Great Wall -- A Ribbon on the Earth

Author: Zheng Boqing / Wei Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The Great Wall stretches across the vast northern land of China, starting from Shanhai Pass on the northeastern coast of Hebei Province in the east, passing through towering mountains and deep valleys, crossing provinces such as Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu, and ending at Jiayuguan in Gansu Province in the west, covering a total length of over 6,000 kilometers. It resembles a giant dragon coiling atop the undulating peaks, majestic and awe-inspiring. It is a great ancient engineering feat of China and a symbol of the Chinese nation, embodying the blood, sweat, and wisdom of our ancestors. With its long history, grand scale, and magnificent spirit, it is renowned worldwide. It has long been celebrated alongside the pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India, and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul as one of the wonders of the world. Today, it has been listed by UNESCO as a "World Heritage Site" and is protected as a key part of humanity's cultural heritage.
The Great Wall was first built during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in the 5th century BC. In the 3rd century BC, after Qin Shi Huang unified China and sent Meng Tian with a 300,000-strong army to drive the Xiongnu northward, the originally segmented walls were connected and further expanded. Subsequent dynasties continuously maintained and expanded it. By the mid-17th century, during the late Ming Dynasty, it had been under construction for over two thousand years. The walls were built according to the terrain, varying in height and width. In particularly dangerous areas, fortified towns were constructed, with double or multiple walls and layered defenses.
If divided by Shanxi Province, the Great Wall can be divided into eastern and western sections. The inner section walls were entirely built of earth, with no bricks on the surface and relatively low walls. The eastern section walls had earth cores, with brick or stone facing, resulting in taller walls. Internally, the walls had arched doors at intervals, with stone stairs leading to the top. The tops of the walls were equipped with brick parapets. Each parapet had a small hole at the top, serving as a watchtower for observing enemy movements, and a small hole below it, serving as a shooting hole for targeting enemy soldiers.
Along the Great Wall, numerous beacon towers were built for military communication, also known as wolf smoke towers or smoke mounds. They were typically constructed on high mountain peaks, some outside the Great Wall as advance signals, while others were inside. At night, enemy sightings were signaled by fire, called "feng"; during the day, smoldering firewood or wolf dung was burned, called "sui," collectively referred to as "feng sui."
Today, compatriots of all ethnic groups and international friends not only regard the once-military defensive Great Wall as a relic of history but also see it as a symbol of peace, a bond of friendship, and a tourist destination. Badaling Great Wall, a section of the Great Wall, is an outstanding representative of the and the essence of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. As early as 1961, it was designated by the State Council as a key national cultural relic protection unit. In 1988, Badaling Great Wall was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In 1991, it ranked first in the nationwide poll of the top forty scenic spots.
Badaling Great Wall is located in Yanqing County, northern Beijing, over 70 kilometers from the city. A highway runs through the mountains, and it takes about 40 minutes to reach from Beijing by car. Here, the Great Wall winds like a giant dragon along the ridges of the towering mountains, with beacon towers and watchtowers densely scattered. The walls are 7.8 meters high and 7.8 meters wide at the top. Visitors can climb the walls to appreciate the majesty of the Great Wall and the grandeur and difficulty of its construction.
Standing on the Great Wall, you can see the walls winding and undulating along the mountains, like an endless dragon rolling over the endless hills, majestic and spectacular, leaving you in awe. The natural scenery here is also distinctive, with beautiful landscapes in all four seasons. Spring blooms like brocade, summer greens like clouds┄As the road turns red and green fades, love for the crimson forest deepens, autumn air clears. And in winter, the snow-covered peaks rise like a jade dragon leaping into spring, with all scenery captured in an instant. Gazing at the passes and mountains, endless emotions of past and present fill the heart, yet one cannot fathom the difference between then and now.
The Great Wall is endless, and two thousand years of history are untold;
To see all the legends of the past, one must climb the Great Wall as a true hero.