BEIJING, May 3rd (ABP) – The Great Wall of China stands as a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship on earth, which has become a national top tourist site and retained its importance as a symbol of Chinese identity and culture.
Historically, study.com and and mybeijing.com specify that the great wall was a gigantic defensive project used in ancient times. For self-protection, subsequent dynasties continued to strengthen and extend the wall. Made over the course of hundreds of years, the wall was built by over 6 different Chinese dynasties, and is over 2,300 years old. Emperor after emperor strengthened and extended the wall, often with the aim of keeping out the northern invaders. The wall was continuously brought up to date as building techniques advanced.
On March 22, 2024, foreign journalists from different continents of the world including Africa got the opportunity to visit the great wall of China and enjoy the natural beauty of one of its sections, Juyongguan great wall, thanks to the laudable initiative of China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC).
On-site information specifies that
in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the capital was invaded by nomads in the north, and in order to strengthen the defense of the capital, the focus of defense was placed on the north and northwest of the capital, and the “outer three passes” and “inner three passes” of the great wall were constructed. During this period, the Juyong Pass developed rapidly, and its military status was at its historical peak, with a wider range of defenses than ever before, gradually becoming an important part of the northern defense line. This was the second glory after the large-scale development of Juyong Pass in the Yuan Dynasty, and it reached its historical peak.
Located in the northern part of China, the great wall extends from Shanhaiguan, east of Qinhuangdao city to Jiayuguan, west of Gangsu province. It has over 3000 stairs and 8 main sections in Beijing city. These are, according to mybeijing.com, Badaling great wall, Juyongguan great wall, Huanghuacheng great wall, Jiankou great wall, Mutianyu great wall, Fubeikou great wall, Jinshanling great wall, and Samatai Great wall. In 2001 Juyongguan Great Wall was evaluated “AAAA Tourism Area” by National Tourism Administration.
As one of the important military and transportation fortresses in history, Juyongguan Pass is located at the natural valley between Inner Mongolia Plateau and Beijing plain. Along the great wall there are nine important fortresses, Juyongguan Pass is one of them and ranking the first. During the long run of the protection of peace, the Chinese ethnic groups exchanged and learned from each other, jointly built the consensus and became stronger and more self-assured. The overall unity of space, time, culture, and spirit fully demonstrates that “The vast territory of Chinese nation is jointly developed by all ethnic groups, the long history is jointly written by all ethnic groups, the splendid culture is jointly created by all ethnic groups and the great national spirit is jointly cultivated by all nationals.”
Thus, Young people and people with advanced age take interest in climbing the Juyongguan great wall, a closed loop with a length of about 4 km and is usually divided into the east part and west part. The relatively easy east part is from watchtower 1 to watchtower 6. Most people can finish this section of hiking in an hour. Young people may fail to reach its peak while aged people can reach it with success, or vice-versa. For instance, in a group of 30 climbers, it is hard to have them all reached the peak, hence climbing it and reaching its peak requires bravery and suppleness. After descending that cultural heritage, successful climbers may have a souvenir medal on which they certify that they have climbed the great wall.
Today, the great wall, also known as the longest man-made structure in the world, stands as one of China’s well-known tourist attractions. People from all over the world put the great wall at the top of the list of the places to visit when they come to China, according to chinadiscovery.com.
It is worth noting that the Great Wall of China became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1987.
