The Great Wall at Badaling

The Wan Li Chang Cheng, or "Ten Thousand Li Great Wall", is an icon of China. Some sections of the wall were built a few centuries B.C., but much of the Great Wall's 4,000 km length across the north of China dates from an organized effort during the Ming Dynasty around the late 1300s-1400s to protect against Mongol invasions. After the mid 1700s, the Wall was left to decay; under the current leadership, portions of the Wall have been restored as a symbol of national pride and heritage.
This picture is from the access point to the Great Wall at Badaling, 59 km from the center of Beijing. Badaling is the most frequently visited portion of the Great Wall and is extensively reconstructed. A large sign ("One World, One Dream") promoting Beijing's hosting of the 2008 Olympics now overlooks the parking area.

Crowds walking the Great wall.

View of the wall winding off to the south.

More crowds along the Great Wall. The enemy side of the wall is on the right (note in lower left that the wall is higher on that side).

View from near the end of the most frequented portion of the wall.

View through the Great Wall.

Two views of the mountainous terrain in which the Great Wall near Beijing is situated.