Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China

Theresa Muzzillo
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China was very important in China throughout history. It was built and re-modeled throughout many historical dynasties of China. The Great Wall of China was built for several different reasons. It was constructed for protection from northern invaders; it partially unified China, and was later restored for the attraction of travelers.

There were several different dynasties that made what the Great Wall is today. The first dynasty to begin the construction of the Great Wall was the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.). Shihuangdi built the Great Wall as a defense from northern invaders (7). Weapons of this time, such as arrows, could not reach over the extensive wall. The workers of the Qin Dynasty worked day and night (6). If they complained or attempted to run away and got caught, they suffered severe consequences of being buried alive (6). Most of the workers spent their whole lives building this wall (6) and about 70% of the China population was involved with the construction of this wonder (4). Why were so many people involved in this construction? The Great Wall was unifying China as a country inside the walls. After the Qin Dynasty, construction of the Great Wall didn’t stop. To see more on the Qin Dynasty, click here.

The Han Dynasty (202 B.C.- A.D. 220) continued to add onto and restore the construction of the Qin Dynasty. They extended the wall over 300 more miles through the Gobi Desert using materials such as twigs, red willow reeds, water and fine gravel (4). The Han Dynasty also built beacon towers that were placed about 15-30 miles apart along the wall. Smoke signals from columns were used to warn the defenders of an attack (4). There were several advancements made to the Great Wall in the Han Dynasty that improved and "updated" the wall. The reconstruction did not stop here. It continued into the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). To see more on the Han Dynasty, click here.
The Ming Dynasty was when most of the reconstruction was made and the crumbling walls were rebuilt (4). They added many miles to what already existed in addition to restoring it. The Ming Dynasty built more of the wall than any other dynasty before it. Along with their extensive addition, they built the wall with huge heavy bricks made from clay (6) and granite blocks (1). If all the bricks were taken from only the portion of the wall built during the Ming Dynasty, they would circle the Earth at the equator in a wall five feet high and three feet thick. Modern canons were built along the wall in strategic locations and the watchtowers were redesigned with sophistication (1). To see more on the Ming Dynasty, click here.

After the Ming Dynasty reconstructed the wall for over 200 years, it is now only being restored for the attraction of travelers (4). Throughout the 1,000 years of construction of the Great Wall, 3,000 people died building it. That is more than 300 people per mile (4). After about 2,500 years of the Great Wall standing, it has extended over 6,000 miles at one point reaching from the Yalu River in Northeast China, to Gansu province in Northwest China (5). The actual length of the Great Wall varies from different authors, but it ranges from 3,000 to 4,500 miles (3/4). The actual length of the Great Wall was at one time 6,000 miles long. After lots of vandalism and erosion, the wall has reduced to become what it currently is now.

The Great Wall of China was built for several different reasons. In the Qin Dynasty, Shihuangdi built it for two different main reasons. One was to block the raids from the north, known as Central Asia. The second reason was China thought they were too "civilized" and they should be separated from the "barbaric" countries physically and culturally (Waldron). The Great Wall only protected China from the little invasions, so the Han Dynasty and Ming Dynasty extended onto the wall and increased its size in hope of preventing more invasions. This didn’t help very much because as the wall was developing, there were more advancements in weapons too. The Wall was especially helpful to warn China of invasions because they could see armies from their watchtowers. Re-modeling with advancements such as watchtowers and beacons helped to reach the main reason of building the wall... keeping out invaders (McNeese). After the Ming Dynasty, there was not a whole lot of reconstruction for reasons of protection from invaders. The main reason the Great Wall has been repaired in certain areas is for the attraction of travelers.

The Great Wall of China attracts an extensive amount of travelers every year. What attracts travelers to the Great Wall? It is such a great attraction for many different reasons. The wall is about 3,750 miles long and can even be seen from the moon (McNeese 12). The Great Wall is crumbling and some of it has been restored in areas such as Beijing because it is the most visited area and they want to keep it open to travelers. At one point the wall extended over 6,000 miles long. Travelers walk across the Great Wall of China where originally the width of the wall could fit 5 horse riders or 10-foot soldiers walking shoulder to shoulder (Feinstein 13). One of the highest points of the Great Wall is 35 feet tall. Many travelers are attracted to the watchtowers that are every 100-200 yards (Fryer 2). Each watchtower was about 40 feet high (Fryer 2). The Great Wall is made of granite blocks, stone and sometimes brick. This is interesting because of the way China adapted to the materials in their surroundings. Depending on the location of the wall determined what material to use. In the hill areas of the West, it is made of moistened earth materials and then pounded solid since stone and brick were scarce here. Not only are all these breath-taking features interesting, but the Wall also contained the amazing Ming Tombs. To see more on the Ming Tombs, click here. The Great Wall has been restored and fixed up throughout History to become what it is now and travelers walk across it as if it were one of the Seven Wonders of the World. After all these fascinating heights and lengths, I can understand why so many people would love to see the Great Wall.

The Great Wall went through over 1,000 years of being built and reconstructed through several different dynasties. In each dynasty, the Wall was repaired, "modernized", and added on to for different reasons. Even after those dynasties have fallen, the Great Wall is still being repaired and for yet another reason as to attract tourists and sightseers to the extravagant wonder. With all the amazing sights of the 40 foot watchtowers and extensive, perpetual walls… who wouldn’t want to visit the Great Wall?!?!