Page 191 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

CH INA 189

RECONSTRUCTION OF THE GREAT WALL Towers
This s ho\11/S a section of the wall as built by These were spaced two
arrow s hots apart to leave
the most pro I ific wall builders of them all
no part unprotected.
the Ming dynasty. The section at Badaling,
some 43 miles (70 km) north of Beijing, was
..l,lt~------'--- carriageway
butt around 1505 and is similar to this. It was This averages 26 It
restored during the 1950s and 1980s. (8 m) in height and
23 ft (7 ni in width.
~cannons --------~~~L-~~
Another Ming addition, ~illli;J-::!:.il.:!::b!b,d~;h:~"J4~• Watchtowers Y
cannons were used to
defend the wall and
warn of attack.

Signal Beacons
Warnings of attack were
signaled by the smoke given
off by burning dried wolf dung.

~ Paved walkway

cannons >-

THE SYMBOLIC WALL
The Chinese word for city, "chen g," also Panoramic Views Y
means wall. For the Chinese, the wall, Because the wall took
as well as serving a practical purpose, advantage of the natural
symbolized the boundary between home, terrain for defensive
safety, and civilization inside, and the purposes, following the
highest points and clinging
chaos and barbarism outside.
to ridges, it now offers some
superb panoranic vi€Ws.
~ Watchtowers
Crumbling Ruin >-
A Mi ng addition, these
Away from the Beijing area, most of the
served as s ignal towers,
forts, living quarters, and wall is unrestored and has crumbled
away, with only the core remaining.
storerooms for provisions,
gunpowder, and weapons.

Paved Walkway>-
In addition to enabling
communications via
smoke, flares, drums, and
bells, the wall acted as a
road for the rapid
transport of troops over
very difficult terrain.