The Great Wall mystery solved

Award-winning new book with eye-catching graphics answers key questions and shows the iconic monument in a manner that is easily digested, Li Yingxue reports.

The Great Wall is a symbol of China, an icon known throughout the world, but few people know how long it is. The answer is 21,196.18 kilometers. Or to put it into context, if it was placed on the Arctic it would stretch up to and beyond the Antarctic.

However, it turns out that it is actually even longer than previously believed, as new sections are being discovered.

Shan Jixiang, former director of the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, researched the Great Wall when he was head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration in 2011.