China Wall! Courtesy wikimedia commons, image by Matt Doughty.
Great Wall of China-History
The Great Wall of China is the longest manmade defensive wall on the surface of Earth. The construction was started during 7th century BCE it took about two millennia and the work was completed in 1664 AD. Stretching from westernmost part of Xinjiang province, the wall leads to the southernmost part of North Korea and in various regions in between. The total length of the Great Wall is 13171 mile, (21196 km).
This is quite interesting to know that the Great Wall of China has been built in many stages followed by various dynasties, in the course of a 2000 years.
Today, the Great Wall of China is a relevant site of tourism. This is one of the most visited heritage sites of the world. The most important reasons of it’s visits are it’s rich history, grand size, and beautiful views. The most visited wall section (tourist’s points) by tourists are the Great Wall at Mutianyu and Gubeikou. These two places of wall have nice views and close proximity (45 miles and 90 miles respectively) to Beijing International Airport.
The idea of fortification of houses, forts, or of a small state for the purpose of defense from enemies, animals and plunderers have not been unknown to exist in inhabited areas in ancient past. But, such a big project of building the Great Wall of China has been a matter of wonder and of great endeavor.
According to historians, the project of building the Great Wall of China was commenced in 7th century BCE during the Zhou Dynasty. The rule of Zhou dynasty lasted for 800 years, making it the single longest ruling dynasty ever in China (1046-256 BCE).
The existence of other smaller states side by side cannot be denied during Zhou period. As a result, the Great Wall of China in past had many scattered smaller defensive walls as well, built by different contemporary states and kingdoms. In fact, it was the beginning of the making of “The Great Wall of China”.
The wall remained scattered and fragmented until it was joined together, giving a continuous wall shape in the 3rd century BC, by Qin Shi Huang, the famous ruler of the Qin Dynasty.
Qin Shi Huang is credited as the first unifier of China into a bigger and a single political entity. He is known as “The First Emperor” of China in history. To defend the unified empire, the older walled fortification standing among different states need to be joined together to form a larger system of defense.
The bigger challenge for king was to protect the empire from the frequent attacks of nomadic tribes particularly along the northern borders. As a result, the project of joining together with construction of new one was undertaken to form a continuous protective wall, following the order of Qin Shi.
The project was initially supervised by a well known Chinese general named Meng Tian. A huge number of army men and soldiers including prisoners, peasants, farmers and common workers were put to work. It is estimated that, around 300,000 men were employed during the reign of Qin Shi Huang, alone.
Finally, the wall stretching to a length of 10000 li was built at an immense hard work and high cost (even some workers lost their life while building the wall). It took a period of 9 years to complete this length of 5000 km. This stretch of wall was known as “Wan Li Chang Cheng” or “10000 li long wall” built during Qin Shi Huang. A length of 10000 “li” is almost equivalent to 5000 km or 3107 mile. The “li” was a popular unit of distance and length measurement in China. The Wan Li Chang Cheng was the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by any civilization.
With the beginning of building the Wall of China in 7th century BCE during Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE), it took many dynasties to complete. The most noted among the ruling periods and dynasties involved in making the wall have been the Warring States Period (475-221BCE) and the Qin Dynasty (221- 206 BCE). The Qin Shi Huang (Huangdi) was the First Emperor of China who contributed most to wall building.
The other following dynasties are also important makers of Great Wall of China. The Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 AD); Wei Dynasty (Pinyin or Northern Wei 386-534 AD); Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD); Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-598 AD); Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD); Liao Dynasty (916-1125 AD); The Jurchen Dynasty’s Aguda ruled from 1115-1123 AD and the last but not the least, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) are the worth mentioning.
An Emperor named Han Wud of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 AD), has been credited for extending the stretch of the Great Wall to the further west.
The Chinese Hero, General Qi Jiguang built an important section and repaired some stretches of the wall. He was a ruler of Ming Dynasty (1368-1664 AD). Finally the Great Wall of China was completed in the Ming Dynasty in 1664.
The height of The Great Wall of China varies from place to place as it passes through the plain, land, desert, jungle, plateau and hills. However, the average height of the Great Wall ranges from 15 to 30 feet from the base. This height was perceived to be quite secure, and would not let anyone cross the wall.
The material used to build the wall varies in its span of construction period and stretch. Using earth, soil, sand and mud for cementing boulders and pieces of stones together was a common technique applied in past. Later on the better traditional materials have been used for cementing. The Wall has been damaged at places and intervals with the passage of time due to weather and natural reasons.
The basic motive of building the Great Wall was to defend the Chinese states from the attacks of enemies. The fortified defensive wall containing the watchtowers, army barracks, and garrison stations can be seen at various places built on the very wall. The wall equipped with various traditional signaling capabilities was a common feature. Use of smoke in days and fire in the night was most wonderful techniques of warning sending messages. The wall served as a strategic point of control and defense to Chinese States.
However, with the passage of time, the wall also served as a collection point of duties on inbound and outbound trades. The most important example was the regulation, control and encouragement of huge trade on the Silk Route.
The value of wall can also be viewed as the key check point, controlling and regulating the in and out migration of people during those days.
Recently, after the “Opening-Up” policy of 1978 by Deng Xiaoping, tourism began to flourish in China, and the tourists from all over the world started to visit Great Wall of China. A considerable amount of money and fund was allocated to restore and beautify the Great Wall of China during that period.
An American traveler named William Edgar Geil is the first person to walk longest stretch of the Great Wall in 1908. Along with his friends, he walked for five months from eastern stretch of Shanhaiguan to western stretch of Jiayuguan. He wrote a book “The Great Wall of China” mentioning his travel experiences of the wall. He has also left some amazing images and pictures of walls, behind.
Let me use this opportunity to mention a quote from Edgar’s book “The Great Wall of China”:
“The Wall separates two lands. To the cold north lie lands that may tempt the miner in search of gold, or the breeder who desires wide prairies for his mares to roam over. To the south are sunnier lands whose fertility encourages the agriculturist to delve in the rich soil and extract abundant crops”.
Reference: (Page no.5; The Great Wall of China; written by William Edgar Geil; Published in 1909; by New York, Sturgis & Walton Company, 1909. Courtesy Internet Archive, Digital Library).
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