Great Wall of China: When and why was it built? All you need to know about one of the 7 wonders of the world

New Delhi: The Great Wall of China, one of the seven wonders of the world and the longest man-made structure, was opened by the Chinese government for the common public as well as for tourism on November 10, 1970. While the Great Wall of China was constructed between 656 and 206 BC to keep invaders at bay, it is spread over eight provinces in China. In the Chinese language, the Great Wall of China is called Changcheng /Channg-chnng. In this article, we will outline the history, significance and other details of the Great Wall of China built in sections that were later linked to form a single, enormous wall.

History

The Great Wall of China, built in different areas by different states/dynasties to protect different territorial borders, has a long history — more than 2,300 years. While it is often said that the First Emperor of Qin built the Great Wall, many claims that he was not the first to build it.

Timeline

Zhou Dynasty – The (Pre-) Warring States Period (770–221 BC): The Chu State first built walls to prevent invasion from other states.

The Qin Dynasty (221–207 BC): Emperor Qin unified state walls to secure China’s northern border.

The Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD): Han Wudi extended the Great Wall west to Yumen Pass and beyond.

The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644): Hero General Qi Jiguang rebuilt the Great Wall around Beijing.

The Quing Dynasty (1644- 1911): The emperors of the Qing Dynasty didn’t build the Great Wall and even forbade it.

Modern Times: Great Wall reconstruction and protection began with Badaling in 1957.

Dimension

The Great Wall of China is 8,851.8 kilometres long, 25 feet tall on average, 15 to 30 feet thick at its base, and slopes to 12 feet at its peak. It is not just a wall but used to be China’s complete defence system that safeguarded it against nomadic invasions from the North.

Facts

It is interesting to note that the Great Wall cannot be seen from space.

It is said that nearly 1/3 of the Great Wall has disappeared without a trace.

Glutinous rice flour was used to glue the Great Wall bricks.

More than a million workers died building the wall.