Atlas
Great Wall
The longest military fortification in human history — winding ten thousand li along the northern ridges, guarding the boundary of agrarian civilization for two millennia.
Province: Beijing
Province: Tianjin
Province: Hebei
Province: Shanxi
Province: Inner Mongolia
Province: Liaoning
Province: Shaanxi
Province: Gansu
Province: NingxiaA stone stretch of the Great Wall winds up autumn-coloured ridges, a gate tower and stepped battlements in front, with hills fading into thin mist behind.
Vista1
- Shanhaiguan Gate Tower & Laolongtou
Where the Ming Great Wall plunges into the sea, Shanhaiguan sits between mountains and coast, guarding the Liaoxi Corridor as the First Pass Under Heaven.
Infrastructure4
- Badaling Great Wall Fortress & Beacon Towers
Badaling served as the Ming forward defence for Juyong Pass, and its commanding ramparts across steep ridges are among the most imposing stretches of the Wall.
- Jiayuguan Pass Fortress & Overhanging Wall
At the western end of the Ming Great Wall, Jiayuguan rises between Gobi and oasis as an iron-clad fortress commanding a Silk Road chokepoint.
- Mutianyu Great Wall & Zhengguantai
Wrapped in greenery covering some 96 percent of the hillsides, Mutianyu is a graceful Wall section whose Zhengguantai stands out with three side-by-side watchtowers.
- Simatai Great Wall & Wangjing Watchtower
Built along precipitous ridgelines, Simatai is a breathtaking stretch of Ming Great Wall, and its Wangjing Tower is said to offer distant views toward Beijing.
Sculpture1
- Juyongguan Great Wall & Yuntai Platform Inscriptions
Guarding the Jundu Pass, one of the eight Taihang passes, Juyongguan also keeps the Yuan-era Cloud Platform, carved with Tibetan Buddhist reliefs in six scripts.
In its history2
- Meng TianBirth unknown–210 BCE
Part of Great Wall's history: Building the Great Wall. Qin general who, after the unification, drove the northern peoples back, built the frontier wall from Lintao to Liaodong and was forced to take poison in 210 BC
- Qin Shi Huang (Ying Zheng)259–210 BCE
Part of Great Wall's history: Building the Great Wall. King of Qin who conquered the six rival states by 221 BC, took the title First Emperor and imposed commanderies, one script and uniform measures
Qin2
- Building the Great Wall
Qin linked and expanded earlier Yan, Zhao, and Qin fortifications into a northern network of walls, passes, and beacons.
- Meng Tian Extends Qin's Great Wall214-210 BCE
After Qin unification, historical accounts describe Meng Tian linking and extending earlier Yan, Zhao, and Qin walls into a northern frontier system.
Yuan1
- Juyong Pass Cloud Platform Completed1345 CE
In 1345, the Cloud Platform beneath Juyong Pass's crossing stupas was completed, with Buddhist images and dharani inscriptions in six scripts.
Ming1
- Qi Jiguang Rebuilds the Jizhen Wall1568–1571 CE
From 1568 to 1571, Qi Jiguang directed wall and hollow-watchtower works and reorganized the Jizhen garrison into an integrated frontier-defense system.
Modern Era2
- Six Sites Join the World Heritage List
China became a State Party to the World Heritage Convention in December 1985, and in December 1987 six Chinese properties, among them the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Mogao Caves, were inscribed on the World Heritage List.
- Great Wall Inscribed as World Heritage1987 CE
In 1987, the Great Wall was inscribed as a defensive work and cultural landscape developed across successive historical periods.
