The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall, which was built about 500 years ago, is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.
People disagree about exactly how long it is, but it runs in sections across Northern China and is said to be approximately 21,000 kilometres long.
A common myth is that the wall can be seen from space. This is not true at all and is based on a rumour started by Robert Ripley, an American writer and illustrator, 30 years before anyone had even been in space!
'The Long Wall', as the Chinese call it, was built with stones, bricks, tiles, earth and wooden material.
The wall was completed in 1644, but it took more than 2,000 years to build.
Contrary to popular belief, it was not built to stop an invasion by the Mongols. It was commissioned by the First Emperor of China who died in 210 BC. The Mongols didn't appear on the scene until about 800 AD.
Another false claim is that there are bodies of labourer’s buried in the wall. In fact, no human bones have ever been found in the wall and there is no evidence of this being true.
There are more than 20,000 watchtowers along the wall as it was built to protect the country against invasions from nomads and enemies and to make it easier to collect duty for goods that were transported along the Silk Road.
There are, in fact, several walls and not just one. Some sections are wide, well-kept and attract the most tourists. There are other sections, however, that are crumbling, overgrown and in very bad condition. So bad that it’s impossible to walk on these parts. In many places, the Wall doubles, triples even quadruples itself. And all of these bits overlap each other in time. Some sections are in a right mess!
Today the Great Wall is the most popular tourist attraction in China with more than 10 million visitors per year and it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

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