short essay on great wall of china

The Great Wall of China Descriptive Essay

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Introduction

The Great Wall of China is a long continuous wall which was erected with the sole intention of securing the Chinese border in the northern border against intruders (Man 103). The Great Wall consists of several walls which were built over a lengthy period of time.

The construction is claimed to have began during the dynasty of Emperor Qin Shi Huangi who ruled the country in the early 200 BC to the 16 th century during the Ming dynasty.

The essay will take the form of an informative speech whose intention is to further shed light on who built the Great Wall of China, when it was built, the reason behind building it and how wide and long the wall is as well as how it has been built.

The Chinese were among the first countries to experience civilization in the world. During the civilization period, they acquired the art of building houses and other structures and this helped greatly during the construction of the Great Wall.

As early as 8 th century BC, various states such as Wei, Qin, Yan, Qi, and Zhao constructed extensive walls in an attempt to defend their territorial borders from their warring neighbors (Yamashita and Lindesay 53).

However, all these efforts were better noticed during the reign of the Qin dynasty that after conquering the states which had been opposing him, he embarked on the building of the great wall so as to connect and enclose all the states that now belonged to him and protect them from external intruders.

During the Ming Dynasty, after the Oirats had defeated the Ming army in 1449 (in what was famously referred to as the Battle of Tumu), the Great Wall idea was revived.

The Great Wall proved quite useful to the Ming Dynasty, especially towards the end of its reign because it ensured that the empire remained protected against possible invasion by the Manchu (this was around 1600).

At this time, the wall had a total length of 5,000 kilometers, starting at the Gansu Province in Linyao all the way to the Liaoning Province (Man 105). As we talk today, the great wall is estimated to stretch 4,163 miles (about 6,700 kilometers).

It starts in the Gansu Province at the Jiayuguan Pass and stretches all the way to the Hebei Province in the Shanhaiguan Pass. The wall runs through the large plains in the northern border of the country. Although people have come up with several discussions as to how the wall came to be, it is widely believed that it was the efforts emperor Qin that the wall was extensively built.

The construction formation of the Great Wall also differed at different historical periods. For example during the Qin dynasty the pass gates were not constructed using stone and the wall lacked any fortresses.

However, during the construction of the Han Greta Waal that passes through the Gobi Region, the main fortification was moats (Roland and Jan 67). A beacon tower was also constructed at intervals of 1.25 kilometers along these moats. The beacon towers were used during the time of war.

When one column was lit, this was a sign that the advancing troops were less than 500.When two columns were lit, it meant that the advancing troops were less than 3,000. By using the columns of smoke, the defenders were always aware on the magnitude of what to expect.

Laborers who took part in the construction of the wall included the common people, soldiers, and criminals (Waldron 18). Different construction materials found use during the constructions process of the wall, over the centuries. Compacted earth was used in the construction of the original Great Wall.

Local stones were then used to surround the compacted earth. In a bid to ensure that the construction costs of the wall remained down, there was extensive use of local construction materials. In the later years, bricks were used to construct the Ming wall.

Where the Great Wall passed through the Rocky Mountains, builders made use of the stones found on these mountains. However, they were forced to use rammed earth in the planes, while juniper tamarisk and sanded reeds found use in the desert.

Scientists have now revealed that the remaining section of the Great Wall in the Gansu Province, consist of several layers of rammed earth (Waldron 18).

Between 202 BC and 220AD, during the Han Dynasty period, the most popular construction materials were crude stones and earth while between 1368 and 1644, during the Ming Dynasty, bricks had substituted stone and earth as the construction material of choice, thanks to their light weight and size; it was easier to make and carry them.

From statistical records, it is estimated that some 500,000 common people and 300,000 soldiers took part in the construction process of the initial Great Wall during the reign of Emperor Qin. Over 1,000 individuals are believed to have lost their lives in the process of constructing the Great Wall during the Din Dynasty.

The construction of another section of the great wall under the Northern Qi Dynasty took place in 555 A. D., and the entire section consisted of 450-kilometre. It started from Nankou, all the way to Shanxi, passing through Datong and Beijing.

During this time, the labor force is estimated to have been approximately 1.8 million people (Roland and Jan 71). The construction and living conditions were also extremely poor during this time and as a result, high number of workers lost their lives.

Works Cited

Man, John. The Great Wall . London: Bantam Press, 2008. Print.

Roland, Michaud and Jan, Michel. The Great Wall of China . New York: Abbeville Press, 2001. Print.

Waldron, Arthur. The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Print.

Yamashita, Michael and Lindesay, William. The Great Wall – From Beginning to End . New York: Sterling, 2007. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2019, March 21). The Great Wall of China. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-wall-of-china/

"The Great Wall of China." IvyPanda , 21 Mar. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-wall-of-china/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'The Great Wall of China'. 21 March.

IvyPanda . 2019. "The Great Wall of China." March 21, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-wall-of-china/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Great Wall of China." March 21, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-wall-of-china/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Great Wall of China." March 21, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-wall-of-china/.

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Great Wall of China

By: History.com Editors

Updated: April 18, 2024 | Original: August 24, 2010

The Great Wall of China is an ancient series of walls and fortifications, totaling more than 13,000 miles in length, located in northern China. Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of China and its long and vivid history, the Great Wall was originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the third century B.C. as a means of preventing incursions from barbarian nomads. The best-known and best-preserved section of the Great Wall was built in the 14th through 17th centuries A.D., during the Ming dynasty. Though the Great Wall never effectively prevented invaders from entering China, it came to function as a powerful symbol of Chinese civilization’s enduring strength.

Qin Dynasty Construction

Though the beginning of the Great Wall of China can be traced to the fifth century B.C., many of the fortifications included in the wall date from hundreds of years earlier, when China was divided into a number of individual kingdoms during the so-called Warring States Period.

Around 220 B.C., Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China under the Qin Dynasty , ordered that earlier fortifications between states be removed and a number of existing walls along the northern border be joined into a single system that would extend for more than 10,000 li (a li is about one-third of a mile) and protect China against attacks from the north.

Construction of the “Wan Li Chang Cheng,” or 10,000-Li-Long Wall, was one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by any civilization. The famous Chinese general Meng Tian initially directed the project, and was said to have used a massive army of soldiers, convicts and commoners as workers.

Made mostly of earth and stone, the wall stretched from the China Sea port of Shanhaiguan over 3,000 miles west into Gansu province. In some strategic areas, sections of the wall overlapped for maximum security (including the Badaling stretch, north of Beijing, that was later restored during the Ming Dynasty ).

From a base of 15 to 50 feet, the Great Wall rose some 15-30 feet high and was topped by ramparts 12 feet or higher; guard towers were distributed at intervals along it.

Did you know? When Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered construction of the Great Wall around 221 B.C., the labor force that built the wall was made up largely of soldiers and convicts. It is said that as many as 400,000 people died during the wall's construction; many of these workers were buried within the wall itself.

Great Wall of China Through the Centuries

With the death of Qin Shi Huang and the fall of the Qin Dynasty, much of the Great Wall fell into disrepair. After the fall of the later Han Dynasty , a series of frontier tribes seized control in northern China. The most powerful of these was the Northern Wei Dynasty, which repaired and extended the existing wall to defend against attacks from other tribes.

The Bei Qi kingdom (550–577) built or repaired more than 900 miles of wall, and the short-lived but effective Sui Dynasty (581–618) repaired and extended the Great Wall of China a number of times.

With the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang Dynasty , the Great Wall lost its importance as a fortification, as China had defeated the Tujue tribe to the north and expanded past the original frontier protected by the wall.

During the Song Dynasty, the Chinese were forced to withdraw under threat from the Liao and Jin peoples to the north, who took over many areas on both sides of the Great Wall. The powerful Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty (circa 1271-1368), established by Genghis Khan , eventually controlled all of China, parts of Asia and sections of Europe.

Though the Great Wall held little importance for the Mongols as a military fortification, soldiers were assigned to man the wall in order to protect merchants and caravans traveling along the lucrative Silk Road trade routes established during this period.

Wall Building During the Ming Dynasty

Despite its long history, the Great Wall of China as it is exists today was constructed mainly during the mighty Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Like the Mongols, the early Ming rulers had little interest in building border fortifications, and wall building was limited before the late 15th century. In 1421, the Ming emperor Yongle proclaimed China’s new capital, Beijing, on the site of the former Mongol city of Dadu.

Under the strong hand of the Ming rulers, Chinese culture flourished, and the period saw an immense amount of construction in addition to the Great Wall, including bridges, temples and pagodas.

Construction on the most extensive and best-preserved section of the Great Wall began around 1474. After an initial phase of territorial expansion, Ming rulers took a largely defensive stance, and their reformation and extension of the Great Wall was key to this strategy.

The Ming wall extended from the Yalu River in Liaoning Province to the eastern bank of the Taolai River in Gansu Province, and winded its way from east to west through today’s Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu.

Starting west of Juyong Pass, the Great Wall was split into south and north lines, respectively named the Inner and Outer Walls. Strategic “passes” (i.e., fortresses) and gates were placed along the wall; the Juyong, Daoma and Zijing passes, closest to Beijing, were named the Three Inner Passes, while further west were Yanmen, Ningwu and Piantou, the Three Outer Passes.

All six passes were heavily garrisoned during the Ming period and considered vital to the defense of the capital.

Significance of the Great Wall of China

In the mid-17th century, the Manchus from central and southern Manchuria broke through the Great Wall and encroached on Beijing, eventually forcing the fall of the Ming Dynasty and beginning of the Qing Dynasty.

Between the 18th and 20th centuries, the Great Wall emerged as the most common emblem of China for the Western world, and a symbol both physical—as a manifestation of Chinese strength—and a psychological representation of the barrier maintained by the Chinese state to repel foreign influences and exert control over its citizens.

Today, the Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in human history. In 1987, UNESCO designated the Great Wall a World Heritage site, and a popular claim emerged in the 20th century that it is the only manmade structure visible from space ( NASA has since refuted this claim ).

Over the years, roadways have been cut through the wall in various points, and many sections have deteriorated after centuries of neglect. The best-known section of the Great Wall of China—Badaling, located 43 miles (70 km) northwest of Beijing—was rebuilt in the late 1950s, and attracts thousands of national and foreign tourists every day.

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ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

The great wall of china.

The Great Wall of China was built over centuries by China’s emperors to protect their territory. Today, it stretches for thousands of miles along China’s historic northern border.

Anthropology, Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, Ancient Civilizations, World History

The Great Wall of China is one of the most notorious structures in the entire world. The Jinshanling section in Hebei Province, China, pictured here, is only a small part of the wall that stretches over 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).

Photograph by Hung Chung Chih

The one thing most people “know” about the Great Wall of China—that it is one of the only man-made structures visible from space—is not actually true. Since the wall looks a lot like the stone and soil that surround it, it is difficult to discern with the human eye even from low Earth orbit, and is difficult to make out in most orbital photos . However, this does not detract from the wonder of this astounding ancient structure.

For millennia, Chinese leaders instituted wall-building projects to protect the land from northern, nomadic invaders. One surviving section of such an ancient wall, in the Shandong province, is made of hard-packed soil called “ rammed earth ” and is estimated to be 2,500 years old. For centuries during the Warring States Period, before China was unified into one nation, such walls defended the borders.

Around 220 B.C.E., Qin Shi Huang, also called the First Emperor , united China. He masterminded the process of uniting the existing walls into one. At that time, rammed earth and wood made up most of the wall. Emperor after emperor strengthened and extended the wall, often with the aim of keeping out the northern invaders. In some places, the wall was constructed of brick. Elsewhere, quarried granite or even marble blocks were used. The wall was continuously brought up to date as building techniques advanced.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who became the Hongwu Emperor , took power in 1368 C.E. He founded the Ming Dynasty , famous for its achievements in the arts of ceramics and painting. The Ming emperors improved the wall with watchtowers and platforms. Most of the familiar images of the wall show Ming-era construction in the stone. Depending on how the wall is measured, it stretches somewhere between 4,000 and 5,500 kilometers (2,500 and 3,400 miles).

In the 17th century, the Manchu emperors extended Chinese rule into Inner Mongolia, making the wall less important as a defense. However, it has retained its importance as a symbol of Chinese identity and culture . Countless visitors view the wall every year. It may not be clearly visible from space, but it is considered “an absolute masterpiece” here on Earth.

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Great Wall of China

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The Great Wall of China is a barrier fortification in northern China running west-to-east 13,171 miles (21,196 km) from the Jiayuguan Pass (in the west) to the Hushan Mountains in Liaoning Province in the east, ending at the Bohai Gulf. It crosses eleven provinces/municipalities (or ten, according to some authorities) and two autonomous regions (Inner Mongolia and Ningxia).

Construction of the wall began in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) under the First Emperor Shi Huangdi (r. 221-210 BCE) and continued over hundreds of years throughout many different dynasties. The Great Wall in the present day is almost completely the work of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1664 CE) who added the distinctive watchtowers and expanded the length and width of the wall. The now-famous national monument fell into decay following the Ming Dynasty, when the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 CE) took power and expanded the border of China northwards, making the wall obsolete. Restoration and preservation efforts only seriously began in the 1980's CE, and the wall was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 CE.

The Original Wall

During the time known as The Warring States Period (c. 481-221 BCE), the different regions of China fought for control of the country during the collapse of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771-256 BCE). One state emerged victorious from this struggle: the state of Qin which is pronounced 'chin' and gives China its name. The general who led Qin to victory was King Ying Zheng who took the name `Qin Shi Huangdi' (First Emperor) after conquering the other states.

Shi Huangdi ordered construction of the Great Wall to consolidate his empire and protect it against invasion. The seven warring states each had walls along their border for defense which Shi Huangdi destroyed after he took power. As a sign that all of China was now one, the emperor decreed a great wall would be built along the northern border to defend against the mounted warriors of the nomadic Xiongnu of Mongolia; there would be no more walls marking boundaries between separate states in China because there would no longer be any separate states.

His wall ran along a line further to the north than the present one, marking what was then the border between China and the Mongolian plains. The wall was constructed by unwilling conscripts and convicts who were sent north under guard from all over China for the purpose. Shi Huangdi was not a benevolent ruler and was more interested in his own grandeur than the good of his people. His wall was not regarded by the Chinese people under the Qin Dynasty as a symbol of national pride or unity but as a place where people were sent to labor for the emperor until they died.

The Ming Dynasty Wall

The present wall, whose image is so well known, is not Shi Huangdi's wall from c. 221 BCE. There is actually very little of the original wall left today. When the Qin Dynasty fell in 206 BCE, the country split into the civil war known as the Chu- Han Contention (206-202 BCE), fought between the generals Xiang-Yu of Chu (l. 232-202 BCE) and Liu-Bang of Han (l. c. 256-195 BCE), the two leaders who had emerged as the most powerful of those who had helped topple the Qin Dynasty.

When Liu-Bang defeated Xiang-Yu in 202 BCE at the Battle of Gaixia , he became the First Emperor of the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) and continued construction of the wall as a means of defense. He was also the first emperor to use the wall as a means of regulating trade north along what would eventually become known as the Silk Routes (better known as The Silk Road ) which the later Han Dynasty emperor Wu Ti (r. 141-87 BCE) expanded and opened for trade between China and Europe in 130 BCE.

The following dynasties all made their own contributions and repairs to the wall until the Ming Dynasty initiated a massive building project to protect the country from invading nomads from Mongolia, the very same incentive that had played a part in Shi Huangdi's original vision. This similarity in purpose may explain the belief that the present wall dates from the Qin Dynasty. The Ming built the wall featuring over 25,000 massive watchtowers and ranging in height from 16-26 feet (5-8 m), 20 feet across the bottom (6 m) and 16 feet across the top (5 m).

The Liaoning Wall

In addition to creating the massive wall, the Ming Dynasty also enclosed their most important agricultural center, Liaoning Province, behind a walled fortification known as the Liaoning Wall (also known as the Liaodong Wall). This wall has been a source of controversy between China and North Korea since 2009 CE when the Chinese government claimed they had only recently discovered portions of the Great Wall close to the border with North Korea by the Hushan Mountains.

North Korea has asserted that the 'newly discovered Great Wall' actually belongs to them and is not part of China's Great Wall. The section of wall in dispute is no doubt part of the Liaoning Wall. This wall in no way can be compared with the Great Wall and was never built to be. It was a simple defensive barrier constructed to hamper invasions of Liaoning from the north and was constructed of earth, stone, and whatever else was available. Moats were dug on either side of the wall to further impede an invading force.

As it turned out, the Liaoning Wall and the Great Wall were equally useless in repelling invasion. Manchu invasions from the north began in c. 1600 CE and continued until 1644 CE when the Great Wall was opened to the invaders. China was again in turmoil at this time as a rebellion had been mounted against the Ming Dynasty. The Ming general Wu Sangui (l.1612-1678 CE), who had declared himself emperor, opened the Great Wall to the Manchus in a deal whereby they would help him defeat the rebels. Instead, the Manchus seized power, expelled the Ming Dynasty, and established the Qing Dynasty. The victory of the Manchus over the Ming meant that the border of China was now some distance north of the Great Wall, and since it was no longer of any use in defense, it was neglected and fell into ruin until the rise of the Republic of China in 1912 CE, when it was found useful in controlling immigration and emigration.

Modern Day Preservation & the Moon Fallacy

There were efforts over the years to maintain the structure, but no concerted effort existed until as recently as 1980 CE when the wall was made a priority of the Chinese government as a tourist attraction and source of revenue. It was not designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site until 1987 CE, but even with that designation the wall is slowly crumbling. Today, according to historians and preservationists who monitor the site, there are only about 600 miles (372 km) of the wall left in stable condition.

There are many modern misconceptions concerning the Great Wall of China. The best known and most often repeated is that it is the only human-made structure on earth that can be seen from space; this is not true. The origin of this claim is the English essayist Sir Henry Norman, who wrote in 1895 CE that the wall was "the only work of human hands on the globe visible from the moon." His observation was based on the fact that people on earth could see craters and canals on the moon, and so someone on the moon would be able to see something as long and massive as the Great Wall on earth. Many people seem to believe that the claim the wall can be seen from the moon is based on first-hand accounts of astronauts or the work of scientists and astronomers, but it is actually the creation of a man who wrote when space travel was not even possible. Modern day scholars and scientists, as well as those who have traveled to the moon, have debunked this claim repeatedly.

Other fallacies concerning the wall are that it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, that it dates from the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE, and that it was built as a symbol of national pride. The last two claims, as seen above, are clearly false, as is the first; the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were all located in the Mediterranean region of Greece , Egypt , and Turkey . The Great Wall is, however, among those chosen as one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the New 7 Wonders Foundation in 2007 CE. The Great Wall is visited by over four million people a year, and even though it cannot be seen from the moon, is among the most recognizable human-made structures in the world.

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Bibliography

• Ancient China by Joshua J. Mark , accessed 15 May 2020.
• Ebrey, P. B. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
• Great Wall of China Controversy , accessed 1 Dec 2016.
• New Seven Wonders of the World , accessed 1 Dec 2016.
• Tanner, H. M. China: A History From Neolithic Cultures through Great Qing Empire. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2010.
• The Battle of Gaixia by Joshua J. Mark , accessed 15 May 2020.
• The Great Wall: UNESCO Heritage Site , accessed 1 Dec 2016.
• Waldron, Arthur. The Great Wall of China. Cambridge University Press, 1992.

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Great Wall of China summary

Great Wall of China , Chinese Wanli Changcheng , Defensive wall, northern China. One of the largest building-construction projects ever carried out, it runs (with all its branches) about 4,500 mi (7,300 km) east to west from the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli) to a point deep in Central Asia. Large parts of the fortification date from the 7th to the 4th century bce . In the 3rd century bce the emperor Shihuangdi connected existing defensive walls into a single system fortified by watchtowers. These served both to guard the rampart and to communicate with the capital, Xianyang (near modern Xi’an ) by signal—smoke by day and fire by night. Originally constructed partly of masonry and earth, it was faced with brick in its eastern portion. It was rebuilt in later times, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries. The basic wall is about 23–26 ft (7–8 m) high; at intervals towers rise above it to varying heights. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Great Wall of China: Length, History, Map, Why and When Built It

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.

• Chinese name: 长城 (Chángchéng /channg-chnng/ 'Long Wall')
• Another name: 万里长城 (Wàn-Lǐ Chángchéng /wann-lee channg-chnng/ 'Ten-Thousand-Li-Long Wall', i.e. 'the 5,000-Kilometer-Long Wall')

Get a thorough intro to the Great Wall of China : length, history, protection, location maps, mind-blowing facts, how, when, who, why built it, and Great Wall travel ...

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How Long Is the Great Wall of China?

The length of the Great Wall of China is 21,196.18 km (13,170.7 mi), half the equator! . The data came from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. In 2009, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage first published data on the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, which measured 8,851 kilometers (5499 miles).

See more on How Long Is the Great Wall of China >>>

Why Was the Great Wall of China Built?

• To defend nomads and protect China's North
• To 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 .

Find out more purposes for building the Great Wall >>>

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 Badaling section and Mutianyu section were built during the Ming Dynasty.

Post-Ming History (1644–present)

A breach in the Great Wall at Shanhai Pass in 1644 by Manchu forces signaled the end of Han control in China for the last and final Chinese dynasty, the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). It also signaled the end of construction and maintenance of the Great Wall , until the Badaling section was restored by the government of the Peoples' Republic of China, and opened to the public in 1957 as a tourist attraction.

• 2-Day Great Wall Mutianyu-Simatai Day-Night Tour
• 1-Day Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking Tour
• 5-Day Huangyaguan to Huanghuacheng Great Wall Hiking Tour

Great Wall of China Location and Map

The Great Wall 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.

Our 26 Great Wall maps cover the location, section, and historical maps of the Great Wall.

Mind-blowing Great Wall of China Facts

• The Great Wall cannot be seen from space.
• Nearly 1/3 of the Great Wall has disappeared without a trace.
• Glutinous rice flour was used to bind the Great Wall bricks.
• The Great Wall is poisonous as arsenic is used.
• Large-scale battles were rarely fought at the Great Wall.
• No bodies have been found buried in the Great Wall.

Read more about the Great Wall Facts >>>

• 4-Day Emperor's Tour of Beijing Tour
• 2-Day Mutianyu & Simatai Great Wall Night Tour
• 1-Day Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking

Who Built the Great Wall and When?

The Great Wall of China has a long history — more than 2,300 years. It was built in different areas by different states/dynasties to protect different territorial borders.

It's often said that the First Emperor of Qin built the Great Wall. Actually, he was not the first to build it.

• Who Built the Great Wall of China
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• 2-Day Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall Hiking and Camping Tour

How Was the Great Wall Built?

The majestic Great Wall was built with wisdom, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears. Families were separated, and many workers died and were interred as part of the Great Wall itself.

• Workers: soldiers, peasants, rebels
• Materials: stone, soil, sand, brick
• Material delivery: by hand, rope, cart, goat

Read more on How the Great Wall Was Built — Materials and Methods : See who the workers were, their construction techniques, and how they moved the huge amount of materials.

How Tall Is the Great Wall of China?

The height of the Great Wall 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's Structure — Walls, Watchtowers, Fortresses

The Great Wall of China was not just a wall. It was an integrated military defensive system with watchtowers for surveillance, fortresses for command posts and logistics, beacon towers for communications, etc.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the Great Wall was reconstructed to be stronger and more sophisticated, due to better construction techniques being developed.

• The wall body: The Ming Great Wall usually had battlements 1.8 meters (6 feet) high with loopholes and crenels, and parapet walls 1.2 meters (4 feet) high.
• Flanking towers : Every 500 meters or less (1,640 feet) on the Great Wall there was a flanking tower allowing defenders to shoot arrows at attackers at the face of the wall.
• Fortresses were built at important/vulnerable access points (passes), such as Shanhai Pass Fortress , Juyong Pass Fortress , and Jiayu Pass Fortress . There were many archery windows and gates on the forts. The fortress gatehouses were the strongest and most impregnable structures on the Great Wall.

Read more about How was the Great Wall of China defended >>>

• 1-Day Beijing Highlights Private Tour
• 3-Day Jiankou to Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking Discovery Tour
• 2-Day Jiankou Wild Great Wall Camping Tour

Present Condition — 30%+ of the Great Wall Is Gone

Due to natural erosion and human damage, about 2,000 kilometers, or 30% of the Ming Great Wall have disappeared. (Far more of previous dynasties' Great Wall sections is gone.)

Restoration and Protection of the Great Wall

To prevent further loss of the Great Wall, the Chinese Government has taken measures to protect it:

• Laws to protect the Great Wall
• Funds for protection, restoration, and maintenance

As individuals, we can do the following to protect the Great Wall:

• Plant trees to keep the Great Wall slopes protected from erosion
• Don't litter and graffiti / remove trash and graffiti
• Don't damage the Great Wall / take bricks home (it's illegal)

Read more about the Great Wall Protection >>>

Great Wall Culture — Legends, Stories, Poetry

The Great Wall is a China icon . It shows us not only China's culture of national pride, grand projects, and determined resistance, but also China's extravagant architecture and creativity.

During the construction of the Great Wall, there were many interesting legends and myths, such as Meng Jiangnv weeping over the Great Wall , a sad but romantic love story set in the Qin Dynasty.

Read more on the Great Wall Culture — Legends, Stories, Poetry

Great Wall Travel

The Great Wall of China is a must-visit China attraction. Perhaps the most powerful advertising words in history come from the poetic pen of Chairman Mao: " Until you reach the Great Wall, you're no hero. " Figuratively this has come to mean 'to get over difficulties before reaching a goal'.

Why You Should Visit the Great Wall

"Greatest Human Feat in History": The Great Wall is the building project with the longest duration and greatest cost in human lives, blood, sweat, and tears. It deserves its place among "the New Seven Wonders of the World" and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Over 500 World VIPs Have Visited the Great Wall!

Over the years, many national leaders and celebrities have been to the Great Wall...

• Barack Obama , President of the U.S., visited the Great Wall on November 18, 2009.
• David Cameron , Britain's Prime Minister, visited Juyong Pass on November 10, 2010.
• See who else has been to the Great Wall >>>

Most Popular Sections Around Beijing

We would rank Beijing's nearby Great Wall sections as follows, according to our customers' feedback and our own personal experience:

• Mutianyu — the most magnificent fully-restored Great Wall section
• Jinshanling — the most popular Great Wall hiking route, with the most beautiful original architecture
• Jiankou — the section that appears on most postcards, steep and perilous

However, we recognize your individual choice will be based on your own personal interests and requirements. See our Great Wall sections comparison for more information on your choice.

More Articles Related to the Great Wall of China

• Can the Great Wall Really Be Seen from Space?
• History of the Great Wall — 9+ Dynasties; 2,300+ years
• Why the Great Wall WAS, and STILL IS, So Important
• How Was the Great Wall Defended?
• What Was the Great Wall of China Made of?
• 12 Popular Great Wall Sayings
• 26 Maps of the Great Wall of China
• How to Visit the Great Wall of China
• The Best Times to Visit the Great Wall
• Other Things to Do on the Great Wall Besides Hiking
• 20 Dos and Don'ts at the Great Wall of China

Discover the Great Wall with Us

If you are planning a Great Wall tour, see our guide on planning a Great Wall tour . Or see our recommended tours for inspiration:

• The comprehensive classic Beijing itinerary : 4-Day Essence of Beijing Tour with Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking
• The hikers' Great Wall adventure : 3-Day Discovery Great Wall Hiking from Jiankou to Jinshanling
• 4-Day Secret of Beijing : Appreciate the stunning views of the Great Wall at night.

Not quite what you were looking for? No problem. See more of our Great Wall hiking tours . You can have us tailor-make your own Great Wall tour by telling us your interests and requirements.

Get Inspired with Some Popular Itineraries

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