The Great Wall of China!

Well, according to Mao, I am now a man!  I hiked up to the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu today and then walked along the wall among several watchtowers, all while breathlessly in awe of the incredible view and the epic, winding man-made fortification that stretched endlessly in front of me!  There are multiple places in which you can visit the wall – we visited the Mutianyu section.  It was quite a climb up, although the scenery was very peaceful and beautiful…but you were automatically dripping.  We were all absolutely soaked through by the time we reached the top.  It was a hazy day – but the sleepy mountains around the Great Wall were still beautiful.  The portion of the wall had been fortified and built up during the Ming Dynasty (14th-17th century)...the wall itself was developed from the 1450s-1560s to strengthen the empiere's defense against the Mongols.  The Great Wall was originally built under Shi Huangdi's guidance during the Qin dynasty back in the 200 BCE's...but the original, not altered sections of Qin wall are very remote and hard to reach. The wall wasn't perfect, and it didn't fully protect China...but it does showcase China's ability to utilize resources. 


The Great Wall was amazing, and we had a really wonderful time...but I will let the photographs speak for me...enjoy! 


Click on the image below to view the album! 

Great Wall Pics