The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest sights in the world — the longest wall in the world, an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Its winding path over a rugged country and steep mountains take in some great scenery.
The official length of the Great Wall of China is 21,196.18 kilometers (13,170.7 miles), according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) on June 5th, 2012. This is the first time that China has scientifically and systematically measured the length of all of the Great Wall after a six-year-long archaeological survey.
The Ming Great Wall of China (constructed 1368–1644), measured 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500 miles) and includes most of the best-preserved sections. Its length is similar to the length of the Great Siberian Railway, but that’s only 40% of the whole Great Wall’s length.
The height of the Great Wall of China is 5–8 meters (16–26 feet), where intact/restored. It was designed to be at least three times the height of a man. Some of the walls were built along ridges, which make them look taller.
The Great Wall of China stretches from west to east in northern China, and mainly covers 15 provincial-level areas: Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai.
The Great Wall of China was Built to:-
•defend nomads and protect China’s North
•promote expansion and protect the Silk Road
In the Qin Dynasty, the First Emperor of Qin inked the northern walls to prevent invasion from northern nations. In the Han Dynasty, the emperors extended the Great Wall far into today’s western China to protect the Silk Road trade.
The Great Wall of China has a history of more than 2,300 years. The Great Wall of China’s history began in the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC) and was last rebuilt as a defense in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).
Early Walls (770-221 BC)
During the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475–221 BC) when the eastern and central region of what is now China consisted of many small states or princedoms, the princes ordered independent walls be built along state borders to protect their states. The earliest was probably built between the states of Lu and Qi around 650 BC, which later became part of the Chu State Wall.
The Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC)
Qin Shihuang (king of the State of Qin from 247–221 BC) conquered and unified the other states. Emperor Qin Shihuang ordered that the northern sections of walls on state borders, especially the walls in the northern part of China built by the states of Qin, Zhao, and Yan, be joined together to form a unified line of defense against Mongol harassment from the north, the first true Great Wall. Other state border walls became obsolete in a unified China and were subsequently eroded or dismantled.
The Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD)
The northern fortifications were strengthened and lengthened, with sections of wall running parallel for hundreds of kilometers and interlinking along the Inner Mongolian border.
The Han Dynasty Great Wall from the North Korean coast near Pyongyang in the east to Jade Gate Pass (Yumenguan) in the west was the longest the Great Wall has ever been at more than 8,000 km (5,000 miles). The total length included many branching walls, natural barriers, and trenches.
The Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)
The Yuan Dynasty was the first dynasty in which the whole of China was controlled by a non-Han people, the Mongols. The Great Wall had done a good job of preserving Han China for 1,500 years. The building of the Great Wall, not surprisingly, ceased during the Yuan Dynasty, as China and Mongolia to the north were one.
The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
China flourished during the Ming Dynasty and its military might swelled. The Great Wall was systematically rebuilt in a 100-year project to prevent further northern invasion.
Most of the remaining Great Wall was built in the Ming Dynasty and is known as the Ming Great Wall. The Great Wall sections close to Beijing like the Bada
