The Great Wall: [the extraordinary story of China's wonder of the world]

The Great Wall of China is a wonder of the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists take the five-mile journey from Beijing to climb its battlements. While myriad photographs have made this extraordinary landmark familiar to millions more, its story remains mysterious and steeped in myth. In this riveting account, John Man travels the entire length of the Great Wall and across two millennia to find the truth behind the legends. Along the way, he delves into the remarkable and complex history of China -- from the country's tribal past, through the war with the Mongols, right up to the modern day when the Great Wall is once more a commanding emblem of China, the resurgent superpower. CONTENTS......Page 6 List of Maps......Page 8 A Note on Spelling......Page 10 Acknowledgements......Page 12 Introduction: The Wall of China Does Not Exist......Page 14 PART I: EARTH......Page 26 1. The First Emperor's Less-than-Great Wall......Page 28 2. The Wall's Everywoman......Page 50 3. A Threat from the North......Page 64 4. War over the Wall......Page 75 5. The Wall Goes West......Page 90 6. Wall-hunt in the Gobi......Page 116 7. The Concubine and the Barbarian......Page 131 8. Losing the Lost Legion......Page 138 9. A Grassland Mystery......Page 151 PART II: STONE......Page 166 10. The Coming of the Mongols......Page 168 11. Disaster at Tumu......Page 192 12. To the Ordos, and Beyond......Page 210 13. Guarding the Way West......Page 229 14. The Centre Ground......Page 238 15. Climbing around Beijing......Page 257 16. The End of the Wall, the End of the Ming......Page 287 17. The Wall Reborn......Page 308 Appendix: Dates and Dynasties......Page 330 Bibliography......Page 332 Picture Acknowledgements......Page 338 B......Page 340 E......Page 341 H......Page 342 L......Page 343 M......Page 344 R......Page 345 U......Page 346 Y......Page 347 Z......Page 348 It is a wonder of the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists journey to the Great Wall of China, and a myriad of photographs have made it familiar to millions more. Yet its story remains mysterious and steeped in myth. In this riveting account, John Man travels the entire length of the Great Wall and across two millennia to find the truth behind the legend. Along the way, he delves into the remarkable and complex history of China—from the country's tribal past through its war with the Mongols to its present-day status as a resurgent superpower.