At a time when China was turning inward once again, a young Englishman, William Lindesay, ran alone for more than 1,500 miles to become the first foreign conqueror of this ancient symbol of xenophobia-the Great Wall of China.Lindesay kept a trip diary that portrays an affinity for the people of China and their history. From the soldiers of the imperial frontier, the merchants of the Silk road and the heroes of the Long March to the simple peasant farmers who wrote messages of encouragement in his diary, Lindesay came to know the many people of China who extended the hand of friendship.