The Great Wall of China is probably the most famous monument of ancient architecture. Stretching over 8,000 km across northern China, the wall is an integral part of the history of the Celestial Empire. Hundreds of thousands of workers worked on the construction of this structure for decades.
Now we can admire the long stone snake, so organically blended into the landscape surrounding it. But most often in photographs or excursions we see only the middle parts of this grandiose structure. Much less often we are shown the beginning of the Great Wall of China. Officially, it is located right on the coast of the Yellow Sea - it was there, according to the idea of ancient Chinese engineers, that it was possible to complete a defensive structure against external enemies.
"Dragon's Head" | depositphotos — @lenkusa In this case, the wall enters the water until the depth becomes large enough to prevent the advance of an infantryman or horseman. The Chinese liked to compare their wall, stretching from east to west, with a huge dragon. By analogy, the easternmost point of the wall is called the "Dragon's Head".
But if only it were that easy! The construction of the northern defensive structures began as early as the 5th century BC, when China was divided into internecine wars. Each dynasty built its own section of the wall, which would allow it to protect itself from at least one enemy - in this case, the nomadic Xiongnu tribes living in the north. Dynasties changed, one ruling house won a victory over another, and each time the construction of the wall began anew in different places not always connected to each other. Some parts have come down to us perfectly preserved, others are now barely visible among the landscape. It turns out that this seemingly single defensive structure can rightly be called the Great Walls of China.
The map shows various sections of the defensive fortifications built by the Chinese rulers. It is interesting that part of the fortifications was even on the territory of modern Russia But still we used to talk about the wall in singular- largely thanks to the first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang, who put an end to civil strife, united the country and managed to build a single wall from separate sections of many defensive walls that reliably covered the states from the north (although, of course, even under him the wall was not completely connected - often this did not allow to make a hard-to-reach area where construction was carried out). Somewhere had to lay new wall, on the strong sections of which tourists love to walk around so much these days, somewhere it cost restoration old wall, which is now in poor condition, and somewhere it was decided to completely use the old parts, of which now only hills remain. At the same time, many parts of the wall generally remained unused in the general defensive line. And to figure out which of them was really part of the Great Wall, starting from the reign of Qin Shi Huang, is not an easy task.
Of course, over the past hundreds of years, the borders of countries have changed a lot, and what was previously under the rule of the Chinese emperors now belongs to other states. For example, North Korea. But it is there that the real beginning of the Great Wall of China is located. True, the followers of the Juche ideas are unlikely to carefully take care of the unique structure, so only ruins remain of the once wide (5-8 meters) and high (6-7 meters) Great Wall of China on the territory of their state. Due to the fact that the ideology of North Korea cannot even afford the idea that once their land belonged to strangers, no archaeological research is being carried out there, therefore, for lack of data, one can only assume that the Great Wall of China begins somewhere north of modern Pyongyang.
Jade Gate - the end of the Great Wall of China in the west | Flickr - Tim Wang The end of the Great Wall of China is far to the west and is probably located somewhere in Jiuquan County. It was there that the westernmost outposts dating back to the 2nd century BC were discovered. They were called the "Jade Gate" and were both a stronghold on the border of China and, in the literal sense, the gate through which the Great Silk Road ran and where merchants were taxed for passing through the lands of the emperor.
Illustration: depositphotos | @lenkusa
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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. In a building for protection trade caravans from the attacks of nomads 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
The Great Wall of China is one of the oldest structures that have survived to this day. Its construction dragged on for many centuries, accompanied by exorbitant human losses and gigantic material costs. Today, this legendary architectural monument, which some even call the eighth wonder of the world, attracts travelers from all over the planet.
Which Chinese ruler was the first to build the Wall?
The beginning of the construction of the Wall is associated with the name of the legendary Emperor Qin Shi Huang. He did many important things for the development of Chinese civilization. In the III century BC. e. Qin Shi Huang was able to unite several kingdoms that were at war with each other into a single entity. After the unification, he ordered the erection of a high Wall on the northern borders of the empire (more specifically, this happened in 215 BC). At the same time, the commander Meng Tian was to directly supervise the construction process.
The construction took about ten years and involved a large number difficulties. A serious problem was the lack of any kind of infrastructure: there were no roads for the transport of building materials, there was also not enough water and food for the people involved in the work. The number of those who were involved in construction during the time of Qin Shi Huang reached, according to researchers, two million. En masse, soldiers, slaves, and then peasants were transported to this construction.
Working conditions (which was mainly forced labor) were extremely cruel, so many builders died right here. Legends have come down to us about immured corpses, that powder from the bones of the dead was allegedly used to strengthen the structure, but this is not supported by facts and studies.
The construction of the Wall, despite the difficulties, was carried out at a high pace
A popular version is that the Wall was intended to prevent the raids of the tribes that lived on the lands to the north. There is some truth in this. Indeed, at that time, the Chinese principalities were attacked by aggressive Xiongnu tribes and other nomads. But they did not pose a serious danger and could not cope with the militarily and culturally developed Chinese. And further historical events showed that the Wall is, in principle, not very good way stop the nomads. Many centuries after the death of Qin Shi Huang, when the Mongols came to China, she did not become an insurmountable obstacle for them. The Mongols found (or made themselves) several gaps in the Wall and simply passed through them.
The main purpose of the Wall was probably to limit the further expansion of the empire. It seems not entirely logical, but only at first glance. The newly-made emperor needed to preserve his territory and at the same time prevent a mass exodus of subjects to the north. There, the Chinese could mix with the nomads and adopt their nomadic way of life. And this ultimately could lead to a new fragmentation of the country. That is, the Wall was intended to consolidate the empire within the existing borders and contribute to its consolidation.
Of course, the Wall could be used at any time to move troops and cargo. And a system of signal towers on and near the Wall ensured fast communication. The advancing enemies could be seen in advance from afar and quickly, lighting a fire, notify others about it.
The wall during the reign of other dynasties
During the reign of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), the wall was extended westward to the oasis city of Dunhuang. In addition, a special network of watchtowers was created, stretching even deeper into the Gobi Desert. These towers were designed to protect merchants from nomadic robbers. During the years of the Han Empire, about 10,000 kilometers of the Wall were restored and built "from scratch" - this is twice as much as was built under Qin Shi Huangji.
During the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), women were used instead of men as sentinels on the Wall, whose job it was to monitor the surrounding area and sound the alarm when necessary. It was believed that women are more attentive and treat the duties assigned to them more responsibly.
Much effort was made to improve the Wall by the representatives of the ruling Jin dynasty (1115-1234 AD) in the 12th century - they periodically mobilized for construction works tens and hundreds of thousands of people.
Sections of the Great Wall of China, which have survived to this day in an acceptable condition, were erected mainly during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In this era, blocks of stone and bricks were used for construction, which made the structure even stronger than before. And the mortar, as studies show, was prepared by ancient masters from limestone with the addition of rice flour. Largely due to this unusual composition, many sections of the Wall have not collapsed so far.
During the Ming Dynasty, the Wall was seriously updated and modernized - this helped many of its sections to survive to this day.
The appearance of the Wall also changed: its upper part was equipped with a parapet with battlements. In those areas where the foundation was already flimsy, it was reinforced with stone blocks. Interestingly, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the inhabitants of China considered Wan-Li to be the main creator of the Wall.
Over the centuries of the Ming Dynasty, the building stretched from the Shanhaiguan outpost on the coast of the Bohai Bay (here one section of the fortifications even goes a little into the water) to the Yumenguan outpost, located on the border of the modern Xinjiang region.
After the accession of the Manchu Qing dynasty in 1644, which managed to unite the North and South of China under its control, the issue of the safety of the wall receded into the background. It lost its importance as a defensive structure and seemed useless to the new rulers and many of their subjects. Representatives of the Qing dynasty treated the Wall with some disdain, in particular, due to the fact that they themselves easily overcame it in 1644 and entered Beijing, thanks to the betrayal of General Wu Sangai. In general, none of them had plans to build the Wall further or restore any sections.
During the Qing Dynasty Great Wall practically collapsed, as it was not properly cared for. Only a small section of it near Beijing - Badaling - was preserved in a decent form. This section was used as a kind of front "capital gate".
Wall in the 20th century
It was only under Mao Zedong that the Wall was again given serious attention. Once, back in the thirties of the XX century, Mao Zedong said that one who was not on the Wall cannot consider himself a good fellow (or, in another translation, a good Chinese). These words later became a very popular proverb among the people.
But large-scale work to restore the Wall began only after 1949. True, during the years of the "cultural revolution" these works were interrupted - on the contrary, the so-called hongweipings (members of school and student communist detachments), dismantled some sections of the Wall and made pigsties and other "more useful", in their opinion, from the building materials obtained in this way, objects.
In the seventies, the Cultural Revolution ended, and soon Deng Xiaoping became the next leader of the PRC. With his support, in 1984, a program was launched to restore the Wall - it was financed by large companies and ordinary people. And three years later the Great Chinese wall included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Not so long ago, the myth that the Wall could really be seen from near-Earth orbit was widespread. However, real testimonies of astronauts refute this. For example, the famous American cosmonaut Neil Armstrong said in an interview that he basically does not believe that any artificial structure can be seen from orbit. And he added that he did not know a single guy who would confess that he could see with his own eyes, without special devices, the Great Wall of China.
Features and dimensions Walls
If you count together with the branches created in various periods of Chinese history, then the length of the Wall will be more than 21,000 kilometers. Initially, this object looked like a network or a complex of walls, which often did not even have a connection with each other. Later they were united, strengthened, demolished and rebuilt, if necessary. As for the height of this grandiose structure, it varies from 6 to 10 meters.
On the outer side of the wall, you can see simple rectangular battlements - this is another feature of this design.
It is worth saying a few words about the towers of this magnificent Wall. There are several types of them, they differ in architectural parameters. The most common are rectangular two-story towers. And in the upper part of such towers there are loopholes.
Interestingly, some towers were built by Chinese craftsmen even before the construction of the Wall itself. Such towers are often smaller in width than the main structure, and their locations seem to be chosen at random. The towers that were built along with the Wall are almost always located two hundred meters from each other (this is the distance that an arrow fired from a bow cannot overcome).
As for the signal towers, they were arranged approximately every ten kilometers. This allowed a person on one tower to see a fire lit on another, neighboring tower.
In addition, 12 large gates were created to enter or enter the Wall - over time, full-fledged outposts grew around them.
Of course, the existing landscape did not always contribute to the easy and quick construction of the Wall: in certain places it goes along the mountain range, bending around ridges and spurs, rising to the heights and descending into deep gorges. This, by the way, reveals the uniqueness and originality of the described structure - the Wall is very harmoniously inscribed in the environment.
Wall at present
Now the most popular section of the Wall among tourists is the already mentioned Badaling, located not far (about seventy kilometers) from Beijing. It is better preserved than other sites. For tourists, it became available in 1957, since then excursions have been constantly held here. Badaling today can be reached directly from Beijing by bus or train express - it does not take much time.
At the 2008 Olympics, the Badaling gate served as the finish line for cyclists. And in China, every year a marathon for runners is organized, the route of which passes through one of the sections of the legendary Wall.
For long history everything happened during the construction of the Wall. For example, builders sometimes rioted because they did not want or did not want to work anymore. In addition, often the guards themselves let the enemy pass the Wall - out of fear for their lives or for a bribe. That is, in many cases, it really was an ineffective protective barrier.
Today in China, the Wall, despite all the failures, difficulties and failures that arose during its construction, is considered a symbol of the fortitude and diligence of ancestors. Although among ordinary modern Chinese there are those who treat this building with genuine respect, and those who, without hesitation, will throw garbage near this attraction. At the same time, it was noted that Chinese residents go on excursions to the Wall just as willingly as foreigners.
Unfortunately, time and the vagaries of nature are working against this architectural structure. For example, in 2012, the media reported that heavy rains in Hebei completely washed away a 36-meter section of the Wall.
According to experts, a significant segment of the Great Wall of China (literally thousands of kilometers) will be destroyed before 2040. First of all, it threatens the segments of the Wall in the province of Gansu - their condition is very dilapidated.
Documentary film of the Discovery channel “Blowing up history. The great Wall of China"
SOME Russian researchers (President of the Academy of Fundamental Sciences A.A. Tyunyaev and his associate, Honorary Doctor of the University of Brussels V.I. Semeyko) express doubts about the generally accepted version of the origin of the protective structure on the northern borders of the state of the Qin dynasty. In November 2006, in one of his publications, Andrey Tyunyaev formulated his thoughts on this topic as follows: “As you know, to the north of the territory of modern China there was another, much more ancient civilization. This has been repeatedly confirmed by archaeological discoveries made, in particular, on the territory of Eastern Siberia. Impressive evidence of this civilization, comparable to Arkaim in the Urals, not only has not yet been studied and comprehended by the world historical science, but did not even receive a proper assessment in Russia itself.
As for the so-called "Chinese" wall, it is not quite right to speak of it as an achievement of the ancient Chinese civilization. Here, to confirm our scientific correctness, it is sufficient to cite only one fact. LOOPHOUSES on a significant part of the wall ARE NOT DIRECTIONAL TO THE NORTH, BUT TO THE SOUTH! And this is clearly seen not only in the most ancient, not reconstructed sections of the wall, but even in recent photographs and in works of Chinese drawing.
It is generally accepted that they began to build it in the 3rd century BC. to protect the state of the Qin dynasty from the raids of the "northern barbarians" - the nomadic people of the Xiongnu. In the 3rd century AD, during the Han Dynasty, the construction of the wall was resumed and it was extended to the west.
Over time, the wall began to collapse, but during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), according to Chinese historians, the wall was restored and strengthened. Those sections of it that have survived to our time were built mainly in the 15th-16th centuries.
Over the three centuries of the reign of the Manchu Qing Dynasty (since 1644), the protective structure dilapidated and almost everything collapsed, since the new rulers of the Celestial Empire did not need protection from the north. Only in our time, in the mid-1980s, restoration of sections of the wall began as material evidence of the ancient origin of statehood in the lands of Northeast Asia.
Earlier, the Chinese themselves made a discovery about the belonging of ancient Chinese writing to another people. There are already published works proving that these people were the Slavs of Aria.
In 2008, at the First International Congress "Pre-Cyrillic Slavic Writing and Pre-Christian Slavic Culture" in Leningrad state university named after A.S. Pushkina Tyunyaev made a report "China is the younger brother of Rus'", during which he presented fragments of Neolithic ceramics from the territory
eastern part of northern China. The signs depicted on ceramics did not look like Chinese characters, but showed almost complete coincidence with the Old Russian runic - up to 80 percent.
Based on the latest archaeological data, the researcher expresses the opinion that during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, the population of the western part of Northern China was Caucasoid. Indeed, throughout Siberia, up to China, mummies of Caucasians are found. According to genetic data, this population had the Old Russian haplogroup R1a1.
This version is also supported by the mythology of the ancient Slavs, which tells about the movement of the ancient Rus in an easterly direction - they were led by Bogumir, Slavunya and their son Scythian. These events are reflected, in particular, in the Book of Veles, which, let's make a reservation, is not recognized by academic historians.
Tyunyaev and his supporters draw attention to the fact that the Great Wall of China was built in a similar way to European and Russian medieval walls, the main purpose of which is protection from firearms. The construction of such structures began no earlier than the 15th century, when cannons and other siege weapons appeared on the battlefields. Before the 15th century, the so-called northern nomads did not have artillery.
Pay attention to which side the sun is shining.
ON THE BASIS of these data, Tyunyaev expresses the opinion that the wall in eastern Asia was built as a defensive structure marking the border between two medieval states. It was erected after an agreement was reached on the delimitation of territories. And this, according to Tyunyaev, is confirmed by the map of that
the time when the border between the Russian Empire and the Qing Empire passed exactly along the wall.
We are talking about a map of the Qing Empire in the second half of the 17th-18th centuries, presented in the academic 10-volume " world history". That map shows in detail the wall that runs exactly along the border between the Russian Empire and the Empire of the Manchu Dynasty (Qing Empire).
There are other translations from the French phrase "Muraille de la Chine" - "a wall from China", "a wall delimiting from China". Indeed, in an apartment or in a house, we call the wall that separates us from our neighbors a neighbor's wall, and the wall that separates us from the street - outer wall. We have the same thing with the name of the borders: the Finnish border, the Ukrainian border... In this case, the adjectives indicate only the geographical location of the Russian borders.
It is noteworthy that in medieval Rus' there was the word "whale" - knitting poles that were used in the construction of fortifications. So, the name of the Moscow district Kitay-gorod was given in the 16th century for the same reasons - the building consisted of a stone wall with 13 towers and 6 gates...
According to the opinion enshrined in the official version of history, the Great Wall of China began to be built in 246 BC. under Emperor Shi Huangdi, its height was from 6 to 7 meters, the purpose of construction was protection from northern nomads.
Russian historian L.N. Gumilyov wrote: “The wall stretched for 4,000 km. Its height reached 10 meters, and watchtowers rose every 60-100 meters. He also noted: “When the work was completed, it turned out that all armed forces China is not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall. In fact, if a small detachment is placed on each tower, then the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and give help. If, however, large detachments are spaced less often, then gaps are formed through which the enemy will easily and imperceptibly penetrate into the interior of the country. A fortress without defenders is not a fortress.”
Moreover, the loophole towers are located on the South side, as if the defenders repelled attacks from the NORTH ????
Andrey Tyunyaev offers to compare two towers - from the Chinese wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. The shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed upwards. From the wall inside both towers there is an entrance blocked round arch, laid out of the same brick as the wall with the tower. Each of the towers has two upper "working" floors. Round-arched windows were made in the first floor of both towers. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130-160 centimeters.
And what does the comparison of the preserved towers of the Chinese city of Beijing with the medieval towers of Europe say? The fortress walls of the Spanish city of Avila and Beijing are very similar to each other, especially in that the towers are located very often and have practically no architectural adaptations for military needs. Peking towers have only an upper deck with loopholes, and are laid out at the same height as the rest of the wall.
Neither the Spanish nor the Peking towers show such a high resemblance to the defensive towers of the Chinese Wall, as the towers of the Russian Kremlin and fortress walls show. And this is an occasion for reflection for historians.
