Trifter

Can the Great Wall of China really been seen from space? The truth is I don’t really know, I have heard that you can but I also have heard that it’s just an urban rumor. While I might not be able to tell you if you can see the Great Wall of China from space or not I can tell you information that will be much more useful.

While many people know about the Great Wall of China few know its history or where it actually is. Many people think that it stretches over the entire country but this is not true but it does stretch an amazing 5,500 miles. The Great Wall of China was built in bits and pieces over many years and Imperial dynasties. The idea of the Great Wall of China came from traditional Chinese cities being surrounded by protective walls. This idea was taken to an extreme. The first versions of the Great Wall of China date from 400 to 200 B.C.

The last use of the Great Wall of China was in the 1600 by the Ming dynasty. After the Manchu were able to defeat the Ming and take over the country the wall fell into disrepair. In fact much of the wall is still in disrepair. The areas of the wall that are kept up are those parts by Beijing, but even this portion of the wall is only kept up for so far before the wall begins to be nothing more then a ruin.

For a modern day tourist you will most likely get to the Great Wall of China from Beijing. You can take tours, or buses to the Great Wall of China. It is a unusual site seeing so many people descend this amazing monument. The Great Wall of China main entrance is very much like China Socialism with Chinese characters or in reality Capitalism on steroids in all but name. It is interesting and sad to see the blatant touristy feel of the Great Wall. One easy trick I learned is that the farther you go down the actual wall the fewer people you will see. It doesn’t take to long until you have the Great Wall of China all to yourself. I would estimate that after 15 minutes of walking you will be on your own, it seems the people are more interested in the stalls at the base then the actual Wall itself.

Another option is to take a tour often offered by your hotel to the nearby areas of the wall that have not been repaired. Often this trip will be similar in price and will be only a small group of people lead by a resident. This is an amazing tour with ability to climb up on the wall all by yourself, have a lunch on the wall, whatever you want with no one else around. If you can I suggest taking both tours they are both unique and different experiences.