Vast Chinese Walls Series: Organic Han Wall

Darkness reigns in pre-twilight Gobi dust

Chasing rare organic Han wall a must

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We began our day off-road deep in a dark and dusty Gobi Desert in Western Gansu Province. Our goal was to watch the new day's sun rise above the rarest form of Great Wall in all of China, an organic Wall. Our caravan of four Land Cruisers bounced, slalomed, and jostled as we amazing raced across the stark landscape north of Dunhuang. Even with coordinates, it felt like looking for a needle in the ocean.

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With the sky lightening in predawn glow, we slid to a stop in a secluded patch of desert shielded by hardy tamarisk cones. To the south, a 200-meter segment of Han Dynasty wall from circa 110 BCE perseveres. It is heavily eroded yet still ramrod straight. Sunrise. The bright orange orb peeked above the horizon. Second by second, it grew fuller and fuller in fiery glory. We were the only ones in this portion of the desert. All was silent. My breath caught.

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Bearing witness to excellent craftsmanship and the passage of time, this Vast Wall is unique. It is made of several alternating layers of thick, red tamarisk branches and gravel filler compacted with precious, seasonal rainwater. William Lindesay calls this the Wooden Wall. There are similar sections of Wooden Wall constructed with thinner luwei reeds not far away at the ruins of the Jade Gate Pass. An adaptive use of what natures provides for protection.

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