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    The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications stretching over 13,000 miles across northern China, built from the 7th century BC to the 1600s AD to protect against invaders. It was first constructed during the Spring and Autumn Period and was last rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. Sections were joined during the Qin Dynasty, but the best preserved parts date to the Ming Dynasty. Though it did not completely prevent invasion, the Great Wall came to symbolize China's strength and long history.

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    The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications stretching over 13,000 miles across northern China, built from the 7th century BC to the 1600s AD to protect against invaders. It was first constructed during the Spring and Autumn Period and was last rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. Sections were joined during the Qin Dynasty, but the best preserved parts date to the Ming Dynasty. Though it did not completely prevent invasion, the Great Wall came to symbolize China's strength and long history.

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    15 views1 page

    China Notes

    Uploaded by

    scribdmiss
    The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications stretching over 13,000 miles across northern China, built from the 7th century BC to the 1600s AD to protect against invaders. It was first constructed during the Spring and Autumn Period and was last rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. Sections were joined during the Qin Dynasty, but the best preserved parts date to the Ming Dynasty. Though it did not completely prevent invasion, the Great Wall came to symbolize China's strength and long history.

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    The Great Wall of China: The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications

    built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial
    China as protection against various nomadic groups from the Eurasian Steppe1. It
    was built as early as the 7th century BC, with selective stretches later joined by
    Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China1. The best-known sections of the wall
    were built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)1.

    The Great Wall of China is an ancient series of walls and fortifications, totaling
    more than 13,000 miles in length, located in northern China1. It is perhaps the
    most recognizable symbol of China and its long and vivid history1.

    The history of the Great Wall began in the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC),
    was first completed in the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC), and was last rebuilt as a
    defense in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)2. The wall protected China’s north from
    invasion for all but two dynasties that were invader-led: Yuan (1279–1368) and Qing
    (1644–1912)2.

    The Great Wall was originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the third
    century B.C. as a means of preventing incursions from barbarian nomads1. The best-
    known and best-preserved section of the Great Wall was built in the 14th through
    17th centuries A.D., during the Ming dynasty1. Though the Great Wall never
    effectively prevented invaders from entering China, it came to function as a
    powerful symbol of Chinese civilization’s enduring strength1.

    The famous Chinese general Meng Tian initially directed the project, and was said
    to have used a massive army of soldiers, convicts, and commoners as workers1. Made
    mostly of earth and stone, the wall stretched from the China Sea port of
    Shanhaiguan over 3,000 miles west into Gansu province1. In some strategic areas,
    sections of the wall overlapped for maximum security1.

    From a base of 15 to 50 feet, the Great Wall rose some 15-30 feet high and was
    topped by ramparts 12 feet or higher; guard towers were distributed at intervals
    along it1. It is said that as many as 400,000 people died during the wall’s
    construction; many of these workers were buried within the wall itself1.

    The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1973.

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