The Great Wall of China is a national symbol of the ancient
Chinese civilization, and is listed among the seven wonders
of the ancient world. It's reported that the China Great
Wall is the only man made structure easily visible from
outer space with the naked eye.
Earliest construction of the great wall began during the
period of the warring seven states 475 - 221 BC. Walls were
originally built at strategic points by different states
(Qi, Chu, Wei, Yan, Zhao, Qin, Han) to protect their territories.
In 221 BC when Qin ShiHuang unified China by annexing the
other 6 states, he linked up the walls of the states and
had the Great Wall extended to prevent invasions from the
northern Tribes.
Further construction of the Great Wall took place during
the ruling of the following dynasties:
- Han Dynasty 206 BC - 220 AD
- Northern Wei Dynasty 386 - 534 AD
- Northern Qi Dynasty 550 - 577 AD
- Northern Zhou Dynasty 557 - 581
- Sui Dynasty 581 - 618
During the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), the China Great
Wall was renovated on 16 occasions to fend of invasions
from the northern tribes. Building the Great Wall was a
tremendous undertaking. About one million people, one fifth
of China's population at that time were involved in the
project.
China Great Wall Facts & Great Wall
Information
As mentioned in the history of China's Great Wall above,
the Great Wall was not just built over one period of time,
but it was a construction that started back in 220's BC,
continued on for over 1,000 years, and has been lengthened,
connected, and renovated by many ancient Chinese Dynasties.
The length of the Great Wall stands at over 6,700 km(4,000
miles) long. Some of the granite rock slabs used to build
the Great Wall were about 2 meters long, and weighs as much
as 1 ton (1,000 kg). During the construction of the Great
Wall, earth and bricks were passed up from hand to hand
or carried up in baskets by donkeys and goats, while large
slabs of granite rock were moved up by using rolling rods
and hoisting bars.
Location of the Chinese Great Wall
China's Great Wall spans 5 provinces and has a length of
6,700 km. The Great Wall winds over mountain peaks, lies
across grass plains, and crosses thru deserts.
The most popular location to tour the Chinese Great Wall
is just outside of Beijing City - there are several very
popular tourist destinations for the Great Wall by Beijing.
These include:
Interesting China Great Wall Fact: By
rough estimation, it's calculated that the amount of bricks
and rock used to build the Chinese Great Wall would be
enough to build a wall 5 meters tall and 1 meter thick
around the world.
Great Wall Photo: Here
I am near the highest tower of BaDaLing section of the Chinese
Great Wall. The weather was beautiful that day, clear sky
with almost no clouds, and you can see far off to the distance
standing on top of the Great Wall. |
