Sunlight brightens the flanks of China's Great Wall—one of the most ambitious construction projects in human history. The wall was a barrier between China and "barbarian" lands.
These famed life-size clay soldiers, as many as 8,000 of them, along with horses, chariots, and weapons, were built to protect the tomb of China's first Emperor.
From the massive austerity of Tiananmen Square to the bustling new business and shopping districts, Beijing is a city that intrigues, inspires, and rewards.
Chinese history has become the story of average citizens. But there are risks when a nation depends on the individual dreams of 1.3 billion people rather than a coherent political system with clear rule of law.
