As young adults my Grandparents visited a mystical place called "the Far East." They returned with a number of treasures, including a book that featured an old sepia toned photograph of the Great Wall of China. Even at 5 I remember being a bit shocked by it. It had taken my father days to lay all the railroad ties that ringed our backyard so how could anyone hope to build anything that big? At 29, while standing on the Wall myself, I was filled with the same sense of awe that overcame me as a child. The Wall is at least ten feet high and wide enough to fit five horses abreast. It runs for more than 4000 miles!!! How did they do that? While it is easy to quip that one can achieve anything when one has vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor, the bureaucracy and industry they must have established to organize millions of laborers, coordinate supplies, administer budgets, employ architects and engineers, and carry out the mission to guard the empire from Northern invaders is an astounding accomplishment. Even more so considering the project started in 220 B.C.! Here is an link to an interactive 360 degree panorama video of the Great Wall. http://www.thebeijingguide.com/great_wall_of_china/index.html Simply amazing.
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