The most famous of ancient fortifications, the Great Wall of China is an architectural wonder with a total length of over 21,000km. Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space by the naked eye. To date, no one has walked its entire length yet, though a Norwegian named Stephen Robert Loken hiked the span of the Ming Dynasty wall – a feat that took him 601 days. The wall was built over the centuries starting from around 770BC and was slowly added on to by dynasties after. While there is no accurate figure, experts estimate that over a million people, consisting of soldiers, labourers, and criminals, worked on the wall – with some dying and even believed to be buried under the wall although there is no concrete evidence of that.

Today, only about 70% of the original is left but the Chinese government is stepping up its efforts to conserve the world wonder. Some sections of the Great Wall that are worth taking into consideration during your visit are Mutianyu, one of the best-restored areas of the wall; Jinshanling, a hiking route that retains plenty of the original architecture from centuries ago; and Jiankou, a steeper side of the wall that commonly appears on postcards. And there is no greater testament to the Great Wall’s status in culture and history than the immortal words of Mao Zedong: “Until you reach the Great Wall, you’re no hero.”