The Great Wall of China extends thousands of miles along the historical northern borders of China. The wall was built by the Chinese emperors over centuries to protect their lands. Despite the wide fame, grandeur, and magnificence of its construction, there are many fallacies related to it that are still widespread among people despite proof. Her mistake, and one of these fallacies is that it is the only man-made structure that can be seen from space, but the truth is that it is difficult to distinguish the Great Wall of China with the human eye even from low Earth orbit, as it closely resembles the stone and soil surrounding it, and this fact was proven during a Chinese space mission in 2003 AD. By astronaut Yang Liwei who admitted to being unable to identify anything from orbit.
What is this wall?
The Great Wall of China is a series of walls and fortifications covering most of the northern borders of China. It is an ancient structure built about 500 years ago, and its length was estimated at between ( 2,778 and 9,260 ) kilometres before the archaeological survey conducted by the Chinese State Administration for Cultural Heritage in 2012, which indicated that the length of the wall It reaches about - 21,000 km -, and the discrepancy in estimates of the size of the Great Wall of China is because a large part of it; Approximately 9,260 - 10,186 kilometres, built during the Ming dynasty, while the total length is approximately 24,076 kilometres; It is the sum of the combined lengths of the walls, which in some places does not have the same great specifications as we see in the Ming dynasty. It only contains a little rock, wood, soil and other materials.
How did the idea of walls arise?
The Mongols were unable to grow many crops, due to their living in the steppes, which forced them to trade agriculturally with China. There was also a great demand among the northern nomadic tribes for silk, cotton, and other textiles, in addition to metals for making weapons, and in return, the Chinese needed The Bedouins had many and small horses for war, but the Chinese were able to be content with the horses they had, while the Mongols were in dire need of food and clothing, which led to creating an imbalance in trade relations between China and the Bedouins and Mongols around it.
Contact between the northern nomads and the Chinese was based on the principle of “trade as war”, as the nomads posed a serious military threat even though their number was much smaller than the Chinese, and the trade-war relations were tense and based on the principle of successful and effective raids by the northern nomad tribes - and later Mongols - to get what they want; Cause the exhaustion of the Chinese population, and to protect the land from the northern nomadic invaders; Thousands of years ago, Chinese leaders established projects to build a wall to defend the border. In Shandong Province, there is one of the remaining parts of this ancient wall made of hard soil called “rocky earth.” Its age is estimated at about 2,500 years. Over 2,000 years, this stone guard was built. This is now called the Great Wall of China, which consists of many great walls, some of which date back to the fifth century BC. For centuries, during the Warring States period, before the unification of China into one country, these walls defended the borders.
Who built the wall?
Many families and dynasties contributed to building and improving the Great Wall of China. The Qin dynasty was the first to start building the wall, and the following dynasties completed the work on it. Then the Ming dynasty rebuilt the wall and added to it, and most of the wall known today is what this family built, and resources were used Which were available at the construction site by peasants, slaves, criminals and other people whom the emperor decided to punish. Soldiers also participated in building the wall and managing the workers. Among the materials used in building the ancient walls was compressed dirt surrounded by stone. Most of the later Ming wall was built with bricks, and their Parts of the wall were built from a mixture of solid cedar, which has the strength and resistance of cement, which gave the wall strength and durability that made it stand up to the present time. Estimates indicate that millions of people worked on the wall over more than 1,000 years, and they were not treated well, and about a million of them died.
How did the wall become a means of protection?
Unifying wall pieces
Before the era of the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, small walls were built over the years to protect against northern invaders. This emperor decided to build a giant wall to protect his northern borders, so he ordered the construction of one strong wall containing thousands of watchtowers. The wall was also a way to prevent citizens from It prevented the Chinese from leaving the country, and it also ensured the peace and stability of agriculture for the ancient society.
Make modifications to make it intended for protection
- Watchtowers and beacon towers were erected there to send signals.
- Soldiers were used to guard the walls and towers, and palisades were created to house the soldiers.
- Towns were built along the wall to fortify soldiers so they could quickly reach the wall in the event of a major attack.
- It is estimated that the number of soldiers guarding the Great Wall during the height of the Ming Dynasty was estimated at one million.
Military garrisons
During the reign of Shi Huangdi, 12 states or provinces were established along the wall. In the Ming Dynasty, the entire fortification was divided into 9 defensive areas, and a central chief was appointed for each area. These areas were known as the Nine Border Garrisons, and each major stronghold was along The wall is linked hierarchically to a network of military and administrative orders. It is worth noting that there are many countries historically that built a wall along their borders to defend their lands and residents, such as Korea, the Roman Empire, Athens and Denmark.
Facts about the Great Wall of China
The Chinese don't call it the Great Wall of China!
In fact, the Chinese have another name they call the Great Wall of China, and the Chinese term for the wall goes back to a distant past, when every city had its own wall, so the Chinese chose a name that covers all of them equally. The connection between these walls and cities was essential for the Chinese at that time and to... Now, this name is "cháng chéng", and according to the Short Standard Dictionary of Oxford Union Press, the word "cháng" means: city or city wall, and the word "chéng" means: long, meaning that the Chinese call the city/long cities or wall. The long walls of the Great Wall of China.
The wall is not old!
The walled stone structure that represents the common mental image of the Great Wall of China is only part of the wall, which was built by the Ming Dynasty in the period between (1358 and 1644), meaning that its age is only about 500 years compared to the ancient parts of the wall that are... About a pile of stones crushed from the ground, which dates back to the time of the unification of China for the first time, that is, after 221 BC. That is, the famous Great Wall of China is not the one built 2000 years ago, and it is not as ancient as is commonly believed.
It's not a wall!
What is often seen in tourist photos of the wall, which consists of stone and bricks, represents only a part of it, while the rest of its parts, especially in the West, are a pile of stones crushed into terrain that resembles the humps of camels, and sometimes a hill or a cliff, and at other times nothing. From all this, the wall does not consist only of walls; There are forts, barracks, guard towers and lighthouses.
It was not built to repel the Mongols
The first emperor, who died in 210 BC, ordered the construction of the wall long before the Mongols appeared around 800 AD. The threat was then from the Xiongnu. Confrontations with the Mongols only occurred in the late 14th century, and the Mongols were expelled from China by the Ming dynasty.
There are no bodies buried in the wall
It has been rumoured since ancient times that there are workers buried in the Great Wall of China, but no bones were found in the wall and there is no written or archaeological evidence for this slander, which is said to have come from the main historian of the Han dynasty, Sima Qian, who criticized the emperor in his time. By insulting his predecessor Kane.
Unfortunately, the invasion was not stopped!
Despite the greatness of the wall and the great efforts that were made to build it, it did not achieve the goal for which it was built, which was to deter any threat and invasion of China. The northern Bedouin tribes easily invaded or surrounded the wall, the Mongols defeated the Ming south of the wall in 1449 AD, and China fell into the hands of the Manchus in 1644 despite the completion of construction work on the wall, due to the betrayal of a general evacuated from the Ming by opening the far eastern gate called Shanhaiguan ( Shanhaiguan) to the invaders.
Its breadth is sometimes insufficient
The Great Wall of China is long, but its width varies from one piece to another depending on the region. It is not wide enough for five horses side by side except in some sections around Beijing, which was built as a wall and a road. As for other parts of the Ming Wall, especially the hills that extend above the Simatai peaks, it is only enough for one person, and in the west of the wall there is no path. For infantry, horses and soldiers had to walk along the base of the wall.
The traveller Marco Polo crossed it but did not mention it!
In the late thirteenth century, the period in which Marco Polo existed, China was under the rule of the Mongols, and the wall at that time had been destroyed by the invaders at the hands of Genghis Khan more than 50 years ago, so it had no defensive importance, and in fact, Marco saw He crossed the wall several times during his journeys from Beijing to Kublai Khan's palace in Xanadu, but he had no reason to point it out.
Miscellaneous things you should know
- There are more than 7,000 watchtowers that make up part of the Great Wall of China, and historians try to protect parts of the wall from erosion as much as possible.
- The height and width of the wall vary over its length, and the average wall built by the Ming Dynasty is about 33 feet high and 15 feet wide.
- The Great Wall of China is the tallest man-made structure in the world.
- The Great Wall of China is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
- The wall extends across all types of terrain into the mountains, and the highest point of the wall is more than 5,000 feet above sea level.
- Smoke signals were used to warn of an attack, and the more attackers there were, the more smoke signals were sent.
- The Great Wall of China extends across 15 regions in northern China: Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang.
- A third of the historic wall no longer exists.
- The Great Wall of China is one of the most famous and important tourist attractions in China. It attracts 50 million tourists every year, and more than 460 statesmen and presidents have visited it from all over the world.
Warnings when visiting the Great Wall of China
Some things should be avoided when visiting the Great Wall of China to ensure safety and security during the visit, including the following:
- Do not climb the fence in the wild parts and natural terrain, as these areas are unsafe and lack directional signs, and there is a possibility of getting lost or sustaining injuries or fractures.
- It is recommended not to take photos and be extremely careful while walking, especially in sloping areas or while climbing.
- You must be careful not to cheat and deceive when renting a private car, and not to go by illegal buses.
- It is recommended not to take children under the age of six, and that children between the ages of (6-14) should not go unless accompanied by an adult.
- Camping on the Great Wall of China is randomly prohibited, and care must be taken to camp in areas designated for camping, or stay in hotels or farms available for this, and ignoring this may lead to exposure to great danger.