A Miracle in China-the Great Wall

2 min read

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone,brick,tamped earth,wood,and other materials, generally built along an east-to- west line across the historical northern borders of China in order to protect the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against intrusions by various nomadic groups.

In 221 BC,Emperor Qin Shihuang ordered the walls of the Qin, Zhao and Yan kingdoms in the north to be linked up and reinforced, after he united China.The extended new wall stretched from Lintao to Liaodong,with a total length of over 20,000 li.

With the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang Dynasty(618- 907),the Great Wall lost its importance as a fortification.During the Song Dynasty(960-1279),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(1206- 1368)established by Genghis Khan eventually controlled all of China,parts of Asia and sections of Europe.The Great Wall held importance for the Mongols as a military fortification.

It was during the Ming Dynasty that the Wall took on its present form.At that time,it stretched some 6,300 kilometers from the Yalujiang River in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west,and is known as the Ten Thousand Li Wall.

Today,the Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history.In 1987,UNESCO designated the Great Wall a World Heritage site,and a popular claim that emerged in the 20th century holds that it is the only manmade structure that is visible from space.The Great Wall,both as a cultural Relic and unique natural landscape,is a miracle in human history.No other ancient building in the world has been constructed for so long a time,on such a grand scale and at so tremendous a cost.