The Great Wall of China is the most grandiose ancient Chinese military defense structure and one of the real wonders in the world history of architecture. Like a giant dragon, it stretches from west to east through mountains and valleys, vast steppes and arid deserts. With a history spanning over 2,000 years, some sections of the Wall have disappeared or fallen into ruin. Some sites disappeared by themselves, others were “helped” by people. Part of the ancient structure has stood the test of time, witnessing the rise and fall of ruling dynasties. The wall remains one of the world's most attractive historical monuments due to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. The Great Wall of China is a symbol of Chinese civilization and one of the greatest wonders created by the Chinese people. Every year this unsurpassed architectural monument, a real engineering miracle of antiquity, attracts the attention of more than 10 million tourists from all over the world.
Great Wall of China: reasons for construction
Three sides of China are protected by natural barriers - in the south by the ridge of the Himalayan mountains, in the east by the Pacific Ocean, in the west by the Tibetan Plateau. The northern border of the state remained open, which was used by the nomads, raiding the territory of China, confiscating crops and livestock, and taking the peasants themselves with them and turning them into slaves. The nomads were good riders, they suddenly appeared and just as suddenly disappeared. Situated along the northern borders, the Chinese army consisted of infantrymen, and therefore was not able to withstand the lightning raids of the nomads. After considering many strategies, the Chinese decided that building a wall would be the most logical solution to the problem. Powerful walls with watchtowers and guards were supposed to prevent nomads from invading on their fast horses. It was a desperate attempt to build a defensive structure and once and for all reliably protect the northern borders of the empire.
China was not the only nation to build walls to protect its borders. Athens, the Roman Empire, Denmark and Korea all engaged in similar construction at certain periods of their history. Hadrian's Wall in Northern England, built to protect the Romans from the "barbarians", had a length of 120 km. All of them were built with defensive purposes, and the Great Wall of China was no exception. But the Great Wall of China is unique. No similar building in the world can match the scale of construction.
In the mass consciousness, it is considered one whole, in fact it consists of numerous Walls built by the rulers of various dynasties over the course of 1800 years.
Brief chronology of construction:
The first Great Wall was built by the Qin Dynasty (221 BC -207 BC). The first sections of the Wall appeared in the seventh century BC, when China consisted of many warring kingdoms. After the unification of China in 221 BC, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty connected the walls in three provinces in the north of the country and formed the first "Wan Li Chang Cheng" (translated as "Great Wall ten thousand li", li is a Chinese unit of length , 2 li = 1 km). Since then, the Wall has been rebuilt, modified, extended throughout Chinese history for over 1800 years. In some areas, walls built by two different dynasties can be seen next to each other.
The second Great Wall was built by the Han Dynasty (205 BC -127 BC). Emperor Wudi began an extensive program of expansion, reconstruction, and fortification of the first Great Wall of China. The length of the Wall during the Han reign exceeded 10,000 km and partly ran along the Silk Road, a trade route linking East Asia with the Mediterranean. Despite the protection and expansion, the nomads made breaches and continued to penetrate Chinese territory.
The Third Great Wall was built during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). The Emperor of the Jin Dynasty ordered that additional ditches be dug along the entire territory of the Wall. Despite building imposing fortifications, the Mongols overthrew the Jin in 1276 and established the Yuan Dynasty in China.
The Fourth Great Wall was built by the Ming Dynasty (1367-1644), thanks to which it was possible to repel the attacks of nomads several times. In 1644, the Manchus persuaded General Wu Sangui to open the gates, took Beijing, and formed the Qing Dynasty. Most of the Wall that tourists visit today was built during the Ming Dynasty. A 2009 study showed that the Great Wall of China, built during the Ming Dynasty, stretches for 8,851 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gobi Desert in the east. Of these, 6,259 kilometers are the Wall, 359 kilometers are ditches and 2,232 kilometers are defensive natural barriers such as rivers or mountains included in the defensive system. When they talk about the Great Wall of China, they mean exactly the structure built during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. If you add up the length of all the walls built during the periods of different Chinese dynasties, the total length will exceed 50 thousand kilometers. Despite failing to prevent invasions, it has become a national symbol of China.
Construction technique of the Great Wall of China
Each dynasty followed different construction methods. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Wall was built mainly from earth. First, a wooden formwork was made, which was filled with earth mixed with clay, leaves, hay, and this layer about 10 cm thick was rammed. Subsequent layers were applied to it until a structure 6 meters high grew, which in places managed to stand for more than 2000 years. Here is a video (in English), which, in particular, shows the technology of building the Wall from the earth.
At the last stage during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), construction was carried out using stone and brick, which made the long walls more durable. Moreover, rice flour and slaked lime were actively used in construction. The mortar, when hardened, became stronger than the bricks themselves, and fastened them together so tightly that weeds still do not grow in many places. The use of rice flour was one of the greatest technical innovations of the time, making it possible to build walls of amazing strength. In addition to the walls, watchtowers, lighthouse towers, warehouses for storing food and weapons, fortresses, barracks for soldiers were built, it served as an important means of communication.
The wall was built by three groups of people: soldiers, ordinary people and criminals. Many died during construction due to harsh working conditions, their exact number is unknown, but numbers are said to be in excess of a million people. In essence, the Wall was the result of incredible cruelty, cemented with the sweat and blood of their builders, a "wall of tears" and "the longest cemetery in the world." Millions of workers were engaged in the construction of the defensive Wall, which, in the end, could not prevent the invasion of "foreign barbarians".
Modern history of the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China has long since lost its defensive function. But does this mean that anyone has the right to destroy it and use stones for construction? This happened with Hadrian's Wall, and this is still happening with the Great Wall of China. Two thousand years of wars and revolutions have taken a toll on the most famous symbol of Chinese civilization.
No one disputes that this is China's most famous landmark. But as for a national symbol, the Great Wall of China is in a very deplorable state. The wall has survived the Mongol hordes and sandstorms, but the biggest destruction has occurred relatively recently. Part of the Wall was bombed during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), other parts were dismantled into bricks by local residents in the 1950s and 1960s. For Mao Zedong, the Great Wall of China was nothing more than a historical relic, a symbol of feudalism. The great helmsman called on the masses to "make the past serve the present." The peasants were called upon to tear down the Walls, to use the hard-packed but fertile earth for their fields, and the stones and bricks to build roads and houses.
With the beginning of the economic transformation in the 1980s, many officials believed that money from tourism would save the Wall. But tourism, oddly enough, also poses a threat to the monument of an ancient civilization. While visiting Badaling, you will walk several kilometers before you find a brick without a scrawled name or phrase. In recent decades, the murals on the Great Wall of China have left far more imprints than the attacks of nomadic hordes in previous centuries. Entrepreneurs built cable cars, souvenir kiosks, fast food restaurants, entertainment facilities, hotels, and parking lots very close to the ancient monument.
In 1984, on the initiative of Deng Xiaoping, a program was launched to restore the Great Wall of China to receive tourists. But historians and specialists in the protection of ancient monuments only shrug their shoulders from such reconstructions. Badaling, for example, the most visited attraction north of Beijing, is so primitively restored that it looks more like a Disneyland attraction than an ancient structure. It seems that Badaling was built yesterday, and not five centuries ago, it does not breathe history.
In 2002, the World Monuments Fund listed the Great Wall of China at the top of its list of 100 endangered ancient monuments. Chinese government officials took note, and in 2003, Beijing passed the first laws to protect the Great Wall. Currently, it is forbidden to remove bricks and stones, carve names or phrases on bricks, organize parties, build houses nearby. It is with great regret that we have to state that about 50 percent of the Great Wall of China has completely disappeared, another 30 percent is in a deplorable state, the Chinese government and international organizations are fighting to preserve what remains of this unique heritage.
How to visit
As befits such a popular monument, there are many options for visiting the Wall. Some prefer to visit the most popular parts, admire the panorama, pose for photos, walk along the wall, take advantage of the presence of a large number of restaurants and shops, and the possibilities of the cable car. Others seek to explore remote, unrestored or abandoned sections of the Wall, although such hikes are not safe and are often located in rural areas away from popular hiking trails.
The most popular sections of the Great Wall of China include Badaling, Simatai (Sīmǎtái), Jinshanling (Jīnshānlǐng) and Mutianyu (Mutianyu). Badaling is by far the most visited site, but each of them has its own merits. Unimpressed by the restoration, many tourists look for unrestored parts of the Wall, such as Huanghuā. The Chinese government periodically seals off sections of the Wall and fines visitors.
Badaling
70 km from Beijing, Badaling became the first part of the Great Wall of China open to tourists (1957). Badaling has received the most promotion from the state as China's main cultural attraction. In 1988 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In July 2007, it received worldwide recognition once again: it was included in the Seven New Wonders of the World. Badaling boasts beautiful panoramic views, but the downside is the huge crowds of visitors. A weekend visit in the summer is sure to remind you that China is the most populous country in the world.
The length of Badalin is almost 5 km, the average height of the walls is 8 meters, it has 19 watchtowers, the width of 5 meters allowed ten soldiers and five horsemen to stand in a row.
Many visitors complain about the over-commercialization of Badaling. Many souvenir shops, restaurants and other attractions for tourists have been built here, in particular a cable car, there is a good museum of the Great Wall of China. The museum keeps a photo gallery of the most famous personalities in the world who came here to admire this artificial miracle. On February 24, 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon visited Badaling during his historic trip to China. On November 17, 2009, another US President Barack Obama (pictured) visited Badaling.
Get here by bus and train express from Beijing, quickly and conveniently.
Mutianyu
80 km from Beijing, Mutianyu became the second section of the Great Wall of China open to tourists after Badaling (1986). Mutianyu looks more attractive than Badaling, with numerous watchtowers and a beautiful panorama. First built in the middle of the sixth century, Mutianyu was restored in 1569 and has been very well preserved to this day.
Constructed primarily of granite, Mutianyu has unique characteristics compared to other sections of the Great Wall of China:
It has 22 watchtowers on a stretch of only 2,250 meters;
Both the outer and inner parapets are perforated so that shots can be fired from both sides, a feature very rare in other parts of the Great Wall of China;
There are 3 watchtowers in Mutianyu, consisting of one large tower in the center and two smaller ones on either side. All three watchtowers are connected to each other by an internal passage - a very rare feature among all sections of the Wall.
Near Mutian, there is a village of the same name, revived largely due to the development of tourism and the traditional glass industry. It offers tourists a cable car, a toboggan run.
Mutianyu is 90 percent surrounded by forest, so it is best to visit it in October, when nature is decorated with autumn colors.
Simatai
120 km from Beijing, Simatai is one of the few sites that has retained the original features of the wall built during the Ming Dynasty. The 5.4 km long wall has 35 watchtowers. For those who want to see the Great Wall of China in a state untouched by modern reconstructions, a visit to Simatai is a must. Part of Simatai has been reconstructed, while the rest remains in its original state.
Simatai's only problem is its rugged terrain, ranging from steep climbs to steep drop-offs, so one must be physically fit to cross this section of the Wall. The award is one of the best panoramic views of the Great Wall of China. The constructed cable car can save half an hour on foot, and a full passage along this section can take two hours.
Simatai is distinguished by some features, in particular the "obstacle walls" used to protect against enemies who have already climbed to the top of the Great Wall of China.
Jinshanling
125 km from Beijing, Jinshanling is a well-preserved part of the Great Wall of China with a total length of 10.5 km. Built during the Qing Dynasty, Jinshanling has 67 towers, the most famous of which is the Great Jinshan Tower (pictured). Jinshanling serves as the starting point of the 10 km crossing to Simatai. The hike takes about four hours, part of the Wall is in poor condition, but can be climbed without much difficulty. The border between the two parts is a suspension bridge, in order to cross it you need to purchase another ticket.
Jinshanling also has "obstacle-walls", small vertical stone blocks at the top of the Wall that shielded the defenders from enemies climbing to the top.
Juyongguan
Juyongguan Pass is located 50 kilometers from Beijing (10 km before Badaling). Rebuilt by the Ming Dynasty from the ruins of the 5th century Wall and re-restored in 1985, Juyongguan is the closest section of the Great Wall to Beijing. The length is 3 km, it can be overcome in two hours. Juyongguan is one of the three most famous passes of the Wall and was of great strategic importance for the defense of Beijing.
Huanghua
About 70 km from Beijing is Huanghua, a 10 km section of the Great Wall of China, located on the slopes adjacent to the reservoir. This is a classic and well-preserved example of a Ming Dynasty defensive structure, with a high and wide rampart, intact parapets and powerful watchtowers. The wall here has been partially restored, but for the most part it has retained its original structure. Huanghua is a beautiful but slightly dangerous section of the Wall to walk. In summer, nature is adorned with yellow flowers; in autumn, the ground is covered with yellow leaves. Unlike Badaling, tourists have the opportunity to enjoy the silence and beauty of the original wall.
Gubeikou
Gubeikou is one of the original sections of the Great Wall of China, unspoiled by restoration. Being in a dilapidated state, Gubeikou was not restored at all. It has completely preserved its original appearance, which is why it attracts the attention of tourists from all over the world who want to appreciate the beauty of the ancient structure.
Gubeikou occupied a strategically important position 100 kilometers from Beijing. Many historical battles have taken place here that have not spared most of its watchtowers. With a length of more than 40 kilometers, Gubeikou has 157 watchtowers, 16 strategic passes, three fortresses and other defensive structures. Many of them are famous cultural relics. Of greatest interest are the two sections of Gubeikou: Wohushan in the west and Panlongshan in the east of the Chaohe River. The Panlongshan section is located almost on a plain, so it is much easier to cross it than the hilly Wohushan.
Zhankou
Zhankou is located 73 km north of Beijing. This section of the Great Wall of China was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1368. Zhankou is best known for its photogenic nature, thanks to its steep mountains and beautiful scenery. Zhankou is in a rather dilapidated state. Considering the fact that the main part is built on rocks with steep cliffs, climbing is quite difficult for physically unprepared tourists. It is especially dangerous to travel in winter, when Zhankou looks especially beautiful under a cover of white snow. Like Huanghua, Zhankou is popular with tourists looking for an opportunity to walk along the original, unspoiled sections of the Wall.
Helpful information
When choosing an excursion, it is very important to check its program. Some tours include visits to Ming tombs, so ask ahead if you don't want to waste your time. Tours often include useless visits to jade factories, pearl sales exhibitions, and Chinese medicine centers. When visiting Chinese medical centers, doctors in white coats upon exiting the bus will immediately diagnose diseases that can only be cured by expensive Chinese medicines (which they will immediately offer to purchase). Tour organizers receive a commission for each tourist they bring. Therefore, when ordering a tour, specify unnecessary deviations in the trip. As with most popular destinations in China, try to avoid visiting on weekends. The Great Wall can be visited in many sections along its entire length of several thousand kilometers, but most tourists prefer the areas close to Beijing.
The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest achievements in the world of engineering, and one of the most famous monuments of human civilization. In 1987, this symbol of Chinese civilization was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Four hundred heads of state visited the Wall, including President Richard Nixon, who declared "The Great Wall could only be built by a great people." Every year, about ten million tourists visit the Wall, which has made it one of the most popular attractions on our planet. The Great Wall of China is the largest defensive structure in the history of mankind, a universally recognized symbol. China. No wonder they say: "He who has not seen the Wall has not seen China."
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There is no other structure in the world that would arouse so much interest among scientists, tourists, builders and astronauts as the Great Wall of China. Its construction gave rise to many rumors and legends, took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and cost a lot of money. In the story about this grandiose building, we will try to uncover secrets, solve riddles and briefly answer many questions about it: who built it and why, from whom did it protect the Chinese, where is the most popular site of the structure, is it visible from space.
Reasons for building the Great Wall of China
During the Warring States period (from the 5th to the 2nd century BC), large Chinese kingdoms absorbed smaller ones through wars of conquest. This is how the future unified state began to take shape. But while it was fragmented, individual kingdoms were subjected to raids by the ancient nomadic people of the Xiongnu, who came to China from the north. Each kingdom built protective fences on separate sections of its borders. But ordinary earth served as the material, so the defensive fortifications eventually disappeared from the face of the earth and did not reach our times. 
Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (III century BC), who became the head of the first united kingdom of Qin, gave rise to the construction of a protective and defensive wall in the north of his possession, for which they erected new walls and watchtowers, combining them with existing ones. The purpose of the buildings being erected was not only to protect the population from raids, but also to mark the boundaries of the new state.
How many years and how was the wall built
For the construction of the Great Wall of China, a fifth of the entire population of the country was involved, which is about a million people in 10 years of the main construction. Peasants, soldiers, slaves and all criminals sent here as punishment were used as labor force. 
Taking into account the experience of previous builders, they began to lay not rammed earth, but stone blocks at the base of the walls, sprinkling them with soil. The subsequent rulers of China from the Han and Ming dynasties also expanded the line of defense. Stone blocks and bricks, fastened with rice glue with the addition of slaked lime, have already been used as materials. It is those sections of the wall that were built during the Ming Dynasty in the XIV-XVII centuries that are quite well preserved. 
The construction process was accompanied by many difficulties related to food and difficult working conditions. At the same time, more than 300 thousand people had to be fed and watered. This was not always possible in a timely manner, so human casualties numbered in the tens, even hundreds of thousands. There is a legend that during the construction of all the dead and dead builders were placed in the foundation of the structure, since their bones served as a good bond for stones. The people even call the building "the longest cemetery in the world." But modern scientists and archaeologists refute the version of mass graves, probably most of the bodies of the dead were given to relatives. 
It is definitely impossible to answer the question of how many years the Great Wall of China was built. Volumetric construction was carried out for 10 years, and about 20 centuries passed from the very beginning to the last completion.
Dimensions of the Great Wall of China
According to the latest estimates of the dimensions of the wall, its length is 8.85 thousand km, while the length with branches in kilometers and meters was calculated in all sections scattered throughout China. The estimated total length of the building, including sections that have not been preserved, from beginning to end would today be 21.19 thousand km. 
Since the location of the wall goes mainly along the mountainous territory, passes both along the mountain ranges and along the bottom of the gorges, its width and height could not be sustained in single figures. The width of the walls (thickness) is in the range of 5-9 m, while at the base it is about 1 m wider than in the upper part, and the average height is about 7-7.5 m, sometimes up to 10 m, the outer wall is supplemented rectangular battlements up to 1.5 m high. Brick or stone towers were built along the entire length with loopholes directed in different directions, with weapons depots, observation platforms and premises for protection. 
During the construction of the Great Wall of China, according to the plan, the towers were built in the same style and at the same distance from each other - 200 m, equal to the range of the arrow. But when connecting old sections with new ones, towers of a different architectural solution sometimes crash into the harmonious pattern of walls and towers. At a distance of 10 km from each other, the towers are complemented by signal towers (high towers without internal maintenance), from which the sentinels watched the surroundings and, in case of danger, had to give the signal to the next tower with the fire of a lit fire. 
Can you see the wall from space?
Listing interesting facts about this building, everyone often mentions that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that can be seen from space. Let's try to figure out if this is really the case. 
Assumptions that one of the main attractions of China should be visible from the moon were set out several centuries ago. But not a single astronaut reported on flights that he saw it with the naked eye. It is believed that the human eye from such a distance is able to distinguish objects whose diameter is more than 10 km, and not 5-9 m. 
It is also impossible to see it from Earth orbit without special equipment. Sometimes objects in a photo from space, taken without magnification, are mistaken for the outlines of a wall, but when magnified, they turn out to be rivers, mountain ranges, or the Grand Canal. But through binoculars in good weather, the wall can be seen if you know where to look. Enlarged satellite photos allow you to see the entire length of the fence, distinguish towers and turns. 
Was a wall needed?
The Chinese themselves did not believe that they needed the wall. After all, for many centuries she took strong men to the construction site, most of the state's income went to its construction and maintenance. History has shown that it did not provide special protection to the country: the nomads of the Xiongnu and the Tatar-Mongols easily crossed the barrier line in destroyed areas or along special passages. In addition, many sentinels let attackers pass in the hope of escaping or getting a reward, so they did not give signals to neighboring towers. 
In our time, the Great Wall of China has been made a symbol of the resilience of the Chinese people, it has been made a visiting card of the country. Everyone who has visited China seeks to go on an excursion to an accessible site of interest. 
Current state and tourist attraction
Most of the fence today needs full or partial restoration. The state is especially deplorable in the northwestern section in Minqin County, where powerful sandstorms destroy and cover the masonry. Great damage to the building is caused by the people themselves, dismantling its components for the construction of their houses. Some sections were once demolished by order of the authorities to make way for the construction of roads or villages. Modern vandal artists paint the wall with their graffiti. 
Realizing the attractiveness of the Great Wall of China for tourists, the authorities of large cities are restoring parts of the wall close to them and laying excursion routes to them. So, near Beijing there are sections of Mutianyu and Badaling, which have become almost the main attractions in the capital region. 
The first site is located 75 km from Beijing, near the city of Huaizhou. At the Mutianyu site, a 2.25 km long section with 22 watchtowers has been restored. The site, located on the crest of the ridge, is distinguished by the very close construction of the towers to each other. At the foot of the ridge there is a village where private and excursion transport stops. You can get to the top of the ridge on foot or by using the funicular. 
The closest to the capital is the Badaling section, they are separated by 65 km. How to get here? You can come by sightseeing or scheduled bus, taxi, private car or train express. The length of the accessible and restored site is 3.74 km, the height is about 8.5 m. You can see everything interesting in the vicinity of Badaling while walking along the crest of the wall or from the cable car cabin. By the way, the name "Badalin" is translated as "giving access in all directions." During the 2008 Olympics, the finish line of the group road cycling race was located near Badaling. Every year in May, a marathon is organized, in which participants need to run 3800 degrees and overcome ups and downs, running along the ridge of the wall. 
The Great Wall of China was not included in the list of "Seven Wonders of the World", but the modern public included it in the list of "New Wonders of the World". In 1987, UNESCO took the wall under its protection as a World Heritage Site.
“There are roads that are not followed; there are armies that are not attacked; there are fortresses over which no one fights; there are places for which no one fights; there are orders of the sovereign, which are not carried out.
"Art of War". Sun Tzu
In China, you will definitely be told about the majestic monument several thousand kilometers long and about the founder of the Qin dynasty, thanks to whose command the Great Wall of China was built more than two thousand years ago in the Celestial Empire.
However, some modern scholars very much doubt that this symbol of the power of the Chinese empire existed until the middle of the 20th century. So what do tourists see? - you say ... And tourists are shown what was built by the Chinese communists in the second half of the last century.
According to the official historical version, the Great Wall, designed to protect the country from the raids of nomadic peoples, began to be erected in the 3rd century BC. by the will of the legendary emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, the first ruler to unite China into one state.
It is believed that the Great Wall, built mainly in the era of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), has survived to this day, and in total there are three historical periods of active construction of the Great Wall: the Qin era in the 3rd century BC, the Han era in 3rd century and Ming era.
In essence, under the name "Great Wall of China" unite at least three major projects in different historical eras, which, according to experts, in total have a total length of the walls of at least 13 thousand km.
With the fall of the Ming and the establishment of the Manchu Qin Dynasty (1644-1911) in China, construction work ceased. Thus, the wall, the construction of which was completed in the middle of the 17th century, was mostly preserved.
It is clear that the construction of such a grandiose fortification required the Chinese state to mobilize huge material and human resources, to the limit.
Historians claim that at the same time up to a million people were employed in the construction of the Great Wall and the construction was accompanied by monstrous human casualties (according to other sources, three million builders were involved, that is, half of the male population of ancient China).
It is not clear, however, what final meaning the Chinese authorities saw in the construction of the Great Wall, since China did not have the necessary military forces, not only to defend, but at least to reliably control the wall throughout its entire length.
Probably due to this circumstance, nothing is specifically known about the role of the Great Wall in the defense of China. However, the Chinese rulers have been building these walls for two thousand years. Well, it must be that we simply cannot understand the logic of the ancient Chinese.
However, many sinologists are aware of the weak persuasiveness of the rational motives proposed by the researchers of the subject, which must have prompted the ancient Chinese to create the Great Wall. And to explain the more than strange history of the unique structure, they utter philosophical tirades with something like this:
“The wall was supposed to serve as the extreme northern line of the possible expansion of the Chinese themselves, it was supposed to protect the subjects of the “Middle Empire” from switching to a semi-nomadic way of life, from merging with the barbarians. The wall was supposed to clearly fix the boundaries of Chinese civilization, to contribute to the consolidation of a single empire, just made up of a number of conquered kingdoms.
Scientists were simply struck by the blatant absurdity of this fortification. The Great Wall cannot be called an ineffective defensive object; from any sane military point of view, it is blatantly absurd. As you can see, the wall runs along the ridges of hard-to-reach mountains and hills.
Why build a wall in the mountains, where not only nomads on horseback, but even a foot army is unlikely to reach?! .. Or were the strategists of the Celestial Empire afraid of an attack by tribes of wild rock climbers? Apparently, the threat of invasion by hordes of evil climbers really frightened the ancient Chinese authorities, because with the primitive construction technique available to them, the difficulties of building a defensive wall in the mountains increased incredibly.
And the crown of fantastic absurdity, if you look closely, you can see that the wall branches in some places where mountain ranges cross, forming mockingly meaningless loops and forks.
It turns out that tourists are usually shown one of the sections of the Great Wall, located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the area of Mount Badaling (Badaling), the length of the wall is 50 km. The wall is in excellent condition, which is not surprising - its reconstruction on this site was carried out in the 50s of the 20th century. In fact, the wall was rebuilt, although it is claimed that on old foundations.
There is nothing more to show the Chinese, there are no other credible remnants of the supposedly existing thousands of kilometers of the Great Wall.
Let us return to the question of why the Great Wall was built in the mountains. There are reasons here, except for those that may have been recreated and extended, perhaps the old fortifications of the pre-Manchu era that existed in the gorges and mountain defiles.
Building an ancient historical monument in the mountains has its own advantages. It is difficult for an observer to ascertain whether the ruins of the Great Wall really go thousands of kilometers across mountain ranges, as he is told.
In addition, in the mountains it is impossible to establish how old the foundations of the wall are. For several centuries, stone buildings on ordinary soil, brought in by sedimentary rocks, inevitably sink into the ground by several meters, and this is easy to check.
But on rocky ground, this phenomenon is not observed, and it is easy to pass off a recent building as very ancient. And besides, there is no large local population in the mountains, a potential inconvenient witness to the construction of a historical landmark.
It is unlikely that initially fragments of the Great Wall north of Beijing were built on a significant scale, even for China at the beginning of the 19th century this is a difficult task.
It seems that those several tens of kilometers of the Great Wall that are shown to tourists, for the most part, were first erected under the Great Pilot Mao Zedong. Also a Chinese emperor in his own way, but still it cannot be said that he was very ancient.
Here is one of the opinions: you can falsify what exists in the original, for example, a banknote or a picture. There is an original and you can copy it, which is what forgers and counterfeiters do. If the copy is well made, it can be difficult to identify the fake, to prove that it is not the original. And in the case of the Chinese wall, it cannot be said that it is a fake. Because there was no real wall in antiquity.
Therefore, the original product of modern creativity of hardworking Chinese builders has nothing to compare with. Rather, it is a kind of quasi-historically substantiated grandiose architectural creativity. A product of the famous Chinese desire for order. Today it is a great tourist attraction worthy of entering into the Guinness Book of Records.
Here are the questions asked Valentin Sapuno in :
one . From whom, in fact, was the Wall supposed to protect? The official version - from nomads, Huns, vandals - is unconvincing. By the time the Wall was created, China was the most powerful state in the region, and possibly the whole world. His army was well armed and trained. This can be judged very specifically - in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, archaeologists unearthed a full-scale model of his army. Thousands of terracotta warriors in full gear, with horses, wagons, were supposed to accompany the emperor in the next world. The northern peoples of that time did not have serious armies, they lived mainly in the Neolithic period. They could not pose a danger to the Chinese army. There is a suspicion that from a military point of view, the Wall was of little use.
2. Why is a significant part of the wall built in the mountains? It passes along ridges, over cliffs and canyons, meanders along impregnable rocks. So defensive structures are not built. In the mountains and without protective walls, the movement of troops is difficult. Even in our time in Afghanistan and Chechnya, modern mechanized troops do not move over mountain ridges, but only through gorges and passes. To stop the troops in the mountains, small fortresses dominating the gorges are enough. Plains stretch north and south of the Great Wall. It would be more logical and many times cheaper to put up a wall there, while the mountains would serve as an additional natural obstacle to the enemy.
3. Why does a wall with a fantastic length have a relatively small height - from 3 to 8 meters, rarely where up to 10? This is much lower than in most European castles and Russian kremlins. A strong army equipped with assault techniques (stairs, mobile wooden towers) could, by choosing a weak spot on a relatively flat area, overcome the Wall and invade China. This is what happened in 1211, when China was easily conquered by the hordes of Genghis Khan.
4. Why is the Great Wall of China oriented to both sides? All fortifications have battlements and curbs on the walls on the side facing the enemy. In the direction of their teeth do not put. This is pointless and would make it difficult to service the soldiers on the walls, the supply of ammunition. In many places, the battlements and loopholes are oriented deep into their territory, and some towers are shifted there, to the south. It turns out that the builders of the wall assumed the presence of the enemy from their side. With whom were they going to fight in this case?
Let's start with an analysis of the personality of the author of the idea of the Wall - Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BC).
His personality was extraordinary and in many ways typical of an autocrat. He combined a brilliant organizational talent and statesmanship with pathological cruelty, suspicion and tyranny. As a very young 13-year-old man, he became the prince of the state of Qin. It was here that the technology of ferrous metallurgy was first mastered. Immediately it was applied to the needs of the army. Possessing more advanced weapons than their neighbors equipped with bronze swords, the army of the Qin principality quickly conquered a significant part of the country's territory. From 221 BC a successful warrior and politician became the head of a united Chinese state - an empire. Since that time, he began to bear the name Qin Shi Huang (in another transcription - Shi Huang Di). Like any usurper, he had many enemies. The emperor surrounded himself with an army of bodyguards. Fearing assassins, he created the first magnetic weapon control in his palace. On the advice of experts, he ordered to put an arch made of magnetic iron ore at the entrance. If an incoming person had an iron weapon hidden, magnetic forces pulled it out from under the clothes. The guards immediately kept up and began to find out why the incoming wanted to enter the palace armed. Fearing for power and life, the emperor fell ill with persecution mania. He saw conspiracies everywhere. He chose the traditional method of prevention - mass terror. At the slightest suspicion of disloyalty, people were seized, tortured and executed. The squares of Chinese cities were constantly resounding with the cries of people who were cut into pieces, boiled alive in cauldrons, fried in frying pans. Hard terror pushed many to flee the country.
Constant stress, the wrong way of life shook the emperor's health. A duodenal ulcer broke out. After 40 years, symptoms of early aging appeared. Some wise men, but rather charlatans, told him a legend about a tree growing across the sea in the east. The fruits of the tree supposedly cure all diseases and prolong youth. The emperor ordered to immediately supply the expedition for fabulous fruits. Several large junks reached the shores of modern Japan, established a settlement there, and decided to stay. They rightly decided that the mythical tree does not exist. If they return empty-handed, the cool emperor will swear a lot, or maybe come up with something worse. This settlement later became the beginning of the formation of the Japanese state.
Seeing that science is not able to restore health and youth, he unleashed anger on scientists. The "historical", or rather hysterical decree of the emperor read - "Burn all books and execute all scientists!" Part of the specialists and works related to military affairs and agriculture, the emperor, under pressure from the public, nevertheless amnestied. However, most of the priceless manuscripts burned down, and 460 scientists, who were then the color of the intellectual elite, ended their lives in cruel torment.
It was to this emperor, as noted, that the idea of the Great Wall belongs. Construction work did not start from scratch. There were already defensive structures in the north of the country. The idea was to combine them into a single fortification system. What for?
The simplest explanation is the most realistic
Let's resort to analogies. The Egyptian pyramids had no practical meaning. They demonstrated the greatness of the pharaohs and their power, the ability to force hundreds of thousands of people to do any, even meaningless action. There are more than enough such structures on Earth, aimed only at exalting power.
Likewise, the Great Wall is a symbol of the power of Shi Huang and other Chinese emperors, who picked up the baton of grandiose construction. It should be noted that, unlike many other similar monuments, the Wall is picturesque and beautiful in its own way, in harmony with nature. Talented fortifiers, who know a lot about the eastern understanding of beauty, were involved in the work.
There was a second need for the Wall, more prosaic. Waves of imperial terror, tyranny of feudal lords and officials forced the peasants to flee en masse in search of a better life.
The main route was to the north, to Siberia. It was there that the Chinese men dreamed of finding land and freedom. Interest in Siberia as an analogue of the Promised Land has long excited ordinary Chinese, and it has long been common for this people to spread all over the world.
Historical analogies suggest themselves. Why did Russian settlers go to Siberia? For a better share, for land and freedom. Fleeing from royal wrath and lordly tyranny.
To stop the uncontrolled migration to the north, undermining the unlimited power of the emperor and the nobles, they created the Great Wall. She would not have held back a serious army. However, the Wall could block the way for peasants walking along mountain paths, burdened with simple belongings, wives and children. And if the peasants went to the breakthrough further away, led by a sort of Chinese Yermak, they were met by a rain of arrows because of the teeth facing their own people. There are more than enough analogues of such unhappy events in history. Consider the Berlin Wall. Officially built against the aggression of the West, it aimed to stop the flight of the inhabitants of the GDR to where life was better, or at least seemed to be. With a similar goal in Stalin's time, they created the most fortified border in the world, nicknamed the "Iron Curtain", for tens of thousands of kilometers. Maybe not by chance, the Great Wall of China in the minds of the peoples of the world has acquired a double meaning. On the one hand, it is a symbol of China. On the other hand, it is a symbol of Chinese isolation from the rest of the world.
There is even an assumption that the "Great Wall" is not a creation of the ancient Chinese, but of their northern neighbors..
Back in 2006, the President of the Academy of Fundamental Sciences, Andrei Alexandrovich Tyunyaev, in the article “The Great Wall of China was built ... not by the Chinese!”, made an assumption about the non-Chinese origin of the Great Wall. In fact, modern China appropriated the achievement of another civilization. In modern Chinese historiography, the task of the wall was also changed: initially it protected the North from the South, and not the Chinese south from the "northern barbarians". Researchers say that the loopholes of a significant part of the wall face south, not north. This can be seen in the works of Chinese drawings, a number of photographs, on the most ancient sections of the wall that have not been modernized for the needs of the tourism industry.
According to Tyunyaev, the last sections of the Great Wall were built in a similar way to Russian and European medieval fortifications, the main task of which is protection from the effects of guns. The construction of such fortifications began no earlier than the 15th century, when cannons were widely spread on the battlefields. In addition, the wall marked the border between China and Russia. At that period of history, the border between Russia and China ran along the “Chinese” wall.” On the map of Asia of the 18th century, which was made by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam, two geographical formations were marked in this region: Tartaria (Tartarie) was located in the north, and China (Chine) was located in the south, the northern border of which ran approximately along the 40th parallel, i.e. exactly along the Great Wall. On this Dutch map, the Great Wall is marked with a heavy line and labeled "Muraille de la Chine". From French, this phrase is translated as “Chinese wall”, but it can also be translated as “wall from China”, or “wall that delimits from China”. In addition, other maps confirm the political significance of the Great Wall: on the 1754 map Carte de l’Asie, the wall also runs along the border between China and Great Tataria (Tartaria). The academic 10-volume World History contains a map of the Qing Empire in the second half of the 17th - 18th centuries, which shows in detail the Great Wall, which runs exactly along the border between Russia and China.
The following are the proofs:
ARCHITECTURAL wall style, now located on the territory of China, is captured by the features of the building "handprints" of its creators. Elements of the wall and towers, similar to fragments of the wall, in the Middle Ages can only be found in the architecture of the ancient Russian defensive structures of the central regions of Russia - the "northern architecture".
Andrey Tyunyaev offers to compare two towers - from the Chinese wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. The shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed upwards. From the wall inside both towers there is an entrance blocked by a round arch, lined with the same brick as the wall with the tower. Each of the towers has two upper "working" floors. Round-arched windows were made in the first floor of both towers. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130-160 centimeters.
Loopholes are located on the upper (second) floor. They are made in the form of rectangular narrow grooves about 35-45 cm wide. The number of such loopholes in the Chinese tower is 3 deep and 4 wide, and in the Novgorod one - 4 deep and 5 wide. On the top floor of the “Chinese” tower, square holes go along its very edge. There are similar holes in the Novgorod tower, and the ends of the rafters sticking out of them, on which the wooden roof rests.
The situation is the same in comparison of the Chinese tower and the tower of the Tula Kremlin. The Chinese and Tula towers have the same number of loopholes in width - 4 each. And the same number of arched openings - 4 each. On the upper floor, between the large loopholes, there are small ones - near the Chinese and Tula towers. The shape of the towers is still the same. In the Tula tower, as in the Chinese one, white stone is used. The arches are made in the same way: at the Tula gate - at the "Chinese" - entrances.
For comparison, you can also use the Russian towers of the Nikolsky Gate (Smolensk) and the northern fortress wall of the Nikitsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky, 16th century), as well as a tower in Suzdal (mid-17th century). Conclusion: the design features of the towers of the Chinese wall reveal almost exact analogies among the towers of the Russian Kremlin.
And what does the comparison of the preserved towers of the Chinese city of Beijing with the medieval towers of Europe say? The fortress walls of the Spanish city of Avila and Beijing are very similar to each other, especially in that the towers are located very often and have practically no architectural adaptations for military needs. Peking towers have only an upper deck with loopholes, and are laid out at the same height as the rest of the wall.
Neither the Spanish nor the Peking towers show such a high resemblance to the defensive towers of the Chinese Wall, as the towers of the Russian Kremlin and fortress walls show. And this is an occasion for reflection for historians.
And here are the arguments of Sergey Vladimirovich Leksutov:
The chronicles say that the wall was built for two thousand years. In terms of defense - absolutely meaningless construction. Is it that while the wall was being built in one place, in other places the nomads freely walked around China for as much as two thousand years? But the chain of fortresses and ramparts can be built and improved within two thousand years. Fortresses are needed to defend garrisons from superior enemy forces, as well as to quarter mobile cavalry units in order to immediately go in pursuit of a detachment of robbers that crossed the border.
I thought for a long time, who and why in China built this senseless cyclopean structure? There is simply no one except Mao Tse Tung! With his inherent wisdom, he found an excellent means of adapting tens of millions of healthy men to work, who had fought for thirty years before, and knew nothing but how to fight. It is unthinkable to imagine what a mess would start in China if so many soldiers were demobilized at the same time!
And the fact that the Chinese themselves believe that the wall has been standing for two thousand years is explained very simply. A demobilization battalion arrives in an open field, the commander explains to them: “Here, in this very place, the Great Wall of China stood, but the evil barbarians destroyed it, we have to restore it.” And millions of people sincerely believed that they did not build, but only restored the Great Wall of China. In fact, the wall is built of even, clearly sawn blocks. Is it that in Europe they did not know how to cut stone, but in China they were honored? In addition, soft stone was sawn, and it is better to build fortresses from granite or basalt, or from something no less hard. And granites and basalts learned to saw only in the twentieth century. For the entire length of four and a half thousand kilometers, the wall is made up of monotonous blocks of the same size, and after all, in two thousand years, the methods of processing stone inevitably had to change. And building methods have changed over the centuries.
This researcher believes that the Great Wall of China was built to protect against sandstorms in the Ala Shan and Ordos deserts. He drew attention to the fact that on the map compiled at the beginning of the 20th century by the Russian traveler P. Kozlov, one can see how the Wall passes along the border of shifting sands, and in some places has significant branches. But it was near the deserts that researchers and archaeologists discovered several parallel walls. Galanin explains this phenomenon very simply: when one wall was covered with sand, another was erected. The researcher does not deny the military purpose of the Wall in its eastern part, but the western part of the Wall performed, in his opinion, the function of protecting agricultural areas from the elements.
Soldiers of the invisible front
Perhaps the answers are in the beliefs of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom themselves? It is difficult for us, the people of our time, to believe that our ancestors would erect barriers to repel the aggression of imaginary enemies, for example, incorporeal otherworldly beings with evil thoughts. But the whole point is that our distant predecessors considered evil spirits to be completely real creatures.
The inhabitants of China (both today and in the past) are convinced that the world around them is inhabited by thousands of demonic creatures that are dangerous to humans. One of the names of the wall sounds like "a place where 10 thousand spirits live."
Another curious fact: the Great Wall of China does not stretch in a straight line, but along a winding one. And the features of the relief have nothing to do with it. If you look closely, you can find that even in the flat areas it "winds". What was the logic of the ancient builders?
The ancients believed that all these creatures could move only in a straight line and were unable to bypass the obstacles that appeared on the way. Maybe the Great Wall of China was built to block their way?
Meanwhile, it is known that Emperor Qin Shihuangdi during the construction constantly conferred with astrologers and consulted with soothsayers. According to legend, the soothsayers told him that a terrible sacrifice could bring glory to the ruler and provide reliable defense to the state - the bodies of the unfortunate people who died during the construction of the structure buried in the wall. Who knows, perhaps these nameless builders today stand on the eternal guard of the borders of the Celestial Empire ...
Let's look at the photo of the wall:
masterok,
livejournal
The section is very easy to use. In the proposed field, just enter the desired word, and we will give you a list of its meanings. I would like to note that our site provides data from various sources - encyclopedic, explanatory, word-building dictionaries. Here you can also get acquainted with examples of the use of the word you entered.
What does "Great Wall of China" mean?
Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998
the great Wall of China
fortress wall in the North. China; grandiose monument of architecture Dr. China. From Jiayuguan (Prov. Gansu) to Liaodong Bay. Length, according to one assumption, approx. 4 thousand km, according to others - St. 6 thousand km, height 6.6 m, in some areas up to 10 m. Built mainly in the 3rd century. BC e. A section of the Great Wall of China near Beijing has been completely restored.
The great Wall of China
fortress wall in Northern China, a grandiose architectural monument of ancient China. The first sections were erected in the 4th-3rd centuries. BC e. After the unification of China (221 BC), Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi ordered the erection of a solid wall to protect the northwestern borders of the empire from attacks by nomadic peoples. Subsequently V. to. repeatedly rebuilt and repaired. Passes from east to west from the city of Shanhaiguan, on the coast of the Liaodong Gulf, to the point of Jiayuguan (Gansu Province). The length of the V. c. with., according to some assumptions, does not exceed 4 thousand km, according to others - more than 5 thousand km, height 6.6 m (in some areas up to 10 m), width of the lower part about 6.5 m , the top is about 5.5 m. Throughout the V. to. casemates for guards and watchtowers were built, and fortresses near the main mountain passes. In a significant part of V. to. has been preserved to this day.
The Great Wall of China is the greatest building of the Chinese people. The symbol of China and the pride of the entire population. Conceived by Emperor Qin Shi-HuanDi, it was built over the centuries for its construction, according to various sources, from 300 to 500 thousand people were sent (with a total population of 20 million). The Qin Empire also did a lot to reconstruct the wall so that we can still see its greatness today. The stone belt of China is still fraught with many mysteries and secrets, there are legends and rumors about it that fascinate not only foreigners, but also the Chinese themselves.
The purpose of erecting this huge object was to protect the territory of the Middle State from the attack of nomads. It was decided to isolate themselves from the barbarians and the entire outside world. From the east, south and west, Ancient China was protected by natural barriers: deserts, mountains, seas. But the north remained uncovered. Another name for the wall is the "Golden Mean". It was supposed to become a symbol of harmony both within the state and in relations with other peoples, being the border between China and the barbarians.
It is generally accepted that the Wall was built to protect against the raids of the northern nomadic tribes. Indeed, from ancient times steppe tribes raided the Chinese kingdom, but earthen ramparts were erected to protect them from them long before Qin Shi Huangdi. During the reign of this emperor, the tribes to the north of China were weak and fragmented, and at that time they no longer posed serious concerns. The Great Wall of China was supposed to serve as the extreme northern line of the possible expansion of the Chinese themselves, it was supposed to protect the subjects of the Celestial Empire from merging with the barbarians and switching to a semi-nomadic way of life. The wall was supposed to clearly fix the boundaries of Chinese civilization, contribute to the consolidation of a single empire, just made up of a number of conquered kingdoms, and defensive ramparts alone were not enough for this.
Another legend tells that Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi had a magical white horse that easily crossed mountains and valleys. Astride this horse, the emperor himself rode along the route of the future border, and where the horse stumbled (and this happened three times over a distance of 500 meters), a tower was erected.
At least 3,000,000 people were employed in the construction of the Wall, that is, almost every second man. At the slightest manifestation of discontent or disobedience of the population, they were sent to construction. The process of building the wall was not only very long, but also costly. Not only soldiers were involved, but also peasants who were supposed to provide them with food. One of the legends says that a large fiery dragon accompanied the construction and paved the way for the workers, indicating where to build the wall. During the construction of the wall, many people died, who were buried in the same wall in an upright position. It was believed that the spirit of a person from time to time returns to his body and therefore the Chinese wall was guarded by both the living and the dead, which caused additional horror. Builders for the wall were selected from each family. For relatives, this was a horror, since everyone knew that most likely they would never see their household again.
So famous is the legend of a woman named Meng Jing Niu, the wife of a farmer working on the construction of the Great Wall. When she learned that her husband had died at work, she went to the wall and wept on it until it collapsed, revealing the bones of her lover, and the wife was able to bury them.
The emperor of the Sui Dynasty Yang_di undertook work on the reconstruction of the Great Wall, which fell into decay over the millennium. According to the historian L.S. Vasiliev, this building could hardly play a serious role in protecting against nomadic invasions - namely, for this it was conceived at one time. Practice has shown that the wall did not interfere with intrusions, except that it somewhat complicated them, forcing them to make detours in some places. But as a symbol, as a matter of prestige, as a desire to show that in the future the empire does not intend to allow invasions from the north, the repair of the wall was quite appropriate. At one time, the construction required millions of workers and huge funds, not to mention the fact that it turned out to be a grave for tens or even hundreds of thousands of people. L.S. Vasiliev. History of the East vol.2 ch.9
An important battle took place on May 28, 1644 at the Shanhaiguan Fort, one of the passages in the Great Wall of China. The Manchu prince Dorgon, together with the Ming general Wu Sangui, defeated the rebel army of Li Zicheng, which allowed Dorgon to capture Beijing. This event began to influence the change of power and the ruling dynasty in China (from Ming to Qing).
It is believed that the wall never even performed its immediate function. In fact, it was quite difficult, because its construction took a lot of time, money and physical labor. In addition, while separate parts of the country were being built, the nomads learned to bypass them and invented various tricks so that the wall was not a big obstacle for the nomads. Otherwise - if the wall were an important military fortification - why then nomads, barbarians, foreign conquerors - still managed to conquer the empire? Establish a new Yuan or Qing empire.
Thus, summing up, it can be noted that, on the one hand, being the greatest building in China, the Wall is a source of pride, national wealth, a tourist attraction that generates income, stories and legends are formed about it, some Chinese still worship their ancestors, who built the wall or defended it. On the other hand, China is also famous for other architectural monuments and finds of antiquity - what is one Terracotta Army worth; The Great Wall also brought a lot of grief to the country both during its construction and during its defense, serving on it. The death toll is impossible to count.
The Great Wall was supposed to be, on the one hand, a material barrier for the nomads who carried out attacks, and on the other hand, a symbol of the fact that China does not want to communicate with other peoples. For many centuries, China tried to isolate itself from the outside world, not only physically, but also spiritually. But as history shows, China did not succeed. First, nomads captured China, and then Europe decided to knock on the walls of the Middle State. And penetrated there, causing great damage to the country.
I believe that it is impossible to judge what role the Great Wall of China played - positive or negative. We cannot know what would have happened if the wall had not been conceived and built. What would happen to China without this defensive line - maybe the civilization would lose its rich culture or, on the contrary, would be able to establish diplomatic relations with the outside world and strengthen its position? This can only be guessed at.
