Great Wall of China: history and legends

One of the greatest man-made creations ever created by mankind is rightfully considered the Great Wall of China. This truly grandiose construction from time immemorial has become a symbol of the Celestial Empire, and at all times attracts many tourists. The history of the Great Wall of China begins from the distant V century BC, when the Chinese ruler Qin Shi-Huang began to erect the first fortress walls as a self-defense, during the Warring States. They were located to the north of the modern building and practically did not survive to our times. The fortification, which is known to all of us, was built during the reign of the Chinese imperial dynasty of Ming.

The construction of the wall continued during the reign of the four imperial dynasties:

• Qin (208 BC);
• Han (1st century BC);
• 10 Kingdoms and 5 Dynasties (1138-1198 gg.);
• Under the emperor Hun and before the reign of Wanli from the imperial Ming dynasty (until 1620).

In general, the Great Wall of China (the history of its erection) has about 2100 years. According to various estimates, more than 8 million Chinese took part in its construction. Moreover, it is worth noting that the construction is considered to be the largest cemetery in the world, since for all time it has become the last refuge for more than three million people.

Its total length is about 6700 km, and taking into account all possible branches - 8900 km. The height in different places is 6-10 meters. The main section of the wall almost repeats the border of internal Mongolia and runs from the eastern city of Shanhaiguan to the western province of Lop Nur.

The Great Wall of China was wide enough so that several horse riders could easily pass through it, so often it performed not only a defensive function, but also served as a high-speed road. And with the help of smoke signals sentries informed the capital about the attack of enemy troops.

Before the use of bricks as a building material used wood, stones or compacted earth, so initially the strengthening was not very strong. During the Ming dynasty, bricks, as well as lime and stone, were already used for the construction. Since the bricks began to work much more conveniently, the erection began at an accelerated pace. However, the stone blocks were still much stronger than the above materials, so they were cut to a rectangular shape and laid in the foundation and the outer and inner edges of the wall. The sizes of some of them reached four meters. Purple marble was used to build three fragments of the wall. Two of them are located in the city of Jian'an, and one - in the mountainous area of Bayangyu. These are the most beautiful and durable walls.

The Great Wall of China has defensive tower-forts throughout the structure. To each tower, in turn, led a narrow single staircase and a small gate. On the walls were installed battlements through which the soldiers could observe the enemy. Ammunition was stored in signal towers. For a better view, they were erected on mountain peaks and other high terrain points. However, the main feature of the building was the direct visibility from each tower of the two neighboring ones, which enabled us to transmit in the shortest possible time reports on the offensive of enemy troops with the help of fire and smoke. Also in the walls there were loopholes, the height of which was approximately 30 cm, and the width - about 23 cm.

Up until 1664, the Great Wall of China was an almost insurmountable obstacle to those who tried to leave China or get into it. Throughout the construction, control points were installed, which were closed for the night and no one, not even the emperor, had the right to break this order. The borders of China could not be left without a proper permit. However, after the conquest of the Celestial Empire by the Manchus, the need for a wall disappeared. Bricks began to be plundered gradually by local peasants, and eventually the Great Wall of China came to a complete decline.

To date, the Wall is on the list of objects protected by UNESCO, as well as in the "Seven Medieval Wonders of the World".