The Great Wall: From Beginning to End

by Michael Yamashita

It is arguably the greatest feat of civil engineering in history, and indisputably earth’s largest single cultural begun during the Qin Dynasty (around 208 BC) and completed nearly 1,800 years later during the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall of China spans more than 4,000 miles. At the dawn of the Beijing Olympics, the eyes of all the world are upon it.
Two men who navigated every inch of the Wall have collaborated on a lavishly-illustrated tribute to this amazing structure. Michael Yamashita, an award-winning National Geographic photographer, spent a year shooting the Wall, its environs, and the people who live in its shadow, for the magazine. One hundred and sixty of his magnificent photos grace this volume, which features text by William Lindesay, who not only conducts tours of the Wall and spearheads the movement to preserve it, but has actually run its entire length. Broken into three sections, The Great Wall provides an overview that debunks myths and dishes up rare facts and figures, a comprehensive history that proceeds dynasty by dynasty through its construction, and an account of Lindesay’s personal experiences of the Wall.

Genres: Travel, History, China, Nonfiction, Photography, Reference

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 1999

Reviews

[Mahmoud Aghiorly · Rating 5 out of 5]

الكتاب رائع جدا و ممتع ، النصف الثاني من الكتاب مليء بالقصص التي تشعر ان حكواتي يقصها عليك في قهوة شعبية .
المجتمعات التي ازدهرت بالقرب من سور الصين العظيم مجتمعات غنية جدا و تاقلمت بصور فريدة مع وجود السور ، خاصة المزارعين الذين استفادوا جدا من وجوده .
الكتاب سلس و غني بالمعلومات .

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

For someone somewhat familiar with Chinese history and geography, this would be an excellent. My knowledge of these areas is less than elementary, so place and people names had little significance. Clearly, though, a deficiency on my part, rather than this book’s. I only say this so you can gauge how this may read for you.

I was hoping for more info on the building process, since the way the Wall hugs the flow of the land is so unique. But what is there regarding this was interesting. I loved how different emperors carried on the work on the Wall, making it a unifying force in China, though it was intended to divide.

The abundant labor force casts a dreary light upon this magnificent structure, with tradition testifying to laborers being buried where they died in the Wall.

Overall, an excellent academic resource, providing an overview of the Wall. Beautiful pictures!

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not entirely what I was looking for but interesting nonetheless—I harbour a half-baked dream of walking the Great Wall (this is one that's going to stay in the imagination stage!), and this coffee-table book covers a great deal of its span. It serves of something of a reminder of just how vast China's history is, and the details about cave dwellings built into the wall are particularly fascinating. I'd have loved to get a better understanding of the transitions: how and where do reconstructed sections give way to rubble? When did the most wall exist, and how quickly did it fall into disrepair, and how was it built and rebuilt?

Photographers must be of a rather hard-headed breed by nature. Yamashita talks about observing a ceremony honouring someone who had died a year ago; he immediately claims a space in the area reserved for women and takes a seat in a centre because he can get the best pictures there. By his telling, this was welcomed, but I have to ask how he'd feel if he was at a gathering of family and friends and a female photographer—a stranger from, say, Botswana—arrived unannounced to photograph (for her own purposes) a male-only space from the centre of the action. It would be odd, no?

[Ash Thorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Yamashita is not only an excellent photographer, but he is also an enthralling storyteller. I sat down with the intention of only reading a few pages, but I was so entertained, I read the entire book in two hours. He shares stories about how he came across the events he photographs and where he was while he took them.

Critics complain that this book does not explain how the great wall was built, but I argue that this is *not* that kind of book. While it does contain information about the different dynasties and emperors mixed in throughout, this book is primarily the talented Michael Yamashita’s experience photographing the Great Wall.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book that I found just because I saw it pass through as a hold at the library.

For being so awkwardly large, it is a quick read; but then, the main point isn't the text but the photos, so not much of a surprise. It is a gorgeous book and makes me want all the more to visit the Great Wall at some point. I like that it dispels so many myths about the Great Wall, though I could wish that the history were laid out a bit more clearly. Also, it needs some editing, since there are several places where the captions to pictures directly contradict the written text. And in regards to the steppe barbarians the wall was originally built to exclude, there are various mistakes, like using the term Khan as though it were a name and not a title, or using Mongol as a generic term, rather than as a reference to a specific people (and likewise a few cases with Xiongnu, anachronistically I believe). One other criticism I had is wholly beyond the author's fault or ability to fix; it is just that the wall becomes less picturesque as the book progresses, since it starts in the east where the oftentimes restored stone and brick wall winds across dramatic green mountains and ends in the flat west, with a wall from a different era/dynasty, a faded eroding mass of dirt in many places. This book manages to capture both the grandeur of the wall, yet also makes clear just how little of it truly matches the image of it so many people have.

[S.N. Arly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The focus of this book is less on the Great Wall than it is on the people who live in areas along its path. This has some nice photos, but not as many really amazing ones as I was hoping for. The photographer is a Great Wall expert, and I had pretty high expectations. I was also looking for something more historical and focused on what the wall looks like today. We do get some of the tourist wall sections, and a nice photo of the Great Wall Marathon. There are a few good pictures of the wild wall, but there are some stellar ones online taken by others. I really wanted more about the wall itself. It would have been nice for more photos of pre Ming era walls, too.

[PennsyLady (Bev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

by Michael S. Yamashita (Author), William Lindesay (Author)

"...begun during the Qin Dynasty (around 208 BC) and completed nearly 1,800 years later during the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall of China spans more than 4,000 miles." (publisher)

This is a laudable trek through history, dynasty by dynasty.

There are 160 exceptional photos by Michael Yamashita (National Geographic photographer) and admirable historical commentary by William Lindesay.

Pictorial travel...History (Asia China)...

I love these tabletop books that reinforce your knowledge of history in a simple, understandable manner.

[Lartemis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful photobook of the Great Wall of China, its history, and its people from ancient times to the present. Truly, I did not read it in its entirety, but enjoyed the photos.

[Dustin Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice in-depth look into not only the construction of the "Great Wall" but also provided a look at how the it looks now from the tourist attraction points to the seldom visited regions.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful pictures.

[Joelle.P.S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite part: photos of the Great Wall Marathon, including 1000s of 45+ degree stairs!