In honor of the Lunar New Year, here are some quirky facts about China’s most beloved and well-known monument.

10. Watchtowers are strategically placed along the entire 5,500 miles of wall and each watchtower has its own name (like Fairy Tower, Wangjing Tower and East Tower with Five Holes).

9.  It took all types to build the wall; soldiers, commoners, criminals and peseants. During the Han and Qin Dynasties, being banished to the far reaches of the empire to construct the wall was a special punishment for criminals (re: don’t be bad!).

8. Rice flour was used as mortar.

7. The Chinese invented the wheel barrel – a direct result of constructing the wall.

6. Only a fraction of the wall has been preserved – not surprisingly, sections near major cities are in the best condition.

5. The eastern-most end of the wall juts out into Bohai Bay at Laolongtou.

4. There is an annual marathonalong the wall.  Only bad-asses need apply…

3. …because much of the wall is really, really, really steep! Hello, vertigo.

2. Even though the wall is the longest man-made structure on earth, you CAN’T see it from space (damn you Ripley’s Believe it or Not and your lies).

1. It took over 2,000 years to build the Great Wall and as legend has it, “for every brick laid down, one laborer’s life was lost.” No wonder its known as, Longest Cemetery Ever Built.