BEIJING-part 1

BEIJING, also called as Peking, is a city with 3000 years history, one of four ancient capitals in China. The modern city structure was founded by Ming dynasty (AD 1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (AD 1636-1911). When talking about Beijing with people from other countries, the great wall might be the first impression. The Great Wall is the grandest stone defensive construction in ancient China. Located in North China, it stems from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east and stretches to Jia Yu Guan in the west. With a total length of 6700 kilometers (over 10000 li), it is also known as "A ten-thousand-li wall”. Initially built in the Warring States Period and rebuilt in later dynasties, the Great Wall is an ancient defensive project with the largest workload and longest duration of construction in China or even around the world. It has been included in the List of World Heritages and rated as one of the "Seven Wonders of the World".

The Qin Great Wall and Ming Great Wall (the great walls built in the Qin and Ming dynasties respectively) are the most famous in history. The Qin Great Wall is featured by stone structure and its majesty and magnificence. A comparatively integral segment of Qin Great Wall sites is preserved in the area of Baotou City. The most integral and magnificent segment of Great Wall in history is the Ming Great Wall which was built for the purpose of guarding against invasion of Mongolian troops from North China.

The Great Wall is comprised of various defensive buildings including rampart, watch tower, oasis town, fortress, commanding station, Balefire stages. It is an integral defensive project system. These buildings are invested with distinct features of Chinese traditional architecture in terms of its layout, construction, decorations and paintings. They reflect the extraordinary engineering techniques of ancient China.

The Great wall is also a reservoir of brilliant literature and art works in ancient China. A variety of artistic forms regarding Great Wall has come to existence continuously and spread far and wide. They include ancient poems, poetic essays, folk literature and dramas. The Great Wall has served as a symbol of the spirit of Chinese nation, precisely as what the saying goes, "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man".