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"Until you reach the Great Wall,
you are no hero"
Chairman Mao
While foreign travelers have always marveled at the Great
Wall, the Chinese themselves only started to appreciate the
massive structure midway through the 20th century. This
was partly due to the historical financial and human costs of
building the wall: heavy taxes had been imposed to pay for
it and it's estimated that hundreds of thousands of soldiers,
laborers and convicts died during its construction. But also
because it had failed to stop the invasions it was built to
hinder.
Today the wall plays a major part in the Chinese national
identity, and the restored sections, especially around
Badaling, have become a major tourist destination with over
10 million visitors each year. The wall was made a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 1987, and has long been regarded as
one of the seven modern wonders of the world.
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