“If you have not visited the Great Wall of China, you are not a real Chinese” Mao Zedong
The Great Wall of China is one of the oldest architectural monuments in China and a symbol of the power of Chinese civilization. It stretches from the Liaodong Bay to the Gobi Desert for a distance of more than two thousand kilometers, and if we take into account other ramparts extending from it, the total is 6000-6500 km.
The construction of the great wall lasted hundreds of years and stopped only after the establishment of the Qing Dynasty. To get inside the state, it was necessary to pass through its checkpoints, which were closed at night and under no circumstances were not opened until the morning. Rumor has it that even the emperor of China himself somehow had to wait for dawn to get into his state. The wall was built over 2700 years.
Prisoners of war, prisoners and peasants were driven to the construction, who were pulled out of their families and sent to the northern regions. Approximately two million people died during the construction of the wall, and their remains were immured in its foundation. Therefore, the people of the Great Wall of China are still often called the Chinese “Wailing Wall”. During the construction of the wall, it was necessary to fulfill several conditions at once. For example, each of the towers of the wall must certainly be in the visibility zone of two neighboring ones. Messages between them were transmitted using smoke, drumming or fire (in the dark). The width of the wall, 5.5 meters, was also specially calculated. In those days, this allowed five infantrymen to march in a row or five cavalrymen to ride side by side. Today, its average height is nine meters, and the height of the watchtowers is twelve.
In the vicinity of Beijing, there are 4 main tourist sites of the Wall: Badaling (B? d? l? ng), Mutianyu, Simatai and Jinshanling. Unfortunately, they were turned into a tourist attraction by rebuilding and removing the old masonry. Therefore, I asked the guide to take me to the "real" Wall - the Juyongguan section - one of the most strategically important and interesting. Previously, Juyongguan was the main obstacle for enemies who wanted to get into Beijing, and a reliable barrier for peasants fleeing the empire. You can get to Juyongguan through the southern gate of Nankou or the northern one - Xiakou. It is important that only the outlying buildings underwent repairs (read “demolition to zero” and total restructuring). The middle part of Juyongguan has hardly been restored and appears to tourists in its virtually original form during the Ming rule.
There are quite a lot of tourists, in certain areas you have to climb a steep staircase in single file. But hardy travelers are rewarded. After a third of the way to the top, the number of tourists decreases significantly, many (especially in groups) cannot stand the climb, and then you continue to climb almost alone, having the opportunity to see the beauty around. The wall is truly international. I met guys from Venezuela, Brazil, Turkey, there were Slavs, many residents of Southeast Asia, and of course the Chinese. At the foot of the Wall you can get a gift certificate confirming your ascent feat : )
The entrance ticket costs 45 yuan.
Opening hours - 8.30 - 17.00.
The Great Wall of China is one of the oldest architectural monuments in China and a symbol of the power of Chinese civilization. It stretches from the Liaodong Bay to the Gobi Desert for a distance of more than two thousand kilometers, and if we take into account other ramparts extending from it, the total is 6000-6500 km.
The construction of the great wall lasted hundreds of years and stopped only after the establishment of the Qing Dynasty. To get inside the state, it was necessary to pass through its checkpoints, which were closed at night and under no circumstances were not opened until the morning. Rumor has it that even the emperor of China himself somehow had to wait for dawn to get into his state. The wall was built over 2700 years.
Prisoners of war, prisoners and peasants were driven to the construction, who were pulled out of their families and sent to the northern regions. Approximately two million people died during the construction of the wall, and their remains were immured in its foundation. Therefore, the people of the Great Wall of China are still often called the Chinese “Wailing Wall”. During the construction of the wall, it was necessary to fulfill several conditions at once. For example, each of the towers of the wall must certainly be in the visibility zone of two neighboring ones. Messages between them were transmitted using smoke, drumming or fire (in the dark). The width of the wall, 5.5 meters, was also specially calculated. In those days, this allowed five infantrymen to march in a row or five cavalrymen to ride side by side. Today, its average height is nine meters, and the height of the watchtowers is twelve.
In the vicinity of Beijing, there are 4 main tourist sites of the Wall: Badaling (B? d? l? ng), Mutianyu, Simatai and Jinshanling. Unfortunately, they were turned into a tourist attraction by rebuilding and removing the old masonry. Therefore, I asked the guide to take me to the "real" Wall - the Juyongguan section - one of the most strategically important and interesting. Previously, Juyongguan was the main obstacle for enemies who wanted to get into Beijing, and a reliable barrier for peasants fleeing the empire. You can get to Juyongguan through the southern gate of Nankou or the northern one - Xiakou. It is important that only the outlying buildings underwent repairs (read “demolition to zero” and total restructuring). The middle part of Juyongguan has hardly been restored and appears to tourists in its virtually original form during the Ming rule.
There are quite a lot of tourists, in certain areas you have to climb a steep staircase in single file. But hardy travelers are rewarded. After a third of the way to the top, the number of tourists decreases significantly, many (especially in groups) cannot stand the climb, and then you continue to climb almost alone, having the opportunity to see the beauty around. The wall is truly international. I met guys from Venezuela, Brazil, Turkey, there were Slavs, many residents of Southeast Asia, and of course the Chinese. At the foot of the Wall you can get a gift certificate confirming your ascent feat : )
The entrance ticket costs 45 yuan.
Opening hours - 8.30 - 17.00.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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