More than 6,300 km long, the Great Wall winds among mountains and across deserts and grasslands in northern China.  Its construction started in Qing Dynasty (221-206 B.C.).  Extended and fortified in virtually all the following dynasties over a period of more than 2000 years, the Great Wall was used to defend China against invasions by nomadic peoples from the north.  Today the Great Wall, along with the Forbidden City, is a symbol of China.  It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world.

View a Chinese painting of the Great Wall.