles from its origin at the seaside in Shanhaiguan(the Old Dragon Head),all the way to jiayu Pass in Gansu Province. The section cosest to Beijing city proper is Badaling. This section offers awesome views, but it is also the most crowded, as it is the main Wall featured on all tour routes. Mutianyu is another restored section to the east of Badaling. This section requires a more rigorous climb, however, both Mutianyu and Badaling have cable cars to help you reach the top. A wilder an less crowded option is to go to the section known as Simatai. This section is much farther away, over 100 kilometers northeast of Beijing, so you will have to make a whole day of a trip here, all of these sections have tours which go there, but the most popular is Badaling, as it is closest. You can also take a bus or rent out a taxi for the day, but if you do this, ask a Chinese friend of help so you don't get ripped off. When you are at the Wall, don't forget to pick yourself to pick yourself up a T-shirt proclaiming the dubious translation of a famous Chinese saying: You are not a Plucky Hero till you climb Great Wall.? |
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