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The Great Wall History


The Great Wall, as a symbol of spirit of perseverance and human intelligence of Chinese People, has seen innumberable wars between Chinese rulers and other warmongering nomadic tribes with a history of more than 2000 years. The main construction of China Great Wall can be divided into three main periods: The Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty, the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty and the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, in other some short dynasties, Great Wall was rebuilt or added.


The old impression of China Great Wall in different times


The Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty

The Great Wall built by Emperor YingZheng in Qin Dynasty (221 B.C-207B.C) is the most famous among all the ancient great walls in China.

Its construction of in the Qin Dynasty can be divided into two stages, altogether 12 years long. The first stage, from 221BC to 215 BC, when Qin had just conquered the other six states, aimed to resist the invasion from the north. The second stage constructions, from 214 BC to 210 BC, was carried out to consolidate the newly occupied area of the Qin Dynasty.

Started under Qin Shi Huang in 220 B.C., the first 3,000-mile section of the Wall required the efforts of 70% of China’s population, needed of over a million peasants, prisoners and soldiers! How incrediable this project was!

The Great Wall of the Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD) was the supreme empire in the East at the time. Han and Roma in the west were regarded as the two biggest empires in the world. The Great Wall of Han was much longer and larger than Qin's. Its full length was 10,000 kilometers, and it's the longest Great Wall in the history of China.

In Han Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall was consisted of four stages. The first stage was in 127BC when General Wei Qing had attacked King Loufan of Xiongnu in the north outside longxi, and massive renovation of the Great Wall of Emperor Ying Zheng began; the second stage was in 121BC when the whole Hexi Corridor (Today's Gansu Province), the construction was made to further guarantee the safety of the area; the third stage was from 111BC to 110BC, the Great Wall was from Jiuquan to Yumenguan; the last construction took place in 104BC, and the Great Wall was from Yumenguan to the Lop Nur.

Emperor Wu reigned for 54 years (156BC-87BC), 30 years of which were involved in wars, and every massive war would be followed by the construction of the Great Wall. Therefore, the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty developed most rapidly during Emperor Wu's regime, and the basic size and pattern took shape. It can be said that most parts of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty was built during Emperor Wu’s regime.

The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty

The sign for the Great Wall in today's China Atlas signifies the youngest Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During Ming's reigning time of more than 270 years, the government never broke down the construction and maintenance of the Great Wall. The massive Great Wall construction in the dynasty was over 50 times, and the Great Wall went to its summit in times of war and peace during the Ming Dynasty.

Top Beijing Attractions

  • Badaling Great Wall: This is the best-preserved and most imposing section of the Great wall is approximately 3,741 meters(2.3 miles) long and was of great strategic importance in ancient times.
  • Temple of Heaven: This temple complex is an architectural wonder featuring the triple-roofed "Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest" where the emperor went to worship heaven and pray for the coming harvest.
  • The Forbidden City: One of the world's most beautiful architectural complexes, this served as China's imperial palace for almost five centuries. Its massive scale and majestic design are overwhelming.
  • Summer Palace: Once serving as the imperial summer getaway, it ranks as one of the most visited and most classical gardens in the world. It's size and splendor will leave you a lasting impression.

Great Wall Group Tours & Activities



Terracotta Warriors  Hanyangling Museum Qianling Mausoleum
Bus Tours Hiking Tours Great Wall Marathon

Top Great Wall Tours

This selected tour conveniently leads you to have the most popular sections of the Great Wall under your eyes in one day. Jinshanling Great Wall is largely known for its uniquely complex structure and densely distributed lookout towers, and Simatai Great Wall is best-known in worldwide for its primitiveness,steepness, breath-taking sceneries and various structures of towers. We believe that you will be deeply impressed by this wonderful tour!
Be charmed by the Great Wall fabulous spectacular as you hike and photograph on the less crowed Mutianyu section with its vegetation cover reaching to above 90%. Just come and take your exclusive shoots at this well-known shooting place!
This tour spends two days to catch the essence of Jinshanling and Simatai Great Wall, and you will be given more time to focus on the details about these two amazing Great Walls. The joy of hiking and shooting, the distinctive experience of climbing China Great Wall, leave you no pity in your whole life!
As we know, each section of the Great Wall enjoys its distinctive features: some are worthy of hiking and climbing; some are famous for splendid sceneries. This package is tailored for Great Wall enthusiasts and hiking & photo lovers, comprehensively including to visit all the Great Walls which are nearby Beijing. Come on! Come and join us to creat your once-in-a-lifetime experience on the Great Wall !
See the Great Wall all in natural with this hiking tour, the most popular Great Wall hiking route. The tour takes you to visit the most unrestored sections of China Great Wall. The fun and excitement you get from exploring this wonder will be kept for life-long memory. Besides, the other arrangement leads you to discover more about Beijing City, such as Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Peking Roast Duck, Hutong Tour, Temple of Heaven...

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