The Great Wall of China is one of China’s most famous landmarks. Built to protect China from invasion by neighboring peoples, the wall was constructed over many centuries, starting in 5 BC and ending in the 16 century AD. However, most of what is there now was constructed in the 16th century, during China’s Ming Dynasty.

According to Wikipedia, the entire wall, including natural fortifications and trenches, stretches 5,500.3 miles! The Great Wall is truly an ambitious feat of construction, so grand that people have long assumed that it must be visible from space.  However, as it turns out, space travel makes even the Great Wall seem insignificant. If it can be seen from space at all, it can only be seen at low orbits by people who know exactly where to look. You definitely would not be able to see it from the surface of the moon.

The best place to see the Great Wall of China is in China, with your  feet firmly planted on the ground. Some of the best sections of the wall are conveniently located near Beijing, such as the watchtower of Wangjinglou, which hovers about 3,215 feet above sea level against a backdrop of breathtakingly steep slopes.  Another popular section of the Great Wall is the Badaling section, which is also the most well-preserved portion of the wall.

If you’d like to visit the Great Wall in person, you’ll need your passport and a Chinese tourist visa, also known as an L visa. To get one, you must submit the following:

• A Chinese visa application
• Your US passport
• One  passport photo.

If  you are leaving within the next 7 days, you’ll also need a travel itinerary to expedite your Chinese visa application.

RushMyTravelVisa.com can help you research the visa requirements for your next trip, as well as helping you fill out and expedite your visa paperwork.

Need a Chinese visa? Contact us today!

Tags: China, Chinese visa

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 29th, 2009 at 8:06 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.