Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China, a memorable landmark, is the most popular tourist attraction in China. The Wall has fascinated the minds of many in the world and it is part of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Wall is the ultimate tourist destination for sightseeing. People from all over the world visit China to see this exotic architecture because it is one of the most appealing attractions of China. It has its share of fans including those who spread speculations about it being seen from the moon.

After the Qin emperor unified China, he connected the walls across the country into one, The Wall extended up to 10,000 Li (5000 km) and it helps keep out intruders from the north. What seems to be a Chinese zigzag dragon, the Great Wall of China spreads across deserts, rivers, mountains, grasslands and plateaus expanding nearly 6,700 kilometers. It has been built for over 2 millenniums and it stretches from the east side to the west side of China. Due to modern technologies and lack of usefulness, pieces of the structure are left in ruins and the Chinese leaders do not care to fix it. 

This marvelous segment of Chinese heritage swept through Shanhaiguan Pass, then to Liaoning, then Hebei, continuing onto Tianjin, expanding to Beijing, reaching Shanxi, and into Inner Mongolia, next to Ningxia, arriving at Gansu and finally ends in Jiayuguan Pass. The Great Wall length measures about 6,700 km long. Height wise, it is 4.5m to 9m. Depth wise, it is 4.5m to 8m. The entire structure was built by hand using stone, bricks, soil, sand, straw, wood, clay or whatever was available depending on the territory and time period.

Looking down at the Great Wall from the sky is truly amazing, the Wall resembles a Chinese dragon circling the mountains. There is a common term use by The Chinese call “Wan Li Chang Cheng” which defines as “Wall of 10,000 Li” (10,000 Li = 5,000 km). There were three main Chinese dynasties that contributed to the construction of the Great Wall: first, the Qin from 221-207 B.C., then the Han from 206 B.C – 220 A.D and the Ming from 1368-1644 A.D. Their common purpose was to stop the “barbaric” Huns in the North from invading the Chinese borders. Millions of people labored on the Great Wall and many died while working.

The existing Wall today was constructed by the Ming Dynasty over 600 years ago. During that time, the original wall was in ruins. Ming emperors order to rebuilt the wall over the course of 200 years. The reason the wall still stand today is because there was an invention during that time, mixing rice flour to create extremely tough bricks and mortar. Today, few parts of the Great Wall are in great condition because it was restored to attract tourists.

Great Wall of China Fortresses
People have built fortresses for thousands of years for many reasons. Originally, the word was “fortis” which is Latin for “strong”, and facere which is Latin for “to make”. The Great Wall in China has hundreds of fortresses built along the wall. The fortresses were used for protection or defense against attack.

Army installations are called a “fort.” They are usually a city within a city and are not as strong or fortified as the forts along the wall and on the battle field. Many forts, or walls, were used as a symbolic function showing the independence of the city it surrounded.

Great Wall of China Jiayuguan Fortress

Fortresses are located all along the Great Wall. Some are just 50 meters apart. They were built for protection, as lookouts, and as a place for solders to fight against the enemy. The towers were also used as places to watch over the entire area and send signals. The fortresses provide places for solders to retreat to for safety. Stairways were built so to confuse someone climbing them. The stairs cannot be seen from outside the tower.

The east end of the Great Wall is a preserved portion of the wall that tourists still enjoy. This fortress is known as the First Pass Under Heaven. It is where the wall meets the Pacific Ocean at the Bohai Sea. Its nickname is Old Dragon’s Head. It is located 300 km east of Beijing and linked via the Jingshen Expressway.

This fortress was a defense against tribes from Nanchuria. This pass is the narrow passage between the Northeast and Central east region of China. Both Northern Qi Dynasty and Tang Dynasty built passes. In 1381, a general by the name of Xu Da built Shanhaiguan pass under the Ming Dynasty. The Shanhaiguan pass is so named because of its position between the mountain and the sea.