This is what the wall actually looks like when the tour buses have gone home. As the sun drops behind the mountains, the Ming Dynasty wall stretches to the horizon in a series of watchtowers and connecting ramparts — each tower once housing garrison soldiers, weapons stores, and the signal fires that could relay warnings across the entire frontier within hours. If you're choosing a time of day to visit, this is it.
© thierrytutin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons