the Great Wall

The Great Wall of China, one of New Seven Wonders of the World, began in Qin, Zhao and Yan Three Kingdoms of the Warring States Period. The Great Wall is a fortification along the northern and northwestern frontier of China, running from Shanhaiguan on the Gulf of Bohai on the east to the vicinity of Gaodai, Gansu Province, on the west, with an inner wall running southward from the vicinity of Beijing almost to Handan.

And all of this was achieved at great economic and human costs. The emperor thought the wall would bring peace to the nation but the nation was weakened by the heavy cost of the construction. Ditches along the wall were filled with the corpses of workers who died building the wall. Deaths of wall workers are estimated to exceed one million.

the great wall

No society could sustain such a terrible burden. Taxation became heavier and heavier. Some 3,500,000 people were involved in the building of the Great Wall. That was 70% of the total population of China at that time. Construction of the Qin wall became the mosthated imperial project in Chinese history.

The Great Wall bring the people and the country at the time disaster endless, but The Great Wall is called “great”, must have its greatness!

the great wall

The wall became more than a trade route  and a barrier to keep out the enemy, it became vital for communications. Along its ramparts messages could be sent at amazing speeds from one end of the empire to the other. And they burnt wood, and straw mixed with wolf dung, which produced rich black columns of smoke. They use this to develop precise tactics, so that the enemy can not defend against – One column of smoke indicated an impending attack by a force of less than 500. Two columns indicated an attack by a force less than 3,000 and four columns indicated an attack by a force of up to 10,000.

Scholars estimate that the Great Wall with all its branches once stretched for 6,200 miles, from the Yalu River in the northeast to Xinjiang in the northwest. Today it measures 6,000 miles. The Great Wall has suffered serious damage from wind and watererosion, as well as man-made destruction.

It is a witness of human history and civilization, is the crystallization of human wisdom, we have to give her more care and protection.  And if you want to travel to China, the Great Wall will be the must-visit place.