How Long Is the Great Wall of China? Total Length, Walking Time, and Fun Facts

Written by Veronica | Updated September 20,2025

The Great Wall has been continuously constructed for over two thousand years, resembling a giant dragon that stretches across the vast land of China. It is not only a miracle in the history of world architecture, but also a symbol of the Chinese national spirit, which attracts numerous tourists to set off on a China tour. As the largest military defense project in human history, when asked for the specific length of China Great Wall, most people can only vaguely answer “thousands of miles”. But how long is the Great Wall of China now actually? This article will give you the correct answer!

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• The Official Length of the Great Wall of China
• Length Comparisons of the Great Wall and …
• Great Wall Length by Dynasty: Qin to Ming
• How Much of the Great Wall Still Exists Today?
• Where Does the Great Wall Start and End?
• How the Total Length of China Great Wall Was Measured
• How Long Does It Take to Walk the Great Wall of China?
• Can You See the Great Wall of China From Space?
• A Romantic Story on the Great Wall of China
• Plan Your Great Wall of China Tour with Us

The Official Length of the Great Wall of China

Is the Great Wall the Longest Wall in the World?

Yes!

According to the authoritative surveying and mapping data released by the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China in 2012, the total length of the Great Wall in all dynasties existing now is 21196.18 kilometers (69541272.97 feet). This is the first scientific and systematic measurement of the Great Wall of China length throughout history.

How long is the Great Wall of China in miles: 13170.7 miles‌

However, why are there different numbers for the total length of the Great Wall? Since there were different standards applied for surveys taken in different times, and earlier calculations often ignored collapsed or underground sections.

Does the Length of the Great Wall Include Natural Barriers Like Rivers and Mountains?

No. Natural barriers are not counted. The official measurement of 21,196.18 kilometers only includes the length of artificial structures such as walls, trenches, and fortresses.

Length of Existing Ming Dynasty Great Wall

Many are wondering: what is the longest continuous section of the Great Wall? The longest preserved and continuous section is the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, which stretches 8,851.8 km from Hushan in Liaoning to Jiayuguan in Gansu. It is also the most visited section by travelers today.

Due to its long history, the Great Wall of many early dynasties was mostly incomplete, and the one that was best preserved was the Great Wall built during the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, what people generally refer to as the Great Wall in a narrow sense is the Ming Dynasty Great Wall.

The National Cultural Heritage Administration and the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping jointly announced in April 2009 that the total length of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall is 8851.8 kilometers, which is equivalent to two round-trips from Mohe in Heilongjiang Province to Sanya in Hainan Province.

Total Length of Great Wall Built in All Dynasties

If we calculate the total length of the Great Wall built by all dynasties (including Warring States, Qin, Han, Northern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, Liao, Jin, Ming), it is over 50,000 kilometers, equivalent to one eighth of the average distance between the earth and the moon. The length of the Great Wall built during the Qin, Han, and Ming dynasties all exceeded 5,000 kilometers.

Length Comparisons of the Great Wall and …

The length of China Great Wall (21196.18 kilometers) is equivalent to:

• Half a circle around the equator of the Earth;
• 20 round-trips from Beijing to Guangzhou;
• Three round-trips from the Pamir Plateau in westernmost China to the easternmost Heilongjiang River;
• Three Yangtze Rivers are connected end-to-end;
• One round-trip from Beijing to New York;
• The distance extending from Beijing to London;
• 5 times the straight-line distance from New York to Antarctica …

Great Wall Length by Dynasty: Qin to Ming

There have been three large-scale Great Wall construction processes in Chinese history, namely the Qin Dynasty Great Wall, the Han Dynasty Great Wall, and the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. To calculate the actual length of Great Wall of China, all the Great Walls of the past dynasties are indispensable.

*Note: There is an overlaying relationship between the Great Wall of each dynasty, and the total is not simply added up.

The existing Great Wall includes:

• Qin and Han dynasties and the early Great Wall (accounting for 23%)
• Great Wall from Northern Wei to Jin Dynasty (accounting for 31%)
• Ming and Qing Great Wall (accounting for 46%)

How Much of the Great Wall Still Exists Today?

As the largest and most widely distributed cultural heritage in China, the actual total length of the Great Wall is 21196.18 kilometers, which includes 43721 Great Wall heritage sites such as walls, trenches, single buildings (watchtowers, battlements, beacon towers), forts, and related facilities. And there are 10,051 sections of the Great Walls from different historical periods that still exist. When we talk about how long is the Great Wall of china, we are not just talking about a number, but also about this vivid history and the development and changes of Chinese civilization it witnesses.

Where Does the Great Wall Start and End?

The Easternmost and Westernmost Points

The Ming Dynasty Great Wall starts from Hushan in Liaoning Province (124°30′E longitude) in the east and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu Province (98°17′E longitude) in the west.

To the west of Yumen Pass, multiple beacon lines composed of beacon towers extend all the way to western Xinjiang (the Kizilgaha Beacon Tower in Kuche, 1200 kilometers west of Jiayuguan).

Provinces the Great Wall Passes Through

Since its birth in the Spring-Autumn Warring States Period, the Great Wall has carried half of Chinese history. 43721 Great Wall landscape remains from various dynasties are distributed in 404 counties (cities, districts) across 15 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) as below:

• Inner Mongolia: About 7300 kilometers, it has the richest Great Wall resources and ranks first in length.
• Gansu Province: About 3600 kilometers, the westernmost point of the Qin & Han & Ming Great Wall is located here.
• Hebei Province: About 2400 kilometers, two of the famous thirteen Passes are located here.
• Shaanxi Province: About 1800 kilometers, Xi’an was one of the key defense points of the Great Wall during the Qin and Han dynasties.
• Shanxi Province: About 1240 kilometers, of which Datong has one of the most complete Great Wall defense systems.
• Liaoning Province: About 1220 kilometers, the easternmost end of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall – the Hushan Great Wall – is located in Dandong.
• Ningxia: About 965 kilometers, mainly consisting of relics of the Great Wall during the Warring States and Qin dynasties.
• Shandong Province: About 640 kilometers, the existing Great Wall is mostly the Warring States Qi Great Wall 2500 years ago.
• Beijing: About 500 kilometers, it is the essence of China Great Wall, not to be missed when you travel to Beijing.
• Heilongjiang Province: About 420 kilometers, including the Great Wall built by the Tang Dynasty Bohai Kingdom.
• Henan Province: about 390 kilometers
• Jilin Province: about 360 kilometers
• Qinghai Province: about 316 kilometers
• Tianjin: About 35 kilometers, the famous Huangyaguan Pass is located here.
• Xinjiang: Most of the existing walls are damaged, but there are still about 200 Han and Tang beacon towers remaining.

How the Total Length of China Great Wall Was Measured

From 2007 to 2012, the National Cultural Heritage Administration launched the “Great Wall Resources Survey”, which used 12 advanced technologies, including remote sensing satellite (resolution up to 0.5m), 3D laser scanning (accuracy ± 2cm), GPS positioning system (error < 1m), to carry out millimeter-level mapping of the Great Wall through the combination of traditional archaeology and modern mapping technology, and found a large number of underground relics.

The controversy over what is the length of the Great Wall of China mainly comes from the following three factors: natural erosion, differences in measurement standards, new discoveries continue to increase.

Therefore, if you asked, “Has the Great Wall’s length changed over time due to erosion and destruction?” The answer is “Yes.” As natural and human activities were keep going on, many parts of the Great Wall also disappear for such reasons.

The length of China Great Wall has never been a fixed number, but carries the Chinese nation’s thoughts on living space. When we outline the winding 20,000 kilometer curve on the satellite map, what we see is not only brick and stone construction, but also a Chinese epic written with “walls”.

How Long Does It Take to Walk the Great Wall of China?

Even if you could walk 10 kilometers every day without interruption, it would still take around 5.8 years to finish the 21,196 kilometers. Besides, much of the wall is now in ruins or even not allowed for visit.

Can You Walk the Entire Great Wall?

No! It is impossible to walk the entire Great Wall in reality.

1. The Great Wall of China length and structure: The Great Wall has a total length of approximately 21196.18 kilometers and was built in sections by multiple dynasties, rather than being a continuous and complete wall. Many regions are disconnected due to natural erosion, human destruction, or undeveloped reasons, lacking coherence.
2. Accessibility: Currently, only about 10% of the Great Wall has been repaired and opened to tourists, while the rest has collapsed severely or been buried in the wilderness, and some sections are even left with only earth embankments or gravel.
3. Geographic and legal restrictions: Some parts of the Great Wall are located in steep mountain ranges, deserts, or uninhabited areas, making it impossible to walk; Other areas are prohibited from entering due to military and cultural relic protection regulations.

Even if the above objective conditions are met, if you walk 10 kilometers every day, it will take 5.8 years to walk the Great Wall of China.

Time Needed for Popular Great Wall Sections

Great Wall is a must-visit for nearly all people during their Beijing tours.

Can You See the Great Wall of China From Space?

No!

From a scientific perspective, the width of the Great Wall is only about 5-6 meters, so it cannot be seen by the naked eye from space. Moreover, many astronauts who have entered space, such as Yang Liwei from China, have confirmed that they did not see the Great Wall in space. But through satellite remote sensing technology with a certain spatial resolution, it is possible to obtain images of the Great Wall in space.

A Romantic Story on the Great Wall of China

In 1988, a renowned performance artist Marina Abramovi collaborated with Ulay on their final work, “Lover – The Great Wall”. Marina started from Shanhaiguan and walked along the Great Wall from east to west, while Ulay went in the opposite direction from Jiayuguan. Three months later, the two met at Mount Erlang in Shenmu, Shaanxi, hugged and bid farewell, ending their 12-year relationship.

This may be the most romantic breakup in the world. The scenery on the east and west sides of China Great Wall are completely different. To the east where Marina walked, the Laolongtou of Shanhaiguan plunged into the Bohai Sea, with towering and winding green mountains and crowded people on Badaling. To the west, Ulay’s eyes are filled with deserts, Gobi, and Loess Plateau, with occasional grazing sheep on the Great Wall… Marina said that the undulating Great Wall is like life!

Plan Your Great Wall of China Tour with Us

Please remember that the length of China Great Wall is 21196.18 kilometers!

When we use modern technology to re-measure the Great Wall, we not only discover its physical length, but also touch the pulse of Chinese civilization’s endless vitality. And nowadays, more and more people have been attracted by the grandeur of Great Wall and looking forward to see it in real life. If you’re also interested in such a journey, then we’d recommend you to travel with China Xian Tour.

With experiences accumulated over a decade, we’re dedicated to making your journey effortless and rewarding. Our expert local guides, who will be there for you for 24 hours a day, are looking forward to sharing the most in-depth stories of the site along the Silk Road, while our customized itineraries and reliable transfers can ensure you travel at your own pace without stress. From start to finish, we’ll take care of all the preparation for you so that you can fully enjoy the incredibly beautiful pictures revealing in front of your eyes.