There is a saying in China, "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man", which comes from a Mao Zedong poem.
Over the years, over 300 world celebrities have been to the Great Wall and showed their admiration for this world wonder, including national leaders and sport stars:
National Leaders Who Have Been to the Great Wall
Pre Reform and Opening Up (Pre-1978)
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov, former Joint Head of State of the USSR, visited the Great Wall in the company of Vice Premier Chen Yun on May 25, 1957.
Richard Nixon, Former President of the United States, commented on the spectacle before him, "Only a great nation can build such a magnificent Great Wall," on February 24, 1972.
Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, visited the Great Wall on April 9, 1977.
In the 1980s
Fukuda Takeo, Former Prime Minister of Japan visited the Great Wall at Badaling on October 26, 1981.
Constantin Dascalescu, former Prime Minister of Romania, visited the Great Wall at Badaling on November 30, 1983.
Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States, visited the Great Wall in April 28, 1984, and said, "What can you say except it's awe-inspiring? It is one of the great wonders of the world."
Abdou Diouf, former President of Senegal, visited the Great Wall at Badaling on July 6, 1984.
U San Yu, former President of Burma, and his wife visited the Great Wall at Badaling on October 31, 1984.
Agatha Barbara, former President of Malta, visited the Great Wall at Badaling on August 25, 1985.
King Moshoeshoe II of the Kingdom of Lesotho visited the Great Wall at Badaling on September 2, 1985
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland visited the Badaling Great Wall section on October 14, 1986.
In the 1990s
Rajiv Gandhi, former premier of India, and his wife Sonia visited the Badaling Great Wall section in May 1991
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin, former President of Russia, and his wife visited the Badaling Great Wall section on December 17, 1992
Yitzhak Rabin, the late Israeli Prime Minister visited the Badaling Great Wall on October 11, 1993.
Al Gore, former vice President of the United States visited the Great Wall in 1997.
Bill Clinton, former President of the United States, visited the Great Wall on June 28, 1998, and said, "It was great."
In the 21st Century
George W. Bush, former President of the United States, visited the Great Wall on February 22, 2002.
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, visited the Badaling Great Wall on December 3, 2002.
Bashar al-Assad, president of Syria, and his wife visited the Great Wall on June 22, 2004.
Albert II, Prince of Monaco, visited the Great Wall on April 27, 2007.
King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan visited the Great Wall in September 2007.
Barack Obama, President of the United States, visited the Great Wall in November 18, 2009, and said, "It's majestic. It's magical. It reminds you of the sweep of history, and that our time here on Earth is not that long, so we better make the best of it."
Stephen Harper, President of Canada, and his wife Laureen visited the Great Wall of China at Badaling on December 3, 2009.
David Cameron, Britain's Prime Minister, visited the Juyongguan Great Wall section on November 10, 2010.
World-Famous Sport Stars Who've Visited the Great Wall
Kobe Bryant, NBA superstar of the L.A. Lakers visited on the Great Wall on August 13, 2001.
Diego Armando Maradona, the greatest football player of Argentina visited the Badaling Great Wall on November 22, 2003.
Micheal Jordan, the god of basketball visited the Great Wall of China at Shuiguan Pass on May 19, 2004.
Lebron James, NBA star of the Cleveland Cavaliers and his wife visited the Great Wall of China on August, 2005.
Shaquille O'Neal, former Miami Heat NBA star visited the Great Wall on August 15, 2006.
- 1-Day Beijing Highlights Private Tour
- 1-Day Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking Tour
- 2-Day Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall Hiking and Camping Tour
Visit the Great Wall Like a VIP
Several of the above VIPs made their visit to China with China Highlights.
Our Beijing tours cover the sections that the celebrities visited (though we would usually not recommend Badaling as it's so crowded). See below our most popular Great Wall tours.
- The Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall Private Beijing Day Tour (Private)
- 5-Day Jiankou to Simatai West Great Wall Hiking Tour
Or you can contact us and tell us your interests and requirements. We will help you design your own Great Wall tour.
