The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China

The majority of the Great Wall was built in 221-204 B.C., but construction first began in about 400 B.C.. The purpose of the wall was to defend against nearby Mongolian tribes. It was completed during the Sui dynasty, which was between 581and 618 A.D.. Much of the Wall fell down during this time, but was repaired during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.). The Great Wall stands 25 feet high on average. Its base measures between 15-30 feet thick. What makes the Great wall so well known is its length. The Great Wall is nearly 4,000 miles long. It is the only man-made structure that can be seen from space. Millions of people come to travel along the wall each year. Since parts of the wall are falling apart, the Chinese government has been repairing parts of it since 1949. An interesting story is that Emperor Shih Huang Ti would not let people that died working on the wall have a proper burial. Instead, they were to be built into the wall to save time. Because of this, archeologists have discovered tombs built into the Great Wall.

 All About the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.). In Chinese the wall is called "Wan-Li Qang-Qeng" which means 10,000-Li Long Wall (10,000 Li = about 5,000 km).

After subjugating and uniting China from seven Warring States, the emperor connected and extended four old fortification walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C. (over 2500 years ago). Armies were stationed along the wall as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Hsiung Nu tribes north of China (the Huns). Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack.

The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks and packed-earth. It was over 5,000 km (=10,000 Li) long. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters (15 to 30 feet) and was up to 7.5 meters (25 feet) tall.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was enlarged to 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) and renovated over a 200 year period, with watch-towers and cannons added.

The Great Wall can be seen from Earth orbit, but, contrary to legend, is not visible from the moon, according to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jim Irwin.