March 23 - Beijing

US first lady Michelle Obama visits the Great Wall of China.

Wen Bao/ For China Daily

The Great Wall

The most commonly told fact about the Great Wall is that it is the one man-made structure visible from the moon. The wall was begun during 5 BC, and building continued through the sixteenth century and stretches some 6,000 km across China. Today's surviving sections, placed end to end, would link New York with Los Angeles. It is said that a considerable partof Chinese history unfolded around the Great Wall. The grand attraction has long been a part of Chinese mythology and popular symbolism, and in the 20th century it came to be regarded as a national symbol. The banner of the White House webpage of “The First Lady's Trip to China” is the image of the Great Wall.

In 2009, US President Barack Obama toured the Great Wall at Badaling on the outskirts of Beijing.

Numerous strategists and statesmen visited the great wall, including former American Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

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