Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Separate walls that had been constructed by independent kingdoms to keep
out marauding nomads were linked together. The effort required hundreds of
thousands of workers - many of whom were political prisoners - and 10 years
of hard labour under General Meng Tian.
Ming engineers made determined efforts to revamp the eroding bastion, fa-
cing it with some 60 million cubic metres of bricks and stone slabs.
Mao Zedong encouraged the use of the wall as a source of free building ma-
terial, a habit that continues unofficially today.
Without its cladding, lengthy sections have dissolved to dust and the barri-
cade might have vanished entirely without the tourist industry.
Visiting the Wall
Tours run by hostels, or by specialist tour companies, are far preferable to
those run by ordinary hotels or state-run travel companies, as they tend to
cater more to the needs of adventurous Western travellers and don't come
with any hidden extras, such as a side-trip to the Ming Tombs (a common add-
on) or a tiresome diversion to a gem factory or a traditional Chinese medicine
centre.
