Started at least five centuries before the Christian Era, the Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China about 5,500 miles long.

The original and its later constructions were built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from tribal marauders. Most of the more modern constructions were erected during the Ming Dynasty of the 15th Century A.D.

The Great Wall runs from Shanhaiguan to Lop Nur along the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. Some sections of the wall are less than 50 miles away from China’s capital city of Beijing. Visitors can join a tour, take regularly scheduled buses or rent a car.

For more information, go to www.greatwall-of-china.com