63
the great
wall
CHINA
On its own, a wall would not be much to cele-
brate—but a wall that measures over 5,000 miles
(8,000 km) in length and marches majestically
across mountains, plains, and valleys? China’s
Great Wall is not one wall from one era, nor is it,
strictly speaking, a continuous wall. Its earliest
reaches probably date from the seventh century
b.c. The majority of the present structure dates
from the 14th-century Ming dynasty, compris-
ing 3,889 miles (6,259 km) of wall, 223 miles
(359 km) of trenches, and 1,387 miles (2,232 km)
of natural barriers like rivers and mountains.
DON’T MISS
Some of the most impressive and best-restored parts of
the Great Wall can be visited from Beijing, notably the
tract near the Juyong Pass. The wall here is over 16 feet
(5 m) wide and 26 feet (7.8 m) high.
Much of the Great Wall, built to defend China’s rugged
northern borders, dates from the 14th century.
82 CITIES & BEYOND