LadiesandGentlemen:
WelcometotheGreatWall.StartingoutintheeastonthebanksoftheYaleRiverinLeaningProvince,theWallstretcheswestwardsfor12,700kilometerstoJiayuguanintheGobidesert,thusknownastheTenThousandLiWallinChina.TheWallclimbsupanddown,twistsandturnsalongtheridgesoftheYanshanandYinshanMountainChainsthroughfiveprovinces——Liaoning,Hebei,Shanxi,Shaanxi,andGansuandtwoautonomousregions——NingxiaandInnerMongolia,bindingthenorthernChinatogether.
HistoricalrecordstracetheconstructionoftheoriginoftheWalltodefensivefortificationbacktotheyear656B.C.duringthereignofKingChengoftheStatesofChu.ItsconstructioncontinuedthroughouttheWarringStatesperiodinthefifthCenturyB.C.Walls,then,wasbuiltseparatelybytheseducalstatestowardoffsuchharassments.Laterin221B.C.ThemostextensivereinforcementsandrenovationswerecarriedoutintheMingDynasty(1368——1644)whenaltogether18lengthystretcheswerereinforcedwithbricksandrocks.itismostlytheMingDynastyWallthatvisitorsseetoday.
TheGreatWallisdividedintotwosections,theeastandwest,withShanxiProvinceasthedividingline.Thewestpartisarammedearthconstruction,about5.3metershighonaverage.Intheeasternpart,thecoreoftheWallisrammedearthaswell,buttheoutershellisreinforcedwithbricksandrocks.ThemostimposingandbestpreservedsectionsoftheGreatWallareatBadalingandMutianyu,notfarfromBeijingandbothareopentovisitors.
TheWallofthosesectionsis7.8metershighand6.5meterswideatitsbase,narrowingto5.8metersontheramparts,wideenoughforfivehorsestogallopabreast.Two-storiedwatch-towersarebuiltatapproximately400-metersinternals.Thetopstoriesofthewatch-towerweredesignedforobservingenemymovements,whilethefirstwasusedforstoringgrain,fodder,militaryequipmentandgunpowderaswellasforquarteringgarrisonsoldiers.Thehighestwatch-toweratBadalingstandingonahill-top,isreachedonlyafterasteepclimb,like"climbingaladdertoheaven".
Therestand14majorpasses(Guan,inChinese)atplacesofstrategicimportancealongtheGreatWall,themostimportantbeingShanghaiguanandJiayuguan.YetthemostimpressiveoneisJuyongguan,about50kilometersnorthwestofBeijing.
Knownas"TianXiaDiYIGuan"(TheFirstPassUnderHeaven),ShanghaiguanPassissituatedbetweentwosheercliffsforminganeckconnectingnorthChinawiththenortheast.Ithadbeen,therefore,akeyjunctioncontestedbyallstrategistsandmanyfamousbattleswerefoughthere.ItwasthegateofShanghaiguanthattheMinggeneralWuSanguiopenedtotheManchuarmytosuppressthepeasantrebellionledbyLiZichengandsosurrenderedthewholeMingempiretotheManchus,leadingtothefoundationoftheQingDynasty.(1644-1911)
Asaculturalheritage,theWallbelongsnotonlytoChinabuttotheworld.TheVenicechartersays:"Historicalandculturalarchitecturenotonlyincludestheindividualarchitecturalworks,butalsotheurbanorruralenvironmentthatwitnessedcertaincivilizations,significantsocialdevelopmentsorhistoricalevents."TheGreatWallisthelargestofsuchhistoricalandculturalarchitecture,andthatiswhyitcontinuestobesoattractivetopeopleallovertheworld.In1987,theWallwaslistedbyUNESCOasaworldculturalheri