The Great Wall Of China

I am like a long, stone ribbon stretching over green hills. Sometimes, I pretend I am a friendly dragon, sleeping on top of the big, tall mountains. I go up, up, up, and then down, down, down, and I stretch so far that you can’t see my beginning or my end! I am very, very old, and I am made of strong stones and bricks that keep me warm in the sun. I am the Great Wall of China.

I was built to keep everyone safe. A long, long time ago, an emperor named Qin Shi Huang had a very big idea. It was in the year 221 BCE. He wanted to connect many smaller walls to make one giant wall—me! He wanted me to be like a big hug around the land to keep all his people safe and cozy in their homes. So many helpers came to build me. Soldiers and families worked together, day after day. They stacked stones and bricks, like you stack your building blocks, higher and higher. They built me to be strong and tall, with little lookout towers on my back where guards could stand and watch over the beautiful land.

My job is different now, and it makes me very happy! I don’t keep people out anymore; I bring them together. Friends and families from all over the world come to visit me. They walk on my back, they laugh in the sunshine, and they wave to other friends they meet along the way. I love to feel their happy footsteps and hear their cheerful voices. I am a path for friendship that stretches across the mountains, and I am here to remind you that when people work together, they can build wonderful things.