History Of Great Wall Of China

China's Great Wall, Chinese (Pinyin) Wanli Changcheng or (Wade-Giles romanization) Wan-li Ch'ang-ch'eng ("10,000-Li Long Wall"), castle wide-scale construction in ancient China, one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken. The Great Wall actually has many walls - many of them the same - built over two thousand years south of China and south of Mongolia. The most extensive and well-preserved type of wall originates from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and travels 8,850 miles [8,850 km] east-west from Mount Hu near Dandong, southeast of the province of Liaoning, to Jiayu Pass west of Jiuquan, northwest of Gansu province. This wall tends to follow the boundaries of hills and mountains as the snake spreads throughout the rural areas of China, and about a quarter of its length has only natural barriers such as rivers and mountain ranges. Almost everything else (about 70 percent of the total length) is a self-constructed wall, with small fragments left to form canals or canals. Although long sections of the wall are now in ruins or disappear altogether, they are still one of the most remarkable buildings on Earth. The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Why the Great Wall of China?

Historically, China's Great Wall was built to fortify the northern border of China. The Great Wall has been the site of numerous wars and conflicts between the Chinese and various peoples throughout history, including Xiongnu during the Qin dynasty, the Kittites during the Song dynasty, and the Mongols during the Ming dynasty.

 Most of the consolidation program dates from the 7th to the 4th century BCE In the 3rd century BCE Shihuangdi (Qin Shihuang), the first emperor of a united China (under the Qin dynasty), connected the many defensive walls in one system. Traditionally, the end of the wall was considered Shanhai Pass (Shanhaiguan) in the eastern province of Hebei along the coast of Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli), and the length of the wall - except for its branches and other parts of the wall - was thought to be about 6,700 miles [6,700 km]. in the 1990's it revealed parts of the wall in Liaoning, and aerial and satellite surveys finally confirmed that the wall was progressively more widespread. The length of the largest Ming wall figure was announced in 2009. 

Construction History

The Great Wall was built from the divisions and borders of each Chinese empire. For centuries these kingdoms may have been concerned about the protection of their immediate neighbors as they were threatened with invasion or invasion by outsiders.

The first building

About the seventh century BCE, the Chu empire began to build up a permanent defensive system. Known as the “square wall,” it was located in the northern part of the state capital. From the 6th to the 4th century, other provinces followed the example of Chu. In the southern part of the province of Qi, a broad perimeter wall was constructed using existing canals, newly constructed defenses, and impassable mountain ranges. The Qi wall is made mainly of earth and rock and is cut off from the shores of the Yellow Sea. In Zhongshan province a wall was being built to prevent attacks from the southwestern provinces of Zhao and Qin. There were two fortifications in Wei province: the Hex (“West of the [Yellow] River”) and the Henan (“South River”) walls. The Hexi Wall was a defense against the Finnish empire and the western leaders. Built during the reign of King Hui (370-335 BCE), it was extended from the mouth of the Luo River to the western boundary. It started in the south near the Xiangyuan cave, east of Mount Hua, and ended in Guyang in what is now the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The Henan Wall, built to protect Daliang (the capital, now Kaifeng), was renovated and expanded over the years of King Hui. The Zheng dynasty also developed a wall system, which was rebuilt by the state of Han after defeating Zheng. The Zhao kingdom completed the south wall and the north wall; the south wall was built mainly as a protection for the Wei empire.

The moon rising over the Great Wall of China

Following the reorganization of the government by Shang Yang (who died in 338 BCE), Quin grew politically and militarily the strongest of the seven nations, but it was often attacked by Donghu and Loufan, two nomadic peoples from the north. Thus, the Qin built a wall that ran from Lintiao, northward through the Liupan Mountains, and ended at Huang He (Yellow River).

In the province of Yan, two separate defensive lines were set up - the North Wall and the Yishui Wall - in an effort to protect the state from attacks by northern groups such as Donghu, Linhu, and Loufan, and the southern Qi state. The Yishui Wall was extended from the rock of the Yi River as a defensive line against Qi and Zhao, its two main rival provinces. It began southwest of Yi City, the capital, and ended south of Wen’an. In 290 BCE the Yan State built a wall north of the Yan Mountains, from the northeast of Zhangjiakou in Hebei, across the Liao River, to the ancient city of Xiangping (modern-day Loyoyang). This was the last major part of the Great Wall to be built during the Zhanguo (War States).

In 221 BCE Shihuangdi, Qin's first emperor, completed his Qi annexation and thus included China. He ordered the removal of fortresses that had been built between previous provinces because they acted as a barrier to internal movement and administration. In addition, he sent General Meng Tian to close the northern border at the entrance of the nomadic Xiongnu and connect the existing wall sections at Qin, Yan, and Zhao to the so-called “10,000-Li Long Wall” (about 2 km). This construction period began about 214 BCE and lasted for ten years. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and trained personnel are involved in this work. With the collapse of the Qin dynasty after Shihuangdi's death, however, the wall remained largely fragmented and damaged.

Han through the Yuan dynasty

During the reign of Han Emperor Wudi (141-87 BCE), the wall was fortified as part of a general campaign against Xiongnu. Since then the Great Wall has also contributed to the exploitation of farms in north and west China and the growth of the trade route known as Silk Road. In 121 BCE a 20-year construction project was launched on the Hexi Wall (known as the Side Wall) between Yongdeng (now Gansu) in the east and Lake Lop Nur (now Xinjiang) in the west. According to Juyan Hanjian (“Juyan Correspondence of the Han”), the fortresses included a wall of 5 cubits, a tower of 10 cubits, a tower of 30 cubits, and a tower of fort. of 100. ”

Major wall work during the Dong (East) period of Han (25-220 CE) took place during the reign of Liu Xiu (Guangwudi), who in 38 ordered the repair of four parallel lines of the Great Wall in the area south of the Hex Wall. The Great Wall not only serves to protect itself but also creates a balance between trade and tourism.

During the reign of the Bei (Northern) Wei (386-534/535 CE), the Great Wall was repaired and expanded as a defense against invasions from the Juan-juan and Khitan tribes in the north. According to Wei shu: Mingyuandi Ji ("Wei History: Chronicle of Emperor Mingyuan"), in 417, the eighth year of Mingyuandi's reign (409-423), part of the Great Wall was built south of Changchuan, from Chicheng (now Hebei) to Wuyuan ( now located in the Inner Mongolia) west, more than 600 miles [1,000 km] away. During the reign of Taiwan (423-452), a small, thin wall of rams around the capital was built as a complement to the Great Wall. From Guangling in the east, it extended to the eastern side of Huang He, forming a circle around Datong. In 549, after the Dong Wei empire moved its eastern capital to Him, it rebuilt part of the Great Wall in the area of ​​present-day Shanxi province.

To strengthen its northern boundary and prevent invasion from the west by Bei Zhou, the kingdom of Bee Qi (550-577) introduced several large-scale construction projects such as the construction projects of the Qinar empire. In 552 a section was built on the northwestern border, and just three years later the emperor ordered that 1.8 million workers be hired to repair and expand other sections. Construction took place between the southern entrance of Juyong Pass (near modern-day Beijing) and Datong (Shanxi). In 556 a new fortress to the east was erected and extended to the Red Sea. The following year a second wall was erected inside the Great Wall within modern-day Shanxi, starting in the Laoying region east of Pianguan, extending eastward across Yanmen Pass and Pingxing Pass, ending in the area around Xiaguan in Shanxi. In 563 Emperor Wuchengdi of Bei Qi repaired a section along the Taihang Mountains. That is part of the Great Wall found today in the area around Longguan, Guangchang, and Fuping (Shanxi and Hebei). In 565 the inner wall built in 557 was repaired, and a new wall was added, starting with the Xiaguan area, extending to east Juyong Pass, and then joining the outer wall. Parts were repaired and added during the Bei Qi period to about 1,500 kilometers, and towns and slums were established from time to time to block these new sections. In 579, to prevent the invasion of the Bei Zhou dynasty by the Tujue (eastern Turkish group) and the Khitan, Emperor Jing embarked on a massive rebuilding project in the former kingdom of the Bei Qi empire, from the Yanmen in the west to Jieshi in the east.

During the Sui dynasty (581-618) the Great Wall was repaired and upgraded seven times in an effort to protect the country from the invasion of Tujue. After the Tang dynasty (618-907) replaced Sui, the country grew militarily strong, defeating Tuue in the north and expanding beyond the first border. As a result, the Great Wall gradually lost its value as a fortress, and there was no need for repairs or additions. During the reign of Song (960-1279), however, the people of Liao and Jin in the north were always dangerous. Songwriters were forced to retreat to the south of the Great Wall lines built by the kings of Qin, Han, and the North. Most of the areas on both sides of the wall were later occupied by the Liao (907-1125) and the Jin dynasties (1115-1234). When the Songwriters had to move farther away - south of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) - repairing the wall or expanding it was no longer possible. Limited adjustments were made once (1056) during the Liao period but only in the area between the Yazi and Huntong rivers.

In 1115, after the establishment of the Jin dynasty, work was done on two defensive lines in Mingchang. The existing wall - formerly known as the Wushu Wall, or Jinyuan Fort - ran west from the northern part of Wulanhada, then crossed the Hailatu mountains, then turned north and then west again, finally ending at the Nuanshui River. The second line was the new Mingchang Wall, also called the Inner Jin Wall or Jin Trench, built south of the old wall. It started west from the Huang He band and ended at the Sungari (Songhua) River.

During the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty (1206-1368), the Mongols ruled over all of China, as well as parts of Asia and parts of Europe. As a defensive structure the Great Wall was not so important to them; however, some fortresses and key settlements were rehabilitated in the camp to control trade and to prevent the threat of Chinese (Han) and foreign rebellion.