Great Wall of China

New Seven Wonders of the World

The Great Wall is not one wall but a long, interrupted system of ramparts, trenches, watchtowers and garrison towns built by different states and dynasties from roughly the seventh century BCE onward. Qin Shi Huang linked earlier northern defences after unifying China around 220 BCE, but the brick-and-stone wall most travellers picture is largely the work of the Ming dynasty between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its purpose was never only military. The wall controlled movement, taxed caravans, signalled danger by smoke and fire from tower to tower, and marked the edge between farming China and the steppe. A national survey completed in 2012 measured well over twenty thousand kilometres of wall sections across all periods, running through mountains, deserts and grassland. Contrary to a popular myth, it cannot be seen from the Moon with the naked eye. What makes it unforgettable is its relationship with the land: stairs that climb impossibly steep ridgelines, crenellated parapets that rise and fall with the hills, and beacon towers perched on summits. Restored sections such as Badaling and Mutianyu are easy to reach and have good facilities, while Jinshanling and Simatai offer longer walks with fewer people. Unrestored “wild” stretches crumble into grass and require serious caution. Autumn colour, winter snow and clear spring mornings reward early starts, but all sections are demanding underfoot, and the stone steps are uneven.