The Great Wall of China is a World Heritage Site and was selected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a 2007 international poll. The Great Wall is a must-see for visitors to China; its size and history draws people from around the world each year.
In 221 B.C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang built the first version of the Great Wall of China, but it was mostly destroyed over time. In 1449, the Ming Dynasty built what we know today as the Great Wall to defend China's borders against Manchurian and Mongolian tribes.
The Great Wall of China is more than 4,000 miles long and was built over a period of 300 years. The wall could have been up to 5,000 miles long when it was built and archeologists are still searching for missing remains of the wall.
Since China opened its borders to tourism in the late 1980s, more than one million people visit the Great Wall each year.
Time and tourism are damaging the Great Wall. Thirty percent of the Great Wall has been severely damaged and 50 percent has disappeared, according to a 2007 survey conducted by the Great Wall Society.
A common belief is that the Great Wall can be seen from space. Shuttle missions have proven the Great Wall cannot be seen from orbit.
