This is probably one of the few buildings of mankind, which has gathered around itself so many interested scientists, researchers, historians, and even ordinary tourists. People from all over the world come to stare at the Great Wall of China. It is rightfully considered one of the most grandiose structures ever created by mankind. The main symbol of China, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
During the time that has flown from the time of construction to the present day, this building has been rebuilt more than once, something has been completely destroyed, considering it unnecessary or superfluous, something has been completed, adjusting to today's needs. But, one way or another, this historical monument has survived to this day and is ready to welcome tourists.
By the way, few people know that once Mao Tse-Tung wrote an expression near the entrance. According to him, a Chinese who has not seen this monument cannot be called a real Chinese.
Today, the wall is considered a majestic monument, a national symbol, a landmark and a hallmark of China. After all, this building has witnessed many events in the history of the Chinese Empire.
This grandiose building begins in the city of Shanhai-guan. From there, the wall stretches across half the country and ends in Central China. To some, its location resembles the movements of a snake, and the Chinese themselves associate it with the take-off of a dragon. Probably, it is precisely because of such associations that she has become a national symbol for the people of China.
The length of the Great Wall of China is 8851.8 kilometers. The width of the wall ranges from 5 to 8 meters, and in some places the height has reached 10 meters.
The construction is so strong that one section, which is 750 kilometers long, was once turned into a real road. In some places, fortresses and fortifications were built near the wall, which has a historical and logical explanation.
The most popular sections of the wall among tourists are Simatai and Badaling.. There is nothing surprising in this, because they are located next to, 75 kilometers from the capital.
By the way, there is a widespread myth that great wall visible even from space. Astronauts say that this is not so - no one has ever seen a wall from space with the naked eye.
Construction history
Construction of the Great Wall of China began in the 3rd century BC. Historians have not even argued about who built the Chinese wall. This idea belonged to Emperor Qin Shi Huang. In history, he became famous as a cruel ruler, longing for change. During his reign, he completely changed the life of his people. This was especially felt by aristocrats and princes, from whom the emperor took away privileges and subordinated them to himself.
Historians argue that the original purpose of building the Great Wall of China was to protect the emperor's possessions from raids by nomadic tribes. But the researchers deny themselves, saying that the then northern tribes did not pose any particular danger to the emperor and his country. Therefore, it was pointless to defend against raids in this way. And on this basis, historians have deduced a new version: the purpose of such a huge construction was to mark the borders of the Chinese empire, which was supposed to prevent the Chinese from merging with the nomads.
221 BC - 300 thousand people arrived at the northern border of the Chinese Empire. Commander Meng Tian led the parade. These people were given the task of erecting a wall of stones and bricks where the earthen ramparts had been. It is worth noting that most of the wall ran in hard-to-reach places, which, of course, made the work of its builders difficult. To keep the construction under control, all people were divided into 34 bases, around which settlements appeared over time.
The building of the wall began with towers. There were 25,000 of them then. I must say that they differed significantly from each other, had different density and size. But all such structures were drawn to real fortifications. Their average length was 12 meters.
The distance between the towers was measured by "arrow flights", which should have been equal to two. Protective structures (towers) were interconnected by a wall, the height of which reached seven meters. By the way, the width of the wall was measured by a line of eight people.
There is a very interesting story, or rather a legend, about how the boundary of the Great Wall was determined. The emperor decided to go around his possessions on a horse. His route became the boundary of the wall. And places for towers were designated in areas where the ruler's horse stumbled.
The protective function of the wall is also questioned by the fact that during its construction, the features of the area were taken into account. So, for example, in the north it separates mountainous areas unsuitable for life from fertile lands. On this occasion, scientists expressed their opinion. According to them, this structure was intended to separate the fertile south of the Chinese Empire from the nomadic north.
Wall of bones
Until 213 BC, the builders managed to bring to mind most walls. Peasants were also brought in to help the soldiers. Most of the commoners could not work for a long time in such conditions and at such an accelerated pace, and died of exhaustion. What did they do with their bodies? They were immured in the wall.
Ever since historians have promulgated this historical fact, there have been many comments on the subject. Some called the Great Wall of China "the longest cemetery in the world". Someone reproachfully said that the wall was built on human bones. And such thoughts are not without reason: about 400,000 Chinese are immured in the wall. At that time, the people considered this huge construction site a great disaster. These motifs can be found in ancient Chinese songs, fairy tales and legends.
Whatever it was, no matter what they said, but even the nickname "the longest cemetery in the world e" will not be able to scare away tourists who want to touch ancient history, look at the greatest constructions of the Chinese people.
The further fate of the wall
After waiting for the death of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, in 210 BC, the people rebelled and overthrew the Qin dynasty. This made it possible to suspend the construction of the wall. A period of stagnation began in the fate of the Chinese Wall. Further, the story says that not all emperors undertook to complete the construction of the defensive structure. Many had high hopes for the troops, and the wall, as an opportunity to strengthen the borders of the empire, was neglected.
When the Mongol khan came to power, the wall was completely abandoned. Its restoration began only in the 15th century.
How to get to the Great Wall of China
To see this grandiose monument of the Chinese Empire, you can go in several ways:
- go on a tour
- take a taxi
- take the train express
Please note that among other expenses, you will need to buy an entrance ticket to the wall, which costs 45 yuan.
Bus tours
A guided tour is the easiest way. For those who do not know Chinese or are afraid to travel alone, a group of tourists and a guide at the head is a great option.
Tour buses are waiting for tourists in Yabaolu, Tiananmen and Qianmen. In addition, such information can be found at the reception of any hotel.
Prices for such pleasure are acceptable, from 100 to 500 (depending on the number of people in the group). But the price, most often, includes only travel to Badaling. You will have to buy the entrance ticket and meals yourself. But after visiting the wall, you will be taken to the tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.
The only disadvantage of this option is the limited tour. You cannot decide when and where to go, because you need to focus on other tourists. Therefore, if you want to spend the whole day on the Great Wall of China, then Bus tours- not for you. Although in most cases there is nothing to do there all day. 
Taxi ride
You can get to the historical monument by hiring a private car with a driver. In Yabaolu, those offering such services are more than enough. You can also order a car through the hotel, but it will be a little more expensive.
The cost of a taxi can fluctuate around 400-800 yuan. But do not forget that food and an entry ticket again remain on your shoulders.
This method is much more convenient than the previous one, the driver will take you anywhere, because here only you are in command of the parade.
By train express to Badaling
Especially for the Chinese Olympics, an express train was built for those wishing to visit the section of the wall located in Badaling. The journey takes an hour and a half. The train departs from Beijing North Station, located at Xizhimen Subway Station - Circle Line Intersection. Directly from the subway station there are signs saying "Beijing Railway Station North".
From here, the express goes to the wall - Xizhimen Station The cost of the trip will be minimal, and will cost no more than 20 yuan per person in both directions. Tickets are sold directly at the station. The train schedule is constantly changing, but the express departs every hour. Numbers of all trains departing for Badaling begin with S2. Please note that the station is not the final one and you need to get off together with the main crowd of passengers, you can’t go wrong.
Of the minuses, it is worth noting that you will encounter huge queues, and you will have to go standing up.
Before the trip, be sure to eat well and buy water, as everything is very expensive on the wall. At the same Xizhimen station, there is a large shopping mall, there are many cafes and fast foods, such as Burger King and McDonald's.
Don't forget to dress warmly as the wall is on a hill and there is often a strong piercing wind.
The only human-made structure that astronauts can see from orbit is the Great Chinese Wall. The beginning of construction dates back to the 4th-3rd century BC, as a defensive structure against the raids of Asian tribes in a strategically important place on the border. 400 thousand soldiers participated in the construction of this monumental structure. The wall originates in Shaihanguan. This huge earthen rampart, lined with stones, passes like a huge python through dangerous gorges, steep rocks and dry deserts. The length of the Wall is almost six thousand kilometers, its height is 7.8 m, its width is 5.8 m. Signal towers are built along the entire length of the wall at a certain distance from each other. This great building ends at the Jiaiguan outpost. The necessary cargo was transported along the top of the Wall, ammunition was delivered during hostilities. Now tourists who climb the Wall on foot are given a colorful diploma "I was on the Great Wall of China."
ancient chinese monument
The Great Wall of China is the symbol of China, the symbol of national pride, the "eighth wonder of the world" and one of the world's oldest architectural monuments. There will not be at least one person on the globe who would not have heard and read about this great, largest, grandiose monument of antiquity. This wall is located in an area covering an area from Liaodong Bay (northeast of Beijing), through northern China to the Gobi Desert. There are several opinions about the specific length of this attraction. But it can be said with all accuracy that it stretched over a distance of more than two thousand kilometers. Considering also the ramparts that extend from it, the result is approximately 6000-6500 km.
Officially, this Great Wall began to be erected in 220 BC. BC. by order of the ruler Qin Shi Huangdi. She defended the northwestern border from the raids of nomadic peoples. Its construction took hundreds of years. After the reign of the Qing Dynasty was established, its construction stopped.
In order to get inside the state, it was necessary to go through all the checkpoints that close at night and do not open until the morning. Rumors spread among the people that in order to get into their state, even the Chinese emperor himself waited until dawn.
For 2700 years, the wall was built three times. To the north, prisoners, prisoners of war, as well as peasants were sent to build the wall, who were taken by force from their families. During the construction of this wall, about two million people died. At its base were their remains. Based on this, up to the present time, the people of the Great Wall of China call the “Wailing Wall”.
Casemates, signal towers and guard towers were built at various places on the Great Wall, which was 6 to 10 meters high and 5.5 to 6.5 meters wide. Fortresses were built at the main passes of the mountains.
Interesting legend and story about the Chinese wall
Many people were needed to build the Chinese wall. There is a Chinese legend according to which, after the wedding, the husband of a girl named Mung Jiangnu was exiled to build the Great Wall. After three years of waiting, the young wife never saw her husband. He did not return home. In order to take warm clothes to her husband, she went on a very long, dangerous and difficult journey. A young woman who reached the Shanhaiguan Post and learned that her husband had died from hard work and was buried under the wall, wept loudly. Then a large section of the wall collapsed, and she saw the corpse of her beloved husband. In the legends of China, the memory of the hard work of the participants in the construction of the wall is immortalized. The construction of the wall included several conditions. So, each of the wall towers had to be in the visible zone of two neighboring towers. Messages between them were transmitted by smoke, drumming or fire at night. The width of the wall was also calculated. It was 5.5 meters. This was done on purpose, because then five infantrymen could march in a row or five cavalrymen could ride side by side. Now its average height is nine meters. Watch towers are twelve meters high.
Badaling Wall
Tourists in China consider it a must to visit the Chinese Wall. Every year, millions of people come to see this magnificent historical landmark. In the region of Mount Badaling, located 60 km from the city of Beijing, is the most visited by tourists section of the Chinese wall. It's always full of people here. This site was restored in 1957.
Approximately 50 kilometers is the length of this ancient monument. Entrance: Y45. In summer it is open from 06:00 to 22:00, and in winter from 07:00 to 18:00. The ticket includes a 15-minute film about the history of the wall, which is shown in the circular amphitheater from 9.00 to 17.45, as well as an introduction to the China Wall Museum from 9.00 to 16.00. Badaling can also be reached by bus number 919 (depending on the number of stops Y5-10), which runs every 10 minutes from ancient gate Deshengmen, located 500 meters east of Jishuitan Subway Station. Warning: at 18.30 the last bus trip from Badaling.
For 8 hours, i.e. for the whole day, you can rent a taxi with 4 passengers (maximum), costing Y400, or maybe more.
Among other things, there are tourist routes. One of them is Line C with a cost of Y80 round trip, including the cost of visiting the wall. Opening hours: from 6.30 to 22.00. The other route is Line C, stopping at Ming Tomb with a cost of Y140, including entrance fees and lunch. Hours from 6.30 to 22.00.
Secrets of the Great Wall of China
Mutianyu wall
Mutianyu is the second known section of the wall. It is located 90 km north of Beijing. It can be visited from 6.30 to 18.00. The ticket price for entry is 35 yuan. The Mutianyu site is located in a mountainous area. You can climb it using the funicular. On the funicular, for a round trip ticket, spend another 50 yuan or only 35 yuan for one way. A more joyful, cheaper descent is the iron trough that runs under the cable car. On it, in a special capsule, you can ride down. Bill Clinton also rode in one of the cable car cabins. You can read it on a special sign. Maybe you will be able to ride in the president's cabin.
This wall has great merit. It is located in a very picturesque place. There are much fewer people here than in Badaling. People are missing after the fourteenth tower. Therefore, this place is very suitable for capturing beautiful and interesting moments, taking pictures.
Here it is necessary to take into account that this section of the wall, which consists of stairs going up and down, is made very thoughtfully. To slow down the enemy, who made his way to the wall, they also came up with these uneven stairs of various sizes. Not all visitors enjoy so many obstacles during a walk.
Passing by bus number 916 to the last stop you can walk to the tower. To the very same wall you need to transfer to a minibus. This stop is located 200m east of Dongzhimen Station. You will pay 11 yuan for the fare. Bus hours are from 6.00 to 19.00.
Simatai Wall
110 kilometers northeast of Beijing is the next section of the wall - Simatai, 4.5 km long. 30 yuan is the entrance to this site. The time to visit is from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm. To climb the wall, you must ride the cable car, paying 50 yuan round trip or 30 yuan one way only.
There are two buses from the same Dongzhimen stop to the Simatai wall. The first bus number 970 goes to Simatai at 5:40, and the last return bus leaves at 18:30. The second bus number 980 goes there at 5:50, and the last one at 19:00. In the same way, you need to go to the last stop and then transfer to a minibus.
There are much fewer people here. To visit this wall, which rises along the mountains and descends along the cliffs, good physical fitness is necessary. Watchtowers located close to each other - 35, with a minimum distance between them, which is 40 meters. The main tower, which depicts mythical creatures and is decorated with carvings, is the most beautiful of them. The highest - the sixteenth tower - is the Beijing Tower. To rise above sea level for a kilometer, it lacks a few meters. Incomparable, magnificent and interesting view opens from it.
There are two places in this section that are especially amazing and dangerous. These are the Heavenly Bridge and the Heavenly Ladder. The Sky Bridge at the top narrows to 30 centimeters. Can you imagine how the brave Chinese soldiers in ancient times could overcome it? Tourists are not allowed on the Heavenly Bridge and the Heavenly Ladder. On the Heavenly Ladder, the ascent to the top is very steep. The stairs are very narrow and the angle of ascent is 85 degrees. There are no parapets.
Jinshanling Wall
Jinshanling is located at a distance of 130 kilometers from Beijing, west of Simatai. Entrance tickets to this section from mid-November to mid-March cost 40 yuan, and at other times of the year - 50 yuan. You can get by cable car in the same way and at the same cost, i.e. 50 yuan round trip and 30 one way. Here, as in Simatai, the opening hours are the same, i.e. from 8.00 to 17.00.
This section of the wall is little restored. Here, there are very few visitors and few places where people can go.
The Jinshanling wall is 10.5 kilometers long. There are 24 watchtowers here. They all have different shapes. The height of the additional walls that enclose the watchtowers is 2.5 m. These walls were made to protect the soldiers. Warriors, being in a safe place, in the event of an attack, could attack the enemy, even after they were able to climb the wall.
Near the tower, which is called Hudin, there are bricks in the wall, on which there are inscriptions from hieroglyphs. The date of manufacture of bricks and the units involved in the construction of each section can be found on them.
You can get to Jinshalin in the same way and by the same buses that go to Simatai. Then you need to take a minibus. There is another way to get there - by train number 6453, which leaves at 6:38 from Beijing North Station to Gubeikou Station. After that, it remains to take a short bus ride to the wall.
Other notable pieces of the wall
There are three sections of the wall, which are built of marble. purple. Two sites are located in Jiang'an City, and the other is in the Yangishan Mountains, which is called Baiyangyu. They are considered the most reliable, strong and most beautiful. Unfortunately, not every tourist can visit this wall.
The essence of the inscription left by Mao Zedong at the entrance to the reconstructed part of the wall is that a Chinese who has not visited the Great Wall of China is not a real Chinese.
The Great Wall of China - to this day, this architectural structure impresses with its mighty grandeur and deservedly takes the place of the largest and most ancient architectural monument on the entire planet. The structure stretches across China for 8851.8 km. One of the gaps of the structure runs very close to Beijing. Most likely, each of us has heard about this miracle of architectural thought, but not everyone knows what history the wall went through during its construction. The construction of the Great Wall of China can shock any historian with its scale. Today our travel site invites you to immerse yourself in the history of the construction of the Wall, as well as learn new Interesting Facts, which largely influenced the course of work and the current appearance of the structure.
Most likely, you cannot even imagine correctly how much time and resources were spent on creating such a huge architectural object. And how many people suffered and died during the construction of the Wall - these are just huge numbers. Nowhere else in the world is there a structure that can compete with the Great Wall of China in its length.
Construction history
The study of the Great Wall of China will not be complete if we do not delve into the history of the creation of this powerful structure. They began to build the Wall in the distant years of the 3rd century BC. In those turbulent times, the country was ruled by Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, who was a descendant of the Qin dynasty. The period of his reign was the years of the Warring States (475 - 221 BC).
For the state, this period of history was very dangerous, since the nomadic people of the Xiongnu regularly carried out their raids. Of course, their members were not the only ones who did not mind taking easy money. Then it was decided to build a huge fence that would enclose the state and protect it reliably. More than a fifth of the population of all of China was called to build the wall. In those years it was about one million people.
Great Wall had one of its main tasks to protect the subjects of the "Celestial Empire" from the fact that they would be involved in a nomadic lifestyle. It could also guarantee the absence of assimilation with the barbarians. At that time, China had only just begun its formation into one state out of many small ones conquered by it. It was critically important to designate and protect their territories and possessions. The wall was supposed to be that help that would help unite and keep the empire as one. The boundaries of the wall on the map can be indicated by the following scheme:
Year 206 BC. The Han dynasty comes to power, and it was during this period that the Wall conquered new numbers in length. To the west, it is increased to Dunhuang. On the construction to protect trade caravans from attacks by nomads, they erect a large number of guard armed towers. Of course, not all sections of the great wall have survived to this day, but most of those sections that nevertheless appear to us today belonged to the Ming dynasty, which ruled from 1368 to 1644. It is during this period that the structure becomes the most durable, as it is already being built from bricks and concrete blocks. During this period, the wall runs from east to west from the territory of Shanhaiguan on the coast of the Yellow Sea up to the lands of Yumenguan, which are located on the border with Gansu province.
In 1644, the Qing Dynasty from Manchuria came to power. Representatives of this dynasty had conflicting opinions about the need for the existence of this structure. During the Qing period, the Great Wall was more destroyed than during the reign of other dynasties. This factor was affected by its influence and time as well. A small section from Beijing to Badaling was used as a gate that opened the entrance to the capital. This area is the best preserved. Today, this particular segment of the structure is the most popular among tourists from all over the world. It has been open to the public since the distant 1957. Interestingly, this section also served as the finish line for cyclists who took part in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In 1899, the United States wrote that the remaining section of the wall would be completely dismantled, and a freeway would be built in its place. The wall was visited by President of the United States of America Richard Nixon.
Great Wall today
Yes, in a certain period of the last century, it was really decided to dismantle the Wall, but after rethinking the situation a little, the government decided, on the contrary, to reconstruct the wall and leave it as a legacy of Chinese history.In 1984, the architect Deng Xiaoping organized a fundraiser that was needed to carry out work to return the wall to its former glory. Funds were attracted from both Chinese and foreign investors. Funds for restoration were collected even from ordinary private individuals, so everyone could contribute to the history of the restoration of a unique architectural heritage.
Let's stop for a second now and think about the next sentence for a moment. The length of the Great Wall of China is 8,851 kilometers and 800 meters! Think about this number! It is simply unbelievable how such a giant could be built by human hands.
In China, very active, and sometimes even aggressive methods are Agriculture. For this reason, since the 1950s, the waters that provided the bowels of the earth began to dry up in the country. As a result, the entire region has become a place where very gusty and strong sandstorms originate. It is because of these factors that today more than 60-kilometer section of the Wall in northwest China is subject to severe erosion and active destruction. 40 kilometers of the section have already been destroyed, and only 10 kilometers still remain in place. However, the impact of the elements and natural factors also changed the height of the wall in some sections. Where previously the wall reached 5 meters, now it does not exceed 2 meters.
In 1987, the Wall was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It has rightfully taken its place in the category of the greatest historical sights of China. By the way, today this area is one of the most visited in the world. More than 40 million tourists choose this point on the map as the main object of their travels.
Of course, such a significant architectural structure could not but leave its traces throughout the history of the state and the planet as a whole. There are many legends and superstitions around the Wall to this day. For example, there is a version that the wall was built in one piece in just one approach. However, if we turn to the facts, then it immediately turns out that this is just a myth. In fact, the wall is not something that in one go - it was built even by different dynasties. In addition, separate sections of a certain length were erected in the works. The length of the section was determined by various factors, taking into account the relief, weather conditions and other factors. They built it as reliably as possible in order to secure and protect China from the north.
All the dynasties that built the wall created their own specific area, which eventually united with the previous already the next dynasty. All this happened in different times sometimes separated by decades. For the period of turbulent times in which the wall was built, such defensive structures were an objective necessity, they were built everywhere. If we reduce all the defensive structures of China over the past 2000 years into one statistic, then we get a figure in the region of 50 thousand kilometers.
The wall, as I have already described above, had discontinuous segments in many places. As a result, in 1211 and 1223, this was used by Genghis Khan and his Mongol invaders, who eventually took possession of the entire northern part of the country. Until 1368, the Mongols were the rulers of China, but the representatives of the Ming dynasty expelled them by fasting.
In the framework of this paragraph, let us dispel another common myth. No matter what anyone says, the Great Wall of China is not visible from space. This assumption or just fiction came to light in 1893. Then the magazine The Centuries (Centuries) was published in America, and such a fact was mentioned there. Later in 1932, noumenon Robert Ripley stated that the Wall was visible from space, namely from the Moon. This fact was amusing, considering that there were still many decades before the first landing of a man on Ken. Today, space has already been explored to some extent, and our cosmonauts and satellites can provide high quality photos from orbit. see for yourself, it is quite difficult to notice the wall from space.
You can also hear about the wall that the mortar used to fasten the bricks was based on a powder based on the bones of the dead workers of this construction site. And the remains of the bodies were buried right inside the wall. Thus, the structure allegedly became stronger. But in fact, none of this happened, the wall was built using standard methods for those times, and ordinary rice flour was used to make the bonding solution.
For obvious reasons, this miracle was not included in the 7 ancient wonders of the world, but the Great Wall of China is rightfully included in the list of 7 new wonders of the world. Another legend says that Fire Dragon paved the way for the workers, indicating where to build the wall. Builders subsequently followed in his footsteps
There is also a legend that will tell us about a big dragon that showed the way for the builders with his flames. As a result, the workers followed in his footsteps, and the fire of their dragon's mouth cleared the way for them. What's most interesting about this story is that it's actually true. We managed to find a photo of this dragon and even find out which zoo it ended up in:
Okay, let's admit, nevertheless, that this is simply one of the mythical legends that have neither common sense nor logical justifications. And the photo shows just a drawing of a mythical creature - a dragon.
But there is no doubt that today the Great Wall of China deservedly takes its place of honor in the list of "7 new wonders of the world."
The most famous legend associated with the Wall of China is the tale of the girl Meng Jing Niu, who was simply a farmer's wife. She was involved in the construction of the Wall. The wife, who was stricken with grief, came at night to the wall and wept over it until the reading cracked and showed the girl the bones of her lover. In the end, the girl was able to bury them.
Here, on the ground, there was a certain custom of burying people who died during the construction. The family members of the one who died here carried a coffin crowned with a white rooster. The crowing of the rooster was supposed to keep the spirit of the deceased awake. This must have continued until the procession with the coffin crossed the Wall. There were legends that if the ceremony was not completed, or completed with violations, then the spirit would remain here forever and wander along the wall.
For the period when the wall was being built for all prisoners in the state and all the unemployed, there was only one measure of punishment. Send everyone to build the Great Wall! This period especially needed the protection of external borders, so drastic measures had to be taken.
This construction gave the heritage of the Chinese people a lot useful inventions. So, it was here and for the purposes of construction that the same wheelbarrow was invented, which is used today everywhere at construction sites. Vulnerable areas during the construction of the Wall were surrounded by a moat, which was filled with water, or simply remained in the form of an abyss. Among other things, the people of China also used advanced weaponry for defense. These were hammers, and spears, and crossbows, axes. But the main advantage of the Chinese was their main invention - gunpowder.
Observation platforms were erected everywhere along the wall at equal intervals, which served to monitor the area and protect trade caravans. if danger approached, the sentinel at the top lit a torch or dropped a flag, after which the troops were put on alert. Lookout towers also served as storage for provisions and ammunition. The famous trade route, the Silk Road, ran along the wall. He was also guarded from the top of the wall.
The wall has seen many bloody battles, he saw his own last Stand. It happened in 1938 during the Sino-Japanese war. The wall still bears many scars from the bullets of those battles.
The Great Wall of China, though not the highest building, but its height at its maximum point reaches 1534 meters. This place is located near Beijing. But the lowest point dropped to sea level near the coast of Laolongtu. If we start from average values, then the height of the wall is 7 meters, and the width in the most spacious areas is 8 meters. But on average more often from 5 to 7 meters.
Today, the Chinese government is spending billions of dollars to strengthen and maintain the Great Wall. Today, for the country, the mighty Wall is not just a structure. It is a symbol of cultural pride, a symbol of a struggle that lasted several centuries, and an indicator of the greatness of an entire nation.
In China, there is another material evidence of the presence in this country of a highly developed civilization, to which the Chinese have nothing to do. Unlike the Chinese pyramids, this evidence is well known to everyone. This is the so-called The great Wall of China.
Let's see what orthodox historians say about this largest architectural monument, which in Lately has become a major tourist attraction in China. The wall is located in the north of the country, stretching from the sea coast and going deep into the Mongolian steppes, and, according to various estimates, has a length, taking into account the branches, from 6 to 13,000 km. The thickness of the wall is several meters (on average 5 meters), the height is 6-10 meters. The wall is said to have included 25,000 towers.
A brief history of the construction of the wall today looks like this. The construction of the wall allegedly began yet in the 3rd century BC during the dynasty Qin to defend against the raids of nomads from the north and clearly define the border of Chinese civilization. The initiator of the construction was the famous "collector of Chinese lands" Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di. He drove about half a million people to the construction, which, with a total population of 20 million, is a very impressive figure. Back then, the wall was a structure made mostly of earth – a huge earthen rampart.
During the reign of the dynasty Han(206 BC - 220 AD) the wall was expanded to the west, strengthened with stone and built a line of watchtowers that went deep into the desert. Under the dynasty Min(1368-1644) the wall continued to be built further. As a result, it stretched from east to west from the Bohai Bay in the Yellow Sea to the western border of the modern provinces of Gansu, entering the territory of the Gobi Desert. It is believed that this wall was already built by the efforts of a million Chinese from bricks and stone blocks, which is why these sections of the wall have survived to this day in the form in which a modern tourist is already accustomed to seeing it. The Ming dynasty was replaced by the Manchu dynasty Qing(1644-1911), who did not build the wall. She limited herself to maintaining in relative order a small area near Beijing, which served as the "gateway to the capital."
In 1899, American newspapers started a rumor that the wall would soon be demolished and a highway built in its place. However, no one was going to demolish anything. Moreover, in 1984, a wall restoration program initiated by Deng Xiaoping and led by Mao Tse Tung was launched, which is still being carried out and financed by Chinese and foreign companies, as well as individuals. How many drove Mao to restore the wall is not reported. Several sections were repaired, in some places they were erected altogether anew. So we can assume that in 1984 the construction of the fourth wall of China began. Usually, tourists are shown one of the sections of the wall, located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the area of Mount Badaling (Badaling), the length of the wall is 50 km.
The wall makes the greatest impression not in the Beijing region, where it was erected on not very high mountains, but in remote mountainous regions. There, by the way, it is very clearly seen that the wall, as a defensive structure, was made very thoughtfully. Firstly, five people in a row could move along the wall itself, so it was also a good road, which is extremely important when it is necessary to transfer troops. Under cover of the battlements, the guards could stealthily approach the area where the enemies planned to attack. The signal towers were located in such a way that each of them was within sight of the other two. Some important messages were transmitted either by drumming, or by smoke, or by the fire of bonfires. Thus, the news of the enemy's invasion from the most distant frontiers could be transmitted to the center per day!
During the restoration of the wall, interesting facts were revealed. For example, its stone blocks were fastened together with adhesive rice porridge with an admixture of slaked lime. Or what loopholes on its fortresses looked towards China; that on the north side the height of the wall is small, much less than on the south, and there are stairs. The latest facts, for obvious reasons, are not advertised and are not commented on by official science - neither Chinese nor world. Moreover, when reconstructing towers, they try to build loopholes in the opposite direction, although this is not always possible. These photos show the south side of the wall - the sun is shining at noon.
However, on this oddity with Chinese wall do not end. Wikipedia has a full map of the wall, which shows in different colors the wall we are told each Chinese dynasty built. As you can see, the great wall is not alone. Northern China is often and densely dotted with "great Chinese walls" that go into the territory of modern Mongolia and even Russia. Shed light on these oddities A.A. Tyunyaev in his work "The Chinese Wall - a great barrier from the Chinese":
“It is extremely interesting to trace the stages of the construction of the “Chinese” wall, based on the data of Chinese scientists. It can be seen from them that Chinese scientists who call the wall “Chinese” are not very concerned about the fact that the Chinese people themselves did not take any part in its construction: every time the next section of the wall was built, the Chinese state was far from the construction sites.
So, the first and main part of the wall was built in the period from 445 BC. to 222 BC It runs along 41-42 ° north latitude and simultaneously along some sections of the river. Huanghe. At that time, of course, there were no Mongol-Tatars. Moreover, the first unification of peoples within China took place only in 221 BC. under the reign of Qin. And before that, there was the Zhangguo period (5-3 centuries BC), in which eight states existed on the territory of China. Only in the middle of the 4th c. BC. Qin began to fight against other kingdoms, and by 221 BC. conquered some of them.
The figure shows that the western and northern border of the state of Qin by 221 BC. began to coincide with that section of the "Chinese" wall, which began to be built even in 445 BC and was built in 222 BC
Thus, we see that this section of the "Chinese" wall was built not by the Chinese of the Qin state, but northern neighbors, but precisely from the Chinese spreading to the north. In just 5 years - from 221 to 206. BC. - a wall was built along the entire border of the state of Qin, which stopped the spread of his subjects to the north and west. In addition, at the same time, 100-200 km west and north of the first, the second line of defense from Qin was built - the second "Chinese" wall of this period.
The next construction period covers the time from 206 BC to 220 AD During this period, sections of the wall were built, located 500 km to the west and 100 km to the north of the previous ones ... from 618 to 907 China was ruled by the Tang dynasty, which did not mark itself as victorious over its northern neighbors.
In the next period from 960 to 1279 The Song Empire was established in China. At this time, China lost dominance over its vassals in the west, in the northeast (on the territory of the Korean Peninsula) and in the South - in northern Vietnam. The Sung empire lost a significant part of the territories of the Chinese proper in the north and northwest, which went to the Khitan the Liao State(part of the modern provinces of Hebei and Shanxi), the Tangut kingdom of Xi-Xia (part of the territories of the modern province of Shaanxi, the entire territory of the modern province of Gansu and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region).
In 1125, the border between the non-Chinese kingdom of the Jurchens and China passed along the river. Huaihe is 500-700 km south of the places where the wall was built. And in 1141, a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Chinese Sung Empire recognized itself as a vassal of the non-Chinese state of Jin, pledging to pay him a large tribute.
However, while China itself huddled south of the river. Hunahe, 2100-2500 km north of its borders, another section of the "Chinese" wall was erected. This part of the wall built from 1066 to 1234, passes through Russian territory north of the village of Borzya near the river. Argun. At the same time, another section of the wall was built 1500-2000 km north of China, located along the Greater Khingan...
The next section of the wall was built between 1366 and 1644. It runs along the 40th parallel from Andong (40°), just north of Beijing (40°), through Yinchuan (39°) to Dunhuang and Anxi (40°) in the west. This section of the wall is the last, southernmost and most deeply penetrating into the territory of China ... During the construction of this section of the wall, the entire Amur region belonged to Russian territories. By the middle of the 17th century, on both banks of the Amur, there were already Russian fortresses-prisons (Albazinsky, Kumarsky, etc.), peasant settlements and arable lands. In 1656, the Daurskoye (later Albazinskoye) voivodship was formed, which included the valley of the Upper and Middle Amur along both banks ... The “Chinese” wall built by the Russians by 1644 ran exactly along the border of Russia with Qing China. In the 1650s, Qing China invaded Russian lands to a depth of 1500 km, which was confirmed by the Aigun (1858) and Beijing (1860) treaties ... "
Today the Wall of China is inside China. However, there was a time when the wall meant country border.
This fact is confirmed by the extant vintage cards. For example, a map of China by the famous medieval cartographer Abraham Ortelius from his geographical atlas of the world Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1602. On the map, north is on the right. It clearly shows that China is separated from the northern country - Tartary by a wall.
On the map of 1754 "Le Carte de l'Asie" it is also clearly seen that the border of China with Great Tartaria runs along the wall.
And even the 1880 map shows the wall as China's border with its northern neighbor. It is noteworthy that part of the wall goes far enough into the territory of China's western neighbor - Chinese Tartary...
Interesting illustrations for this article are collected on the Food of RA website ...
False antiquity of China
Great Wall of China (China) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
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It is difficult to find a larger creation of human hands than the Great Wall of China. It is possible to single out perhaps the Egyptian pyramids. And if the structures in the Giza Valley are mainly concentrated in one place, then the wall, like a giant dragon, runs over deserts, fields, mountains and plateaus, stretching for more than 20,000 km from east to west of China. Despite the almost zero effectiveness in protecting against invaders, it still became a symbol of the country's power, a kind of barrier between the Celestial Empire and the rest of the world. Today, millions of tourists annually strive to see this symbol, a significant part of which are residents of China, who believe that if a person has never been on the wall, he cannot be a real Chinese.
A bit of history
The Great Wall of China was not built overnight. This is the result of the work of many states that existed on the territory of modern China. It was erected in the 7th century by the rulers of the state of Chu, and completed in 1878 by the rulers of the Qing empire. The main part of the structure was built 600 years ago. Until the 1980s, the wall was practically not repaired, and only the Badaling segment was in a more or less intact state. But thanks to a large-scale restoration program, the building was saved, although many sections are still in a dilapidated state.
There is an urban legend that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space. Actually, this is not entirely true. The wall is really impressive, but first of all for its length. Its width is relatively small, and visual acuity is simply not enough to see it. But you can still see the wall in a high-quality photograph. She looks like him but thin broken hair.
What to see
The Great Wall is not a solid structure. Over the 2700 years of its existence, many of its sections have turned into ruins, or even been completely dismantled. Therefore, a trip to certain segments is implied, most often completely restored, located near large cities with a developed tourist infrastructure.
Mutianyu is the most "sleek" 73-kilometer section, located 2 hours from Beijing. The meticulously restored wall with many watchtowers is surrounded by stunning mountain ranges. There are not as many people here as in other segments, so if time permits, it is better to go here. According to many tourists, the architecture here is more interesting than on the super popular Badaling site.
Badaling is often overcrowded - this is "thanks" to a short distance from Beijing (80 km), developed infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, funicular) and, of course, beautiful scenery.
Symatai is one of the few segments that has retained the original appearance 14th century. On the bricks of which the wall is composed, the date when they were laid and the number of the military unit involved in the construction are indicated. This is the only area open in the evening.
A feature of the Jinshanling segment is a well-preserved defensive system with loopholes, clock towers, gates and firing points.
Practical information
The most popular sections of the wall are located in relative proximity to Beijing. Here's how to get to them.
Mutianyu. Take the subway directly from the airport and go to Dongzhimen Station. From there, on weekends at 7:00 and 8:30, bus number 867 leaves for the wall. It spends 2-2.5 hours on the road and leaves back for Beijing at 14:00 and 16:00.
Badaling. Bus No. 877 to Badaling departs from Deshengmen Capital Bus Station from 6:00. You can also get here on the Beijing Tourist Hub tourist bus, plying from the southern tip of Tiananmen Square. The ticket costs 100 CNY, children under 120 cm tall travel free of charge.
Symatai. From Beijing Dongzhimen Station, take Bus No. 980 to Miyun City and then take a taxi to the wall (180 CNY round trip). The total travel time is 2 hours.
Jinshanling. Take the subway to Dongzhimen Station. A tourist bus leaves from there to the wall at 8:00. From Jinshanling it departs at 15:00. Ticket 50 CNY, travel time 2 hours. Prices on the page are for August 2018.
