The “Great Wall” actually began as several walls that were built to protect individual settlements; some of these date back to around the 5th century BC. Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi conceived the idea of one “Great Wall”; he forced all of China to submit to his rule, and existing walls were linked and fortified and new sections built by hundreds of thousands of forced laborers. Over the following centuries, subsequent dynasties added to the Great Wall, but it was not always effective in keeping enemies out. After periods of both fortification and neglect, by the mid-1700’s it was mostly left to decay. An initiative by the Chinese government in the 1980’s lead to restoration of many sections of the Great Wall and opening it up to tourism.

The Badaling Section of the Great Wall is the most popular with tourists and the Chinese people – from the very young to the very old. I took these photos on the road to the Great Wall, at the entrance, on the wall itself, and near the wall outside the Commune. And of course, some folks took pictures of me along the way!