The Great Wall Battle Forts

The Great Wall, "Wan-Li Ch'ang-Ch'eng" (10,000 Li Long Wall), is one of the largest building construction projects ever carried out. It streaches approximately 4,000 miles (6,400 km) west to east from the Jiayu Pass (in Gansu Province) to Po Hai at the mouth of the Yalu River (in Liaoning Province), and is supposedly clearly visible from the moon.

Construction of The Great Wall started in the 7th century B.C. The vassal states (under the Chou Dynasty) in the northern parts of the country, each built their own walls for defensive purposes. After many conflicts, China was united in 221 B.C. In 214 B.C. Shih Huang-Li (the first Emperor of a united China) connected a number of the existing defensive walls into a cohesive unit fortified by a system of watchtowers. These served both to guard the rampart against attack as well as to communicate with the then capital, Hsien-Yang (near Sian), by signal (smoke by day; fire at night). The principal enemy against whom the Great Wall was built were the Hsiung-Nu (the nomadic tribes of the northern steppes). The wall at this time extended more than 10,000 li or 5,000 kilometers which is the origin of the name of the 10,000-li Great Wall.

The Great Wall was originally constructed partly of masonry and partly of earth and was faced with brick in its eastern portion. It was substantially rebuilt in later times. A major renovation started with the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, and took 200 years to complete. The wall we see today is almost exactly the result of that effort. The basic wall is generally about 30 feet (9 m) high, and the towers are about 40 feet (12 m) high.

To BACK TO THE HOME PAGE, "press" the button