At the beginning of Year 2012 while coming back from a trip from Canada I stopped in Beijing (also known as Peking) to go and see the Great Wall of China which is one of the Greatest Wonders of the World. A literal meaning of the Great Wall in Chinese is - Long Fortress.
The Great Wall is a series of stone and earth fortifications built in the Northern China from as early as 5th Century BC to 16th Century AD as a protection against intrusions. The Great Wall measures an astounding 8852 km.
I went to see the Juyong Pass (or Juyongguan) section of the Great Wall which is about 50 kms from Beijing in the Changping county. It is one of the three greatest passes on the Wall.
 |
| The Great Wall of China |
This particular section was completed in 1368 during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. I have taken the photo of the details displayed there about this section of the Wall and have pasted below for further information.
 |
| Description about the Great Wall - Juyong Pass Section |
Some of the sections of the Wall are very wide and some narrow. Some sections have a ramp whereas others have staircases (some are very steep). In fact at the narrow section there was almost a traffic jam as can be seen in the photo below.
 |
| Traffic Jam on the Great Wall of China |
After every 50 to 100 meters (on this section of the Great Wall) there are structures that are meant for defense and shelter purposes.
 |
| Myself with the Backdrop of the Great Wall for Posterity! |
The central portion of this section also has guns as a further deterrent against the invaders. In fact on the flatter portions of the Great Wall automobiles can ply! This section is in the mountainous region therefore vehicles cannot ply as there are stairs also in some portions.
 |
| Guns on the Great Wall |
The place gets really cold in the winters as can be seen in the photo below where the water body is completely frozen on both sides of the wall. The cold is further intensified by the strong winds which increases the chill factor.The current temperature in Beijing during my stay was around Minus 8 degree Celsius!
 |
| Frozen water near the Great Wall |
I am thankful to my driver and my guide for showing me this greatest man made wonder in the world in the short time that I had in China along with showing some other places in the Beijing City.
 |
| My Driver, Myself and My Guide |
