Great Wall of China
"Badaling China Great-Wall-of-China-04" — Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
A monumental feat of stone that stretches across history.
Spanning thousands of miles, this ancient fortification was built over several dynasties to protect against northern invasions. It stands today as a testament to human persistence, ingenuity, and a very large appetite for rice mortar.
Did you know?
The sticky rice mortar used in the construction was so effective that it is still incredibly difficult to insert a weed or plant into the gaps between the bricks today.
It is the world's longest graveyard, as many laborers were buried within the structure during its construction.
Despite popular belief, this architectural titan is not visible from the moon with the naked eye.
It is not actually a single continuous line, but rather a sprawling network of walls, trenches, and natural barriers.
In some sections, the mortar used to bind the stones was actually made from sticky rice.
This iconic stone dragon winds across the mountains of Northern China as one of the most famous man-made structures in history.