Visiting the Great Wall of China
I have had the opportunity to visit the Great Wall on three different occasions. I spent two of these times at the most famous restored section, Badaling, and so that is where I will focus most of my discussion. 
What can I say about the Great Wall that has not already been said? Who doesn't know that it is the only man made object that is visible from space or that it stretches over 6000KM (3750 miles)? The wall is probably the most Chinese artifact that exists. Why? Because, it was built during a span of over 2000 years, with every generation having there own idea of what it needed to look like and be used for. Inside the bricks that are left standing is the very history of China. I will not try to explain the long and varied history of the wall here, but I would encourage anybody who is interested in China to check any of the numerous books or websites that are dedicated to it. I say all of this to say that the Great Wall is a must see if you come to China; make every effort you can see it; plan your itinerary around it!
Now, one thing you must keep in mind is that the Great Wall is not an amusement park so don't expect it to try and entertain you. It won't; it doesn't do much besides lay around all day. The main draw of the Wall is its vivid history and you must have this at the forefront of your mind while visiting. Come prepared to enjoy the surrounding scenery, to learn more about the history involved and to do a good bit of walking.
1) Walking?: Yep, that's right. The wall at Badaling has more restored bricks than original and is very crowded at the beginning. However, this is easily remedied by doing a little walking. At Badaling, you are given the option of either going north or south along the wall. In either direction, the wall is only crowded for short distance (about a mile) with most people giving up on the physical exertion this brings about, as most of the trek is steeply up hill at first. If you can outlast these people then you will come to parts that are not only far less crowded but also far less restored from their original conditions.
What can I say about the Great Wall that has not already been said? Who doesn't know that it is the only man made object that is visible from space or that it stretches over 6000KM (3750 miles)? The wall is probably the most Chinese artifact that exists. Why? Because, it was built during a span of over 2000 years, with every generation having there own idea of what it needed to look like and be used for. Inside the bricks that are left standing is the very history of China. I will not try to explain the long and varied history of the wall here, but I would encourage anybody who is interested in China to check any of the numerous books or websites that are dedicated to it. I say all of this to say that the Great Wall is a must see if you come to China; make every effort you can see it; plan your itinerary around it!
Now, one thing you must keep in mind is that the Great Wall is not an amusement park so don't expect it to try and entertain you. It won't; it doesn't do much besides lay around all day. The main draw of the Wall is its vivid history and you must have this at the forefront of your mind while visiting. Come prepared to enjoy the surrounding scenery, to learn more about the history involved and to do a good bit of walking.
1) Walking?: Yep, that's right. The wall at Badaling has more restored bricks than original and is very crowded at the beginning. However, this is easily remedied by doing a little walking. At Badaling, you are given the option of either going north or south along the wall. In either direction, the wall is only crowded for short distance (about a mile) with most people giving up on the physical exertion this brings about, as most of the trek is steeply up hill at first. If you can outlast these people then you will come to parts that are not only far less crowded but also far less restored from their original conditions.
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