The Great Wall
3 min readThe Great Wall is the symbol of the diligence and wisdom of the Chinese people, and it is also a wonder in the history of construction, equaling the pyramids in Egypt. The Great Wall is the backbone of China.
The construction of the Great Wall started from the mid-7th century BC. In order to defend itself, the State of Chu built a wall in the form of three sides of a square for thousands of l, therefore people called it “Square Wall”. Later, the States of Qi, Wei, Qin, Zhao, Zhongshan and Yan all constructed walls on their borders to defend themselves.
In 221 BC, Emperor Qin Shihuang unified China, establishing the first unified feudal dynasty in the Chinese history. In order to defend against the intrusion of the Xiongnu people, Emperor Qin Shihuang sent General Meng Tian to the north to drive the Xiongnu people further northward and ordered to build the Qin Great Wall at enormous cost of labor, material and money. The Qin Great Wall was built on the basis of the walls that constructed earlier by the States of Yan, Zhao and Qin in the north. It started from Lintao in the west and ended at Liaodong in the east, stretching for thousands of li, really of a large scale. The Qin Shihuang Great Wall established the groundwork of the “Ten-thousand-li Great Wall”.
The wall built in the Han dynasty (206 BC-220AD) continued to extend to the west, passing Hexi and reached Xinjiang. Besides, two forts, YumenPass and Yangguan, were set up in Dunhuang in Gansu province, and the world-famous “Silk Road”became smooth from then on, which enhanced thecommunication between the Chinese and western cultures, and also promoted the contacts and trades between the ethnic minorities in the border area and the people in the heartland.
The later dynasties after the Han dynasty(206BC-220AD) continued to build walls, among which the one built in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was of the largest scale, which reached Yalu River in the east and Jiayuguan in Gansuprovince in the west. It traverses the north of China like a winding gigantic dragon, full of vigor and vitality. And it is just the Great Wall we see today.
The essence of the Ming Great Wall is Badaling, which is of strategically important position and spectacular sight, and is of great reputation at home and abroad. In 1961, Badaling section of the Great Wall was listed in the first group of key cultural relics units under State protection by the State Council ofChina; and in 1990, as the representative of the Great Wall, Badaling won the certificate of the world cultural heritage awarded by the United Nations.
Badaling section of the Great Wall is a famous scenic spot in the world, which is just like a flying dragon hovering among the high mountains, attracting numerous visitors every year. Climbing on the Badaling section, you can feel the grandeur of the Great Wall and enjoy its infinite charm by yourself.
