The Tamed Great Wall of China

The Tamed Wall of China

Since becoming a World Heritage site in 1987, the Great Wall has seen millions of tourists. The most common section of the Great Wall that people see is the Ming era section. This section has had the most renovations and is well preserved to attract tourists. According to Wikipedia, “The Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi).” This makes restoration of the entire wall fiscally impossible so the government has to pick certain sections and restore those

Asia Travel.101 Ming Great Wall

There are two types of the Great Wall of China. There are formal parts, which according to Beijing Tours, “are officially open to the public with government administration in terms of security, toilets, parking, restaurants”. The other kind is informal, which is when restoration is very little to none. Those that tread the informal sections are subjected to the risks of loose rocks and pits.

Beijing tours Badaling

The Badaling is the most common section of the Ming Great Wall. There are no loose stones, or missing portions of walling. Everything looks pristine, there are hand railings and the cement is pearly white. I would be lying if I said my tour was like that. The Badaling also hosts the highest guard tower. There are parking lots and one doesn’t have to hike three miles through the woods and up a mountain to experience the wonder. There are tons of tour groups with price ranges from fifty dollars to two hundred. If you get hungry you can eat from a nearby restaurant, no Nalagenes and bagged lunches here.

The Great Wall in fog

Reference

"Great Wall of China." Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Web. .

"Great Wall Tour." Beijing Tours, Beijing Tour, Beijing China Tours - Beijing Travel Agency and China Tour Operator. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. .