The Great Wall mystery solved

"The book includes detailed information about the Great Wall covering many aspects, including history, culture, economy, military, protection and travel," he says.

Ma Huateng, CEO of Tencent, believes the Great Wall is much more than just a wall purely for military defense.

"The Great Wall is an important connection of geography, history and culture," Ma writes in the foreword of the book.

Who built the Great Wall? What materials were used? How was the location for the Great Wall selected?… All these questions, and more, are answered in the book with the help of vivid graphics.

The book is written and designed by DDH studio, which was set up by Song Zhuangzhuang and Li Mingyang, two alumni from the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, in 2017.

The studio focuses on urban study, design and science education, and has previously created illustrated books about Beijing and the railway line between Beijing and Lhasa in the Tibet autonomous region.