2. The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world.
3. The wall was originally built to protect the northern reaches of the Chinese Empire and since the 5th century, several walls have been built.
4. The Chinese built the wheelbarrow during the construcion of the Great Wall and used it extensively.
5. The best portion of the Great Wall of China can be visited within one day from Beijing.
One of the finest and most amazing works of mankind, the Great Wall of China spans across thousands of kilometers and can be visited at various destinations. All these walls are collectively called the Great Wall of China. The most popular is the wall that was built between 220-206 BC by, Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. However, little of this portion of the wall remains today. Most of the present day wall was built during the Ming Dynasty.
Badaling and Juyongguan are the most visited sections of the wall. The Badaling section can be easily reached from the Tiananmen Square or the Jishuitan subway station. The Mutinyau section is a little further from Badaling and is far less crowded. There is a ski lift that can take visitors around the area. Further from here are the Gubeikou, Jinshanling and Simatai sections.
The Old Dragon's Head at Shanhaiguan or the Shanhai Pass juts into the sea and is about 3 hours from Beijing. The Panjiakou Reservoir is the sunken section of the Great Wall of China. The Huangyaguan is good to visit for its well-preserved towers. These three sections are located in the Hebei and Tianjin province.
In the Shanxi province visitors can see the Outer Wall of Shanxi and the Inner Wall of Shanxi. The sections in the Ningxia and Gansu province are also wonderful.
Visitors can enjoy an adventurous hike from Jinshangling to Simatai about 10Km in length. The Great Wall Museum in Badaling is worth visiting and carries interesting facts about the history of the Wall.
Halal restaurants can be found in Beijing. The restaurants usually display a sign in Arabic. Visitors can enquire about Muslim restaurants with the locals or at the masaajid in the city. Beijing boasts of over 80 masaajid with the Niujie Mosque and Dongsi Mosque being the most prominent in the city.
