China's Great Wall

Never a symbol of national power, the Great Wall of China is simply a monument to a culture that tried to live by itself. When Western Europe looked East to the Chinese Empire in the late 1700's, the wall was still being built and improved against outside invaders.

In September, 1792, King George III dispatched the first British trade mission to China, a delegation of 700 emissaries that included diplomats, painters, musicians, and even the pilot of a hot-air balloon.