How Long is the Great Wall

Written by Matteo Updated Mar. 15, 2024

The total length of the Great Wall of China in all dynasties is 21,196.18 kilometers          (13, 170.69 miles), including sections built in many dynasties. Today, the Great Wall we are talking about was built in the Ming Dynasty, with a total length of 8,851.8 kilometers       (5, 500.25 miles). Among them, the length of the artificial wall is 6, 259.6 kilometers.

How Long Did It Take to Build the Great Wall

Starting from the pre-qin period, the Great Wall has been continuously built for more than 2, 000 years from 211BC to 1644, distributed across the northern and central regions of China. Since the Qin dynasty, almost every dynasty that has ruled China has constructed the Great Wall, such as the Han, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties.

How Long is the Great Wall of China to Walk

The Great Wall of China is 21,196 kilometers long in total. It is an impossible task for you to walk the entire Great Wall because it is located in different regions and is not continuous. A person walks 10 kilometers daily, excluding rest and meal times, covering only 3,650 kilometers in a year. It would take 6 years to walk the Great Wall of China.

How Long Would it Take to Bike the Great Gall of China

The Great Wall is a key cultural heritage site in China. Cycling may cause damage to the Great Wall, so riding bicycles is not allowed. Moreover, there are steps on the Great Wall, making it unsuitable for cycling. Some sections of the Great Wall that have not been restored have steep terrain, posing certain safety risks for cycling on them.

How Long to Run the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall is not coherent, and some parts of it that are not open to the public are not allowed to enter by tourists. Therefore, it is impossible to run all of the Great Wall. The Huangyaguan Great Wall, located in Tianjin, holds a marathon race every May. Due to its extreme route conditions, it is considered one of the most challenging marathons.

The Length of the Great Wall in Different Dynasties

Dynasty In Kilometer In Mile In Feet
Pre-qin Period 3080.14 1913.91 10105446.19
Qin Dynasty 3680 2286.64 12073490.81
Han Dynasty
Jin Dynasty 4010.28 2491.87 13157086.61
Ming Dynasty 8851.8 5500.25 29041338.58
North and South Dynasty 1574 978.03 5164041.99

Where is the Longest Part of the Great Wall

Nowadays, the remains of the ancient Great Wall and beacon towers are scattered across 17 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions in China, which include Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Henan, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, and Qinghai.

Among them, the section of the Great Wall within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is the longest, with a total length of 7, 570 kilometers, accounting for one-third of the total length of the Great Wall in China. It is characterized by its longest length, the most diverse eras, and the widest distribution range.

How Long is the Great Wall in Miles/Meters/Feet

Section Location In Meters In Miles In Feet
Badaling Yanqing District, Beijing 3, 700 meters 2. 30 miles 12, 139 feet
Mutianyu Huairou District, Beijing 5, 400 meters 3. 35 miles 17, 716 feet
Jiankou Huairou District, Beijing Unknown Unknown Unknown
Juyongguan Changping District, Beijing 4, 100 meters 2. 54 miles 13, 451 feet
Simatai Miyun District, Beijing 5, 400 meters 3. 35 miles 17, 716 feet
Jinshanling Chengde, Hebei Province 10, 500 meters 6. 52 miles 34, 448 feet

Read more on how old is the Great Wall.

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