Obama's Great Wall Tour

President Barack Obama tours the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. A must-see for presidents from Richard Nixon on, the Great Wall was one of Mr. Obama's major sightseeing stops during his diplomatic tour of Asia.

President Barack Obama tours the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. Mr. Obama walked down the last ramp by himself in a choreographed moment for photographers.

President Barack Obama inside the group during his tour to the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. The earliest sections of the wall were built more than 2,000 years ago. From the portion where Mr. Obama stood, the mountainside vistas were majestic.

President Barack Obama smiles as he tours the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.

President Barack Obama, left, is shown the way by a Chinese official after he signed an autograph during his tour to the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.

President Barack Obama tours the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.

President Barack Obama walks on the Great Wall during his official visit in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. "It's magical," Mr. Obama said, walking down a ramp alone, his hands in his pockets.

President Barack Obama, center, poses with China's Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong, left, and the U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Hunstman as he tours the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.

President Barack Obama tours the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.

President Barack Obama during a tour of the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. Dressed in a winter jacket against a biting wind at the Great Wall, Mr. Obama led a knot of people for a half-hour jaunt up the crenelated wall.