The Chinese are as proud of their Wall as we French are of our Eiffel Tower. More than 6,200 km of walls, 2,230 km of natural barriers (mountains and rivers), 360 km of trenches and thousands of kilometers destroyed or buried make it the largest terrestrial structure with nearly 21,000 km in length. As François MICHEL and Yves LARVOR say in their book on the Great Wall, it extends like “a gigantic stone dragon”.
An even more colossal work than the pyramids of Egypt with wall heights between 5 and 17 meters depending on the reliefs, over a width of 5 to 7 meters. We sometimes read that it is the only work that can be seen from the moon. To be more precise, according to astronaut Leroy CHIAO, the Wall is clearly visible from the International Space Station but with glasses!
This magnificent building was built as early as the 7th century BC. It was especially under the impetus of the famous Emperor QIN Shihuangdi, founder of the QIN dynasty (221 - 207 BC) that it expanded to end at the end of the MING dynasty in 1644, when the Manchus invaded China and founded the Qing dynasty (which ended with Pu Yi - Cf. The Last Emperor).
The objective of this ancient wall, which extends from the coast north of Beijing to the Gobi Desert, was to protect China from Mongol and Manchu invasions. The 25,000 watchtowers, spaced 75 meters apart (the equivalent of 2 archery shots) served as “smoke towers” during the day and as “traffic light towers” at night. As soon as an invader showed up, the tower guard started a fire and the signal spread from tower to tower until the light cavalry intervened. The Wall was also used to control trade and migration.
To follow a terrain of rugged mountains, arid and sandy deserts, humid plains, and deep valleys, Chinese engineers redoubled their ideas. The logistical organization of material transport alone was a major challenge. Stones, bricks and wood of all kinds were transported by men or mules when not by carts. The workers, who had to adapt to very harsh climatic conditions between the extreme cold of the mountains and the torrid heat of the deserts, were chosen from among soldiers, prisoners or peasants.
Before the appearance of brick, the first few kilometers of the Great Wall used locally available land, loess. This very dusty material was surrounded between two wooden planks and tamped with a “lady” until it became rock hard. The Chinese character that today means work () originated from this instrument used by nearly a million workers who went so far as to kill themselves while working. A recent study indicates that sticky rice was added to the mortar to make it even stronger.
Since the construction of the Great Wall took place over many centuries, some sections to visit are more recent and others older. The different sections therefore present different levels of preservation but also of restoration, from “wild” to completely restored, some well restored and others where the concrete, visible, partly spoils the experience as in Badaling（).
The so-called “wild” sections, that is to say without restoration, are generally difficult to access. They are impractical and require climbing certain parts that present a greater level of danger given their deterioration. In some cases, they may be denied access. Jiankou（）is the most illustrative example with some parts needing to be climbed.
Gubeikou（put it on), next to Jinshanling（zhang), is close to the village of the same name but the access roads generally require a guide or an experienced local to access the Wall. However, it is the most popular section for adventurers. Some agencies offer visits to this section over one or several days (with camping on the Wall or with locals in surrounding villages).
The Great Wall, like Beijing and northern China in general, can be visited mainly during the short seasons of spring and autumn because the winters are very cold and the summers are very hot. The months of April-May and September-October allow ideal temperatures but it is advisable to avoid periods of high traffic during the Chinese holidays: the first week of May for Labor Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival (No-Quang) in October. Fall is the ideal season because the temperatures make walking more comfortable and the trees in the forests that surround the Great Wall are adorned with colors ranging from yellow to flamboyant red.
Note that there are hiking groups, such as Beijing Hikers, made up of locals and foreigners who live in Beijing and offer day trips, usually on weekends, that take care of renting a minivan and selecting an itinerary for a few hundred yuan.
As for accommodations, most visitors stay in Beijing and organize the day trip as the sections around Beijing are all 2-3 hours away. It is still possible to find accommodations but they are often confined to the most famous sections (Badaling, Mutianyu or even Jinshanling). It is also possible to find homestays for more authentic experiences but the vast majority still prefer to stay in Beijing with its many restaurants and hotels.
Much more than a relic, this heritage, which welcomes more than 10 million visitors per year, has become a symbol of Chinese identity, perseverance and resilience. Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, it threatens with landslides in many places (especially those made at the beginning with packed earth) and requires constant maintenance to withstand the weather conditions and the influx of tourists. Most sections can be reached from Beijing but a few sections are also interesting, such as Laolongtou（aimer）where the wall flows into the Bohai Sea.
This multi-millennial work has inspired hundreds of authors, painters, and directors and is shown as an example to all Chinese schoolchildren. Numerous French books retrace its history and analysis from all angles.
Some of the best known are:
“The Great Wall of China is a monument of human endurance, a testament to the patience and perseverance of a civilization that dared to defy time and nature itself.” (William Edgar Geil)
