The origin of Great Wall can be traced to defensive walls erected by various states during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, around 7th century BC. After Qinshihuang united the country, he repaired, linked up and extended the walls built by the former states of Qin, Zhao, Yun and others into a huge military defense works which started from Liaodong Peninsula in the east and ended at Lintao - in today's Gansu province, in the west, a distance of more than 5,000 km. This is the world-famous Great Wall. The wall was repaired and maintained over the course of many dynasties. especially during Ming Dynasty, the work continued for over 200 years. The eastern part of the wall was mostly of brick and stones.

Historically, Great Wall started from Yalu River in the east to Jiayu Pass in the west. Today, Great Wall crosses five province (Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu), two autonomous regions (Inner Mongolia and Ningxia) and one municipality (Beijing) in North China, with a total length of over 6,700 km. It is one of the foremost wonders of the world.

Great Wall is composed of hundreds of passes, fortresses, towers and stretches of wall. Beacon towers are situated at suitable intervals to give the alarm if an enemy approached.

The parts of Great Wall located at Badaling, Mutianyu and Simatai in Beijing were all constructed during Ming Dynasty. These parts of the wall were built along mountain ridges. On many parts of the wall five or six horsemen could ride side by side. Parts of the wall renovated in modern times are popular tourist attractions.