The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago by the first emperor
of China during the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huangdi. In Chinese, it is called “Wan-Li
Qang-Qeng” which means 10,000 –Li Long Wall. (10,000 Li is about 5,000
kilometers)

After uniting China from seven different opposing states, the emperor
connected and extended four old fortification walls along the north of China that
originated about 700 B.C. Armies were stationed along the Great Wall as the first
line of defense against the invading nomadic tribes north of China.

The Great Wall of China is one of the largest building construction projects
ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, twisting
north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks, and packed-
earth. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters (15 to 30 feet), was up to
7.5 meters (25 feet) tall, and around 5,000 kilometers long.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall was renovated and enlarged to
6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) over a 200 year period with watch-towers and
cannons added to it.

The Great Wall was originally built as a defense against invading nomadic
tribes. It also stretches across various terrains: grasslands, deserts, mountains,
savannahs, etc.

The Great Wall is organized into sections. Since the wall stretches from
province to province, diversity in how some parts are built can be seen in
different provinces of the wall. There are three major parts of the Great Wall, the
North Pass of Juyongguan, the West Pass of Jiayuguan, and the East pass of
Shanhaiguan. These were the main entrances through the wall.

Before the wall was renovated with bricks, it was mainly built from rammed
earth, stones, and wood. During the Ming Dynasty, bricks, tiles, and limestone
were heavily used and were more easily used in construction than earth and
stone.

From the moon, the Great Wall of China could barely be seen with the
human eye. From low earth orbit, it could be seen stretching across the Chinese
plains.

The Great Wall was a huge project that took hundreds of years to
complete. It was used to defend part of China from invading tribes and was and
will continue to be one of the biggest construction projects in the world.