Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of China and its long
and vivid history, the Great Wall of China actually consists of numerous walls
and fortifications, many running parallel to each other. Originally conceived
by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 259-210 B.C.) in the third century B.C. as a means
of preventing incursions from barbarian nomads into the Chinese Empire, the
wall is one of the most extensive construction projects ever completed. The
best-known and best-preserved section of the Great Wall was built in the 14th
through 17th centuries A.D., during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Though the
Great Wall never effectively prevented invaders from entering China, it came to
function more as a psychological barrier between Chinese civilization and the
world, and remains a powerful symbol of the country’s enduring strength.
QIN DYNASTY CONSTRUCTION
Though the beginning of the Great Wall of China can be
traced to the third century B.C., many of the fortifications included in the
wall date from hundreds of years earlier, when China was divided into a number
of individual kingdoms during the so-called Warring States Period. Around 220
B.C., Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China, ordered that earlier
fortifications between states be removed and a number of existing walls along
the northern border be joined into a single system that would extend for more
than 10,000 li (a li is about one-third of a mile) and protect China against
attacks from the north.
Did You Know?
"When Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered construction of the
Great Wall around 221 B.C., the labor force that built the wall was made up
largely of soldiers and convicts. It is said that as many as 400,000 people
died during the wall's construction; many of these workers were buried within the
wall itself"
Construction of the “Wan Li Chang Cheng,” or 10,000-Li-Long
Wall, was one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by any
civilization. The famous Chinese general Meng Tian directed the project, and
was said to have used a massive army of soldiers, convicts and commoners as
workers. Made mostly of earth and stone, the wall stretched from the China Sea
port of Shanhaiguan over 3,000 miles west into Gansu province. In some
strategic areas, sections of the wall overlapped for maximum security (including
the Badaling stretch, north of Beijing, that was later restored by the Ming
dynasty). From a base of 15 to 50 feet, the Great Wall rose some 15-30 feet
high and was topped by ramparts 12 feet or higher; guard towers were
distributed at intervals along it.
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA THROUGH THE CENTURIES
With the death of Qin Shi Huang and the fall of the Qin
dynasty, much of the Great Wall fell into disrepair. After the fall of the Han
dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), a series of frontier tribes seized control in
northern China. The most powerful of these was the Northern Wei dynasty
(386-535 A.D.), which repaired and extended the existing wall to defend against
attacks from other tribes. The Bei Qi kingdom (550–577) built or repaired more
than 900 miles of wall, and the short-lived but effective Sui dynasty (581–618)
repaired and extended the Great Wall of China a number of times.
With the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang dynasty
(618-907), the Great Wall lost its importance as a fortification, as China had
defeated the Tujue tribe to the north and expanded past the original frontier
protected by the wall. During the Song dynasty (960-1279), the Chinese were
forced to withdraw under threat from the Liao and Jin peoples to the north, who
took over many areas on both sides of the Great Wall. The powerful Yuan
(Mongol) dynasty (1206-1368) established by Genghis Khan eventually
controlled all of China, parts of Asia and sections of Europe. Though the Great
Wall held little importance for the Mongols as a military fortification,
soldiers were assigned to man the wall in order to protect merchants and
caravans traveling along the profitable trade routes established during this
period.
WALL BUILDING DURING THE MING DYNASTY
Despite its long history, the Great Wall of China as it is
exists today was constructed mainly during the mighty Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
Like the Mongols, the early Ming rulers had little interest in building border
fortifications, and wall building was limited before the late 15th century. In
1421, the Ming emperor Yongle proclaimed China’s new capital, Beijing, on the
site of the former Mongol city of Dadu. Under the strong hand of the Ming
rulers, Chinese culture flourished, and the period saw an immense amount of
construction in addition to the Great Wall, including bridges, temples and
pagodas. The construction of the Great Wall as it is known today began around
1474. After an initial phase of territorial expansion, Ming rulers took a
largely defensive stance, and their reformation and extension of the Great Wall
was key to this strategy.
The Ming wall extended from the Yalu River in Liaoning
Province to the eastern bank of the Taolai River in Gansu Province, and winded
its way from east to west through today’s Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing,
Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu.
Starting west of Juyong Pass, the Great Wall was split into
south and north lines, respectively named the Inner and Outer Walls. Strategic
“passes” (i.e., fortresses) and gates were placed along the wall; the Juyong,
Daoma and Zijing passes, closest to Beijing, were named the Three Inner Passes,
while further west were Yanmen, Ningwu and Piantou, the Three Outer Passes. All
six passes were heavily garrisoned during the Ming period and considered vital
to the defense of the capital.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
In the mid-17th century, the Manchus from central and
southern Manchuria broke through the Great Wall and encroached on Beijing,
eventually forcing the fall of the Ming dynasty and beginning of the Qing
(Manchu) dynasty (1644-1912). Between the 18th and 20th centuries, the Great
Wall emerged as the most common emblem of China for the Western world, and a
symbol both physical–a manifestation of Chinese strength–and psychological–a
representation of the barrier maintained by the Chinese state to repel foreign
influences and exert control over its citizens.
Today, the Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the
most impressive architectural feats in history. In 1987, UNESCO designated the
Great Wall a World Heritage site, and a popular claim that emerged in the 20th
century holds that it is the only manmade structure that is visible from the
moon. Over the years, roadways have been cut through the wall in various
points, and many sections have deteriorated after centuries of neglect. The
best-known section of the Great Wall of China–Badaling, located 43 miles (70
km) northwest of Beijing–was rebuilt in the late 1950s, and attracts thousands
of national and foreign tourists every day.
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