The-Great-Wall

InthenorthofChina,thereliesa6,700-kilometer-long(4,161-mile-long)ancientwall.Nowwell-knownastheGreatWallofChina,itstartsattheJiayuguanPassofGansuProvinceinthewestandendsattheShanhaiguanPassofHebeiProvinceintheeast.AsoneoftheEightWondersintheworld,theGreatWallofChinahasbecomethesymboloftheChinesenationBriefIntroductionTheGreatWallfacts•Chinesename:长城(Chángchéng/channg-chnng/'LongWall')•Location:NorthernChina•Length:21,196.18km(13,170.7mi),allknownsectionsweremeasured•History:morethan2,300years•TheLongWallhasalonghistory—morethan2,300years.Itwasbuiltindifferentareasbydifferentstates/dynastiestoprotectdifferentterritorialborders.WhytheGreatWallWasBuilt?IntheQinDynasty,theFirstEmperorofQininkedthenorthernwallstopreventinvasionfromnorthernnations.IntheHanDynasty,theemperorsextendedtheGreatWallfarintotoday'swesternChinatoprotectSilkRoadtrade.HowtheGreatWallwasBuilt?•ThemajesticGreatWallwasbuiltwithwisdom,dedication,blood,sweat,andtears.Familieswereseparated,andmanyworkersdiedandwereinterredaspartoftheGreatWallitself.•Workers:soldiers,peasants,rebels•Materials:stone,soil,sand,brick•Materialdelivery:byhand,rope,cartTheGreatWall'sStructure—Walls,Watchtowers,FortressesTheGreatWallwasnotjustawall.Itwasanintegratedmilitarydefensivesystemwithwatchtowersforsurveillance,fortressesforcommandpostsandlogistics,beacontowersforcommunications,etc.IntheMingDynasty(1368–1644),theGreatWallwasreconstructedtobestrongerandmoresophisticated,duetobetterconstructiontechniquesbeingdeveloped.AwatchtowerattheGreatWallWhyYouShouldVisitTheGreatWall?•thegreatwallsceneryTheGreatWallisoneoftheNewSevenWondersoftheWorld.•GreatestHumanFeatinHistory:TheGreatWallisthebuildingprojectwiththelongestdurationandgreatestcostinhumanlives,blood,sweatandtears.ItdeservesitsplaceamongtheNewSevenWondersoftheWorldandtheUNESCOWorldHeritageSites.•TheGreatWallofChinaisthemust-visitChinaattraction.PerhapsthemostpowerfuladvertisingwordsinhistorycomefromthepoeticpenofChairmanMao:UntilyoureachtheGreatWall,you'renohero.Figurativelythishascometomean'togetoverdifficultiesbeforereachingagoal'.HistoryofGreatWallIntheSpringandAutumnPeriod(770BC-476BC),theducalstatesextendedthedefenceworkandbuiltgreatstructurestopreventtheattacksfromotherstates.ItwasnotuntiltheQinDynastythattheseparatewalls,constructedbythestatesofQin,YanandZhaokingdoms,wereconnectedtoformadefensivesystemonthenorthernborderofthecountrybyEmperorQinShiHuang.HistoryofGreatWallFromtheQinDynastyonwards,Xiongnu,anancienttribethatlivedinNorthChina,frequentlyharassedthenorthernborderofthecountry.DuringtheHanDynasty,EmperorWu(HanWuDi),sentthreeexpeditionstofightagainsttheXiongnuin127BC,121BCand119BC.TheXiongnuweredrivenintothefarnorthoftheGobi.TomaintainthesafetyoftheHexiCorridor(today'sGansuProvince),theemperororderedtheextensionoftheGreatWallwestwardintotheHexiCorridorandXinjiangregion.TheruinsofthebeacontowersanddebrisoftheHanWallarestilldiscernibleinDunhuang,YumenandYangguan.HistoryofGreatWallThepresentGreatWallinBeijingismainlyremainsfromtheMingDynasty(1368-1644).Duringthisperiod,bricksandgranitewereusedwhentheworkerslaidthefoundationofthewallandsophisticateddesignsandpasseswerebuiltintheplacesofstrategicimportance.Tostrengthenthemilitarycontrolofthenorthernfrontiers,theMingauthoritiesdividedtheGreatWallintoninezonesandplacedeachunderthecontrolofaZhen.TheShanhaiguanPassandtheJiayuguanPassaretwowell-preservedpassesateitherend.•InBeijing,theGreatWallisabout630kmlong,7sectionsoftheGreatWallhavebeenopenedtovisitors.ThereareBadalingGreatWall,JuyongguanGreatWall,SimataiGreatWall,MutianyuGreatWall,JinshanlingGreatWall,HuanghuachengGreatWallandGubeikouSection.•TheGreatWallatBadalingwasbuiltinthe18thyear(1505)ofthereignofHongZhi,anemperoroftheMingDynasty(1368-1644).Badalingisthesectionthathasbeenopentothepublicthelongest(since1957).TheSimataisection司马台•NearBeijing•IntheMingDynasty•BestrepresentstheundulatingandrhythmicflowoftheGreatWall•MostprecipitouspartoftheGreatWallCloudLadder天梯•IsmuchnarrowerthanthenormalwidthoftheWall(three-tofivemetersonaverage)•Thenarrowestpartbeingonlyhalfameterwide•Withperilouscliffsoneitherside,itindeedresemblesaladderalongwhichonecanclimbupintotheclouds.HeavenlyBridge天桥UpatthetopoftheCloudLadderThe100-meter-longnarrowbeltofwallonthemountainridge,withdeepvalleysoneitherside.Let’sgotoseebeautifulsceneryaboutit!