The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China

By Noan Fesnoux

Stretching almost 8000km across China, the Great wall is the largest building project humans have ever undertaken.

Known in Chinese as “The Long Fortress�, the Great Wall is not really one giant wall, but several wall projects that were built over a period of nearly a thousand years.

Used for defence against the Northern nomadic people, the Great Wall is not all wall. Some parts are trenches, while other parts are natural rivers and hills that were used to slow down the invaders.

History – Qin Dynasty The earliest sections of the Great Wall date back to the 8th Century BCE (Before Common Era). This first wall was used mostly to stop small groups using small arms (swords and spears).

The wall project was started again in the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE. Qin Shi Huang had unified much of feudal China, and wanted to protect the new country. The walls were built using local materials, such as stone from the mountains in the mountainous areas, and packed earth in the plains areas.

History – The Ming Dynasty

The Great wall was improved and renovated by many of the Chinese dynasties, but some of the most notable improvements happened during the Ming Dynasty after 1449.

The Ming Dynasty had lost some battles with the northern nomads, and decided to change their strategy. They started to build a stronger and better wall. They replaced the old packed earth wall with a newer one made of stone.

Since the Ming capital was Beijing, they made the sections closest to the city very strong.

Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty (around 1600), the Great Wall was very helpful in protecting the kingdom from the Manchus. Finally, in 1644, the Manchus succeeded in breaking into the Chinese heartland and attacked Beijing.

This was during the start of the Shun Dynasty, and was because a border general by the name of Wu Sangui opened the gates at Shanhaiguan letting the Manchurians in. He did this because he did not approve of the new Shun Dynasty’s policies. The Manchurians took over rule, replacing the Shun Dynasty with the longer lived Qing Dynasty.

Notable Wall Sections

Juyongguan Pass This pass is one the the three big passes in the Great Wall. It is located only 50 km from Beijing. It was first used in the Qin Dynasty, but really became important during the Yuan Dynasty.

They made the pass of white marble. It is covered in inscriptions in many languages speaking of Buddhist deities.

Since Juyongguan Pass is close to Beijing, it is a very popular piece of the wall to visit. It is also well preserved.

Jiayu Pass This complex was built in the Ming Dynasty. It is the westernmost pass in the Great Wall. It is made of packed earth and mudbrick. South and east of it is Gansu province.

One great story of this pass was in the construction. The designer gave the official an estimate of how many bricks were needed. The official asked if that would be enough, and the designer said just to be safe he would add one more brick. When the complex was completed, there was just one brick left. This brick was placed on the wall, and still stands there today.

Jinshanling Section This section of the great wall covers some of the most mountainous terrain. Some parts have been fully restored, but others need to be fixed. The Jinshanling section of the wall is 10.5 km long with 67 towers, 5 passes, and 2 beacon towers. It is an impressive piece of the wall, which is less crowded the further east you go.

Can you see the Great Wall from Outer Space?

The Great Wall of China is not visible from near earth orbit, and certainly not visible from the moon. This idea was popularized in the 1930’s when Ripley’s Believe it or Not Stated “It is the greatest work of man, and the only work visible from the Moon!”

Photo Credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebehnken/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/chanc/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kryptos5/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/22028781@N06/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kryptos5/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewamphyri/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/thejerk/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/blazejmrozinski/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_the_Great_Wall_of_China.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chemin_de_ronde_muraille_long.JPG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Greatwalljinshanling.jpg

Thanks to Wikipedia for all the great information!