The Mongol invaders are long gone, but the wall of bricks and stones that will have helped to stop them is attacked today by a different kind of Wild Bunch: tourists.

In ruins and restored sections by hand, the Great Wall of China is actually a series of walls that go up hill and down dale on thousands of kilometers in the north of what was once called the Middle Kingdom. Here and there, towers surmounting the wall where Chinese soldiers kept watch.

Today, these watchtowers watch especially tourists. The invaders were welcomed to the tune of postcards, souvenirs and other trinkets. Some have been converted into hotels, sometimes with an air museum showing old battles over areas now buried under thick vegetation.

The Jinshanling wall, built by the Ming emperors in the middle of the sixteenth century, is a fine example of the original architecture of the Great Wall , with its towers and embrasures from which the archers shot at enemy forces. But the Great Wall dates back even longer, says one expert, David Spindler.

“Another section of wall in the Jinshanling area, parallel to the wall today, was built during the reign of Qi, between 550 and 577 AD.
affrontementL’endroit Bloody was the scene of a bloody clash between Mongolian horsemen and Chinese army in October 1554. The imperial armies have pushed the Mongols in just three days.

“The Mongols and their horses ran out of food and had to stop the assault,” Mr. Spindler said, explaining that the attack took place at that location because of its ease of access.