The Great Wall is a series of fortifications built by the ancient Chinese states and is the longest border wall in the world. It stretches along China’s historic northern borders. Its Chinese name is “10,000 Li Long Wall” (萬里長城 / 万里长城, Wànlǐ Chángchéng). “Li” is literally a Chinese unit of length. However, the wall is longer than 10,000 Li. 10.the number 000, i.e. wàn (萬 /
), which also means infinity or an uncountable amount in Chinese. It is therefore possible to understand the expression as “the unimaginably long wall”. However, Chinese dynasties after Qin often used various terms to refer to the Great Wall, such as “border(s)” (塞, Sài), “rampart(s)” (垣, Yuán), “barrier(s)” (障, Zhàng), “outer fortresses” (外堡, Wàibǎo) and “border walls” (t邊牆, s边墙, Biānqiáng). Sections of the Great Wall in the southern Gobi Desert and Mongolian steppes are sometimes referred to as the “Genghis Khan Wall”, although Genghis Khan himself did not build any walls or permanent lines of defense.
The Chinese began using wall-building techniques during the “Spring and Autumn period” between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, and during this time and the subsequent “Warring States period”, the states of Qin, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Han, Yan and Zhongshan all built ever more extensive fortifications to defend their borders. However, the Qin, Zhao and Yan states also used their border walls to stop attacks by the XiongNu, DongHu, LinHu and Hiung-Nu and to protect the northern borders of the country. In 200 BC, King Ying Zheng of Qin defeated his last rivals and unified China as the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Proclaiming himself Emperor “Qin Shi Huang”, King Zheng ordered the demolition of parts of his empire’s border walls between the former states and commissioned the construction of new walls to connect the fortifications along the northern border. Many successive Dynasties built and maintained numerous border walls. Today, very little of the Qin wall remains. The best known sections of the Great Wall are those built by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Built by different dynasties, these border walls are in multiple rows. Collectively, they stretch from Liaodong in the east to Lop Lake in the west, from the present-day Sino-Russian border in the north to the Tao River (Taohe) in the south. Recent research has shown that the Great Wall was actually longer in the past than it appears now. in 2009, 180 km of previously unknown sections of the Ming wall, hidden by hills, ditches and rivers, were discovered with the help of infrared range finders and GPS devices. In March and April 2015, nine more sections believed to be part of the Great Wall were discovered along the border of Ningxia autonomous region and Gansu province, totaling more than 10 km (6 miles) in length. With these latest discoveries, the length of the entire Great Wall now totals 21,196.18 km (13,170.70 mi) along an arc that roughly marks the border of the Mongolian steppe.
Until the Ming period, the Great Wall was mostly constructed of rammed earth, stone and wood. However, during the Ming period, materials such as bricks, tiles, lime and stone were used extensively in many parts of the walls. The size and weight of bricks made them easier to work with than earth and stone. This speeded up construction. In addition, bricks could carry more weight and hold up better than compacted earth. Stone could also hold its own weight better than bricks, but it was more difficult to handle. For this reason, rectangular cut stones were used only for the foundations, inner and outer edges of the walls and for the entrance gates. The battlements covered the uppermost part of most of the walls.
Across the Great Wall, the height of the walls is 4-6 meters, the thickness of the base is 7 meters and the thickness of the top is around 6 meters. Horses and carts can travel over the thicker sections. Along the thick border walls there are battlements, archer holes, watchtowers and lighthouses. Palaces, troop barracks, garrison stations and temples are also found on the fortifications. In some places the embankments were built in several rows, allowing for staggered defenses. Today, the defensive system of the Great Wall is widely regarded as one of the most impressive architectural achievements in history.
Besides defense, other purposes of the Great Wall include border controls, communication through signaling by smoke or fire, allowing the imposition of taxes on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulating or encouraging trade, controlling migration and immigration, and acting as a bridge as a transportation corridor.
One of the best-known sections of the Great Wall, and one of the most remarkable sections of the Ming Great Wall, is at Jinshanling, where the border wall climbs extremely steep slopes. The wall there is 11 km (7 miles) long. Its height varies from 5 to 8 m (16 ft 5 in to 26 ft 3 in). It is 6 m (19 ft 8 in) at the bottom and narrows to 5 m (16 ft 5 in) at the top.
Also on the edge of Bohai Bay is Shanhai Pass, the traditional end of the Great Wall and considered the “First Passage Under the Sky”. The part of the wall at Shanhai Pass that meets the sea is called the “Old Dragon’s Head”. 3 km (2 mi) north of Shanhai Pass is the Jiaoshan Great Wall (t焦山長城, s焦山长城, Jiāoshān Chángchéng), the site of the first mountain of the Great Wall; 15 km (9 miles) northeast of Shanhaiguan is Jiumenkou (t九門口, s九门口, Jiǔménkǒu), the only part of the wall built as a bridge.
The entire Great Wall is awe-inspiringly beautiful. However, the sections surrounding the municipality of Beijing are particularly famous. These sections are frequently renovated and are now regularly visited by tourists. The Badaling Great Wall near Zhangjiakou is the most famous part of the wall. This is because it is the first section in the People’s Republic of China to be opened to the public, as well as a showpiece for foreign dignitaries. In 2018, the Badaling Great Wall saw nearly 10 million visitors, and in 2019 a daily limit of 65,000 visitors was imposed.
In popular culture, it is claimed, based on various facts (of dubious accuracy), that the Great Wall can be seen with the naked eye from space. While this idea has been thoroughly debunked, it is still entrenched in popular culture. Even the issue of whether the Great Wall can be seen with the naked human eye from the Moon is of great interest because of its length. This is a great achievement for the Great Wall. on July 7, 2007, the Great Wall of China, which was selected as one of the wonders in the “New Seven Wonders of the World” project and is a magnificent historical structure, is waiting for you, our valuable visitors!