Landmarks of Second Life: The Great Wall

The Great Wall of China is one of my favorite places in the real world, so how could I miss a chance to see the Second Life version of this fabulous historical landmark? The Second Life Great Wall is a Linden created landmark that runs the length of several sims, virtually echoing the multi-province "10,000 li" distance of the real Great Wall? (The real GW is actually 6700 km or 4100 miles, more than the distance from NY city to LA.) Of course the real Great Wall twists and turns like a serpent, and the many ups and downs of the hills make it even more dramatic, as well as quite a climb in places.






(These are photos from one of my RL trips there!)The biggest difference between the SL Linden Great Wall and the RL one in China is the fact that the SL wall is entirely flat. You can go down inside both, you can walk for miles on both, but I was a wee bit disappointed that the SL wall, which while it twists and curves horizontally is totally lacking any of the vertical challenges of the original.

Another difference is in the gates and guardposts. The RL Wall has guard posts and gates placed strategically along its length, the SL one has some pavilion like structures, but there is no similarity in terms of architectural detail. In fact the SL version of a guardhouse defies all architectural principles leaving it with a sort of unfinished and too modern look.

Still, as an RL Wonder of the World recreated in SL, the Second Life Great Wall is definately worth a visit.