Do you know what is one of the largest construction projects ever completed? We’ll give you a hint…it is very long and it took hundreds of years to build. Give up? The answer is The Great Wall of China. Continue reading and learn some interesting facts about the history and construction of the Great Wall.
The construction on the Great Wall of China began back in 221 BC, not long after China was first unified into a single empire. The first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang from the Qin dynasty (there are many dynasties that ruled China during its long history) restored some of the ruins of older walls that dated back to about 700 BC, and connected them with the newly constructed portions. This 3,000 mile long portion of the Wall was built to protect China in the North from attacking nomads. These first portions of the Wall were built with local natural materials such as stone and compacted soil. The wall is between 15 and 30 feet thick, and averages 25 feet tall.
Just one year after Qin Shi Huang’s death, an army of peasants organized and revolted against the oppressive central government that Qin Shi Huang created (Qin Shi Huang discouraged free thinking and burned much of the literature at the time. He also had 700,000 workers labor for 34 years to build a great tomb for him upon his death. This amazing tomb, which was discovered in the 1970’s, contained 7,000 terra-cotta warriors, scaled-down cities, and rivers of flowing mercury. Look up more information and learn more about the Qin Dynasty!). WOW Gold welding wire
After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, China did not have any central government control. The Northern boundaries of China (which the Wall was supposed to protect) were being attacked by nomads known as the Xiongnu. In 206 BC, the Han Dynasty began to rule China. The Han ruled China with a much more benevolent hand than the Qin Dynasty. The Han started the first public school system, restored much of China’s literature and ultimately defeated the Xiongnu. One of the Han emperors, Han Wu-Di, began to expand China into the West. In order to protect China on this new border, Han Wu-Di had the Wall extended 300 more miles into the Gobi desert and repaired much of the damaged sections of the Wall from the Qin Dynasty.
The Han also added towers to the Wall spaced at about 15-30 miles apart. These towers were used to release smoke to warn people about an attack. Anybody traveling from the West towards China had to pass through some section of the Wall. Soon, market towns began and flourished along the western boundary of China at the Wall. LPG cylinder Great Wall History
In 1368, the Ming Dynasty took control of China and built most of the sections of the Wall that we are familiar with today. The sections of the Wall built by the Ming Dynasty were also stronger, more decorated and more imposing than the sections of the wall built by the previous dynasties. These newer sections of the Wall were built with brick and span across some of China’s most dramatic terrain (one section of the Wall ascends mountain ridges that climb at an angle of 70 degrees and are 7,000 feet above sea level). The Ming sections of the wall took about 200 years to complete.
The Great Wall of China is more than 2000 years old and stretches more than 5000 miles from the mountains of Korea to the Gobi Desert in the west. It is one of the great wonders of the world and still stands today. Read on and discover more information about the fascinating history of the Great Wall of China and the Dynasties that ruled over China during its construction!
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