Background


I took the header pictures of this site while my brother and I studied and travelled in China in 1998.

Jiayuguan fortress in Gansu is considered to be the best preserved fortress along the Great Wall being built in 1372.

Also known as “First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven”, it lies very close to the most Western point of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall and is one of the main passes along the Great Wall.

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A shepard and his flock

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The Great Wall from the Ming Dynasty period.

The Great Wall was made from materials in the local area. Here the rammed earth technique is used. A frame was built first, acting as a mold. Then moist earth was rammed together. Hay was sometimes used as the binding material, and the horizontal layers of hay can be seen on the wall in this picture.

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People engaged in a game of Chinese Chess.

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A shepard bringing his sheep to the market.

The picture was taken close to the start of the Great Wall of China. Here the wall is situated along the Southern rim of the Gobi desert.

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A break from the walking at the border of the Gobi desert.

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A large collection of books for learning Mandarin.

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This man described some of the brutal acts of Japanese soldiers in his village during the second world war.

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A watchtower by the Great Wall of China, close to Panjiakou.

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Remains of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall at the edge of the Gobi desert.