Global Treasures: Great Wall

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

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Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1020

UPC: 879061006197

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Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

The Great Wall of China, a combination of many walls, extends for 1,500 miles and winds across northern China from Gansu Province to Hebei Province on the Yellow Sea. It was constructed as a defence against the northern nomads.

Although it was to be of little military significance, the Great Wall is a monument to human endeavour and relentless achievement, a meandering man-made structure that seems to connect all of China's endless horizons.

Some of its towers served as the soldiers' living quarters and also played an essential role in communicating messages. The advance of hostile troops was signaled with large fires and cannon shots. Any relevant military information was then communicated from tower to tower until it reached a fortress close to the capital of Beijing.