Who started building the Chinese wall. The secrets of the Great Wall of China revealed: who really built it and why? Sections of the “Chinese” wall at the beginning of the Tang dynasty
, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Gansu, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Qinghai And China
Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Is one of the new seven wonders of the world
Great Wall of China(Chinese trad. 長城, ex. 长城, pinyin: Changcheng, literally: " Long wall"or whale. trad. 萬里長城, ex. 万里长城, pinyin: Wanlǐ Changcheng, literally: “Long wall of 10,000 li”) - a separation wall almost 9000 km long (total length 21.2 thousand km), built in ancient China. The largest architectural monument.
Description
The thickness of the Great Wall is generally about 5-8 meters, and the height is most often about 6-7 meters (in some areas the height reaches 10 meters) [ ] .
The wall runs along the Yinshan mountain range, skirting all the spurs, overcoming both high rises and very significant gorges.
Over the centuries, the wall has changed names. Initially called the "Barrier", "Revelry" or "Fortress", the wall later acquired more poetic names, such as "Purple Border" and "Land of Dragons". Only at the end of the 19th century did it receive the name that we know to this day.
Video on the topic
Story
Construction of the first sections of the wall began in the 3rd century BC. e. during the Warring States period (475-221 BC) to protect the state from the Xiongnu. A fifth of the country’s then living population, that is, about a million people, took part in the construction. The wall was supposed to clearly fix the boundaries of Chinese civilization and contribute to the consolidation of a single empire, just made up of a number of conquered kingdoms. [ ]
Settlements developing on the plain of central China, turning into large centers of trade, attracted the attention of nomads, who began to frequently attack them, making raids from beyond Yingshan. Large kingdoms such as Qin, Wei, Yan, Zhao, whose borders were located in the north, attempted to build protective walls. These walls were adobe structures. The Wei Kingdom builds a wall around 353 BC. e., which served as the border with the kingdom of Qin, the kingdom of Qin and Zhao built a wall around 300 BC. e., and the kingdom of Yan around 289 BC. e. The disparate wall structures are later connected and form a single structure.
Construction history shown on the map
During the reign of Emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC, Qin Dynasty), the empire united into a single whole and achieved unprecedented power. More than ever before, she needs reliable protection from nomadic peoples. Qin Shihuang orders the construction of the Great Wall of China along Yingshan. During construction, pre-existing parts of the wall are used, which are strengthened, built on, connected with new sections and extended, while sections that previously separated separate kingdoms are demolished. The general Meng Tian was appointed to manage the construction of the wall.
Construction took 10 years and faced numerous difficulties. The main problem was the lack of appropriate infrastructure for construction: there were no roads, there was no water and food in adequate quantities for those involved in the work, while their number reached 300 thousand people, and the total number of builders involved under Qin reached, according to some estimates, 2 million . Slaves, soldiers, and peasants were involved in construction. As a result of epidemics and overwork, at least tens of thousands of people died. Outrage against the mobilization for the construction of the wall caused popular uprisings and served as one of the reasons for the fall of the Qin dynasty. [ ]
The terrain itself was extremely difficult for such a grandiose structure: the wall ran straight along the mountain range, going around all the spurs, and it was necessary to overcome both high climbs and very significant gorges. However, this is precisely what determined the unique originality of the structure - the wall is unusually organically integrated into the landscape and forms a single whole with it.
Up until the Qin period, a significant portion of the wall was built from the most primitive materials, mainly by ramming earth. Layers of clay, pebbles and other local materials were pressed between shields of twigs or reeds. Most of the materials for such walls could be obtained locally. Sometimes bricks were used, but not baked, but dried in the sun.
Obviously, it is with building materials connected folk Chinese name walls - “earth dragon”. During the Qin period, some areas began to use stone slabs, which were laid close to each other over layers of compacted earth. Stone structures were widely used during the construction of the Wall in the east, and where, due to local conditions, stone was inaccessible (western lands, in the territory of the modern provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi), a large embankment was erected.
The dimensions of the wall varied by area, the average parameters were: height - 7.5 m, height with battlements - 9 m, width along the ridge - 5.5 m, width of the base - 6.5 m. The battlements of the wall, located on the outside, have simple rectangular shape. An integral part the walls are towers. Some towers, erected before the construction of the wall, were built into it. Such towers often have a width smaller than the width of the wall itself, and their locations are random. The towers, erected together with the wall, were located from each other at a distance of up to 200 meters (arrow flight range).
There are several types of towers, differing in architectural solution. The most common type of tower is two-story, rectangular in plan. Such towers had an upper platform with loopholes. Also within sight of the fire (about 10 km) there were signal towers on the wall, from which the enemy’s approaches were monitored and signals were transmitted. Twelve gates were made in the wall for passage, which over time were strengthened into powerful outposts.
The Chinese and the Great Wall of China
The constant construction and restoration of the wall drained the strength of the people and the state, but its value as a defensive structure was questioned. Enemies, if desired, easily found weakly fortified areas or simply bribed the guards. Sometimes during attacks she did not dare to raise the alarm and silently let the enemy pass.
For Chinese scientists, the wall became a symbol of military weakness during the Ming Dynasty, capitulation to the next barbarians. Wang Sitong, a 17th-century historian and poet, wrote:
After the fall of the Ming dynasty, the Qing Emperor dedicated a poem to her, in which he wrote about the wall:
The Chinese of the Qing era were surprised by the interest of Europeans in a useless structure.
In modern Chinese culture, the wall has taken on a new meaning. Regardless of the failures associated with its military use, it turned into a symbol of the resilience and creative power of the people. On several sections of the Great Wall of China you can find monuments with the phrase of Mao Zedong: “ If you haven't visited the Great Wall of China, you are not a real Chinese"(Chinese: 不到长城非好汉).
The popular athletics marathon is held annually. Great Wall", in which athletes run part of the distance along the ridge of the wall.
Destruction and restoration of the wall
Photograph of the Great Wall of China 1907
Despite many years of efforts, the wall was systematically destroyed and fell into disrepair. The Manchu Qing dynasty (1644-), having overcome the wall with the help of Wu Sangui's treachery, treated the wall with disdain.
Unrestored section of wall
During the three centuries of Qing rule, the Great Wall almost collapsed under the influence of time. Only a small section of it near Beijing - Badaling - was maintained in order; it served as a kind of “gateway to the capital”. In 1899, American newspapers started a rumor that the wall would be completely demolished, and a highway would be built in its place.
Despite the work carried out, the remains of the wall, removed from tourist places, are still in a ruined state today. Some areas are destroyed when choosing a wall site as a place to build villages or stone from the wall as a construction material, others - due to the construction of a highway, railways and other extended artificial objects. Vandals spray graffiti on some areas.
It is reported that a 70-kilometer section of the wall in Minqin County, Gansu Province in the north-west of the country is undergoing active erosion. The reason is China's intensive farming methods since the 1950s, which have led to desiccation. groundwater, and as a result, this region has become the main source and center of powerful sandstorms. More than 40 km of the wall have already disappeared, and only 10 km are still standing; the height of the wall in some places has decreased from five to two meters.
In 2007, on the border of China and Mongolia, William Lindsay discovered a significant section of the wall, which was attributed to the Han Dynasty. In 2012, the search for further fragments of the wall by the expedition of William Lindsay culminated in the discovery of a lost section already in Mongolia.
In 2012, a 36-meter section of the wall, located in Hebei Province, collapsed due to heavy rains. No one was injured in the collapse. This happened on August 6, but the official message appeared only four days later.
Visibility of the wall from space
Visibility of the wall from the Moon
One of the earliest references to the myth of the wall being visible from the moon comes from a 1754 letter from the English antiquarian William Stukeley. Stukeley wrote: “This huge wall eighty miles long (we are talking about Hadrian’s Wall) is surpassed only by the Chinese Wall, which takes up so much space on the globe, and in addition it can be seen from the Moon.” Henry Norman also mentions this. Sir Henry Norman), English journalist and politician. In 1895, he reports: “...besides its age, this wall is the only human creation that can be seen from the moon.” At the end of the nineteenth century, the theme of Martian canals was widely discussed, which may have led to the idea that long, thin objects on the surface of planets were visible far from space. The visibility of the Great Wall of China from the Moon was also featured in 1932 in the popular American comic strip Ripley's Believe It or Not. Ripley's Believe It or Not!) and in the 1938 book The Second Book of Miracles ( Second Book of Marvels) American traveler Richard Halliburton (eng. Richard Halliburton).
This myth has been exposed more than once, but has not yet been eradicated from popular culture. The maximum width of the wall is 9.1 meters, and it is approximately the same color as the ground on which it is located. Based on the resolving power of the optics (the distance to the object relative to the diameter of the entrance pupil of the optical system, which is a few millimeters for the human eye and several meters for large telescopes), only an object that is in contrast to the surrounding background and has a size of 10 kilometers or more in diameter (corresponding to 1 arc minute) can be seen with the naked eye from the Moon, the average distance from which to the Earth is 384,393 kilometers. The approximate width of the Great Wall of China, when viewed from the Moon, would be the same as that of a human hair when viewed from a distance of 3.2 kilometers. Seeing the wall from the Moon would require vision 17,000 times better than normal. It is not surprising that none of the astronauts who visited the Moon ever reported seeing the wall while on the surface of our satellite.
Visibility of the wall from Earth orbit
More controversial is whether the Great Wall of China is visible from orbit (which is approximately 160 km above the earth). According to NASA, the Wall is barely visible, and only under ideal conditions. It is no more visible than other artificial structures. Some authors argue that due to the limited optical capabilities of the human eye and the distance between the photoreceptors on the retina, the wall cannot be seen even from low orbit with the naked eye, which would require vision 7.7 times sharper than normal.
In October 2003, Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei said that he was unable to see the Great Wall of China. In response, the European Space Agency issued a press release stating that from an orbit altitude of 160 to 320 kilometers, the wall is still visible to the naked eye. In an attempt to clarify this issue, the European Space Agency published a photo of part of the Great Wall of China taken from space. However, a week later they admitted the mistake (instead of a wall in the photo there was one of the rivers).
Legends
See also
| Great Wall of China on Wikimedia Commons | |
| Great Wall of China in WikiGidea |
Notes
- ArchINFORM
- China measured the length of the Great Wall of China
- The Chinese have determined the exact length of the Great Wall
- Daryl Loo, Nicholas Wadhams. China's Great Wall Found to Measure More Than 20,000 Kilometers. Bloomberg News (5 June 2012).
- General history architecture in 12 volumes. Volume 1 "Architecture of the Ancient World". 1970 Page 424
The Great Wall of China is the most grandiose defensive structure in the history of mankind. The prerequisites for its creation were formed long before the centuries-old construction. So many northern principalities and kingdoms of China built walls for defense against the attacks of nomads. After the unification of these small kingdoms and principalities in the 3rd century BC. Under the Qin dynasty, Qin Shi Huang was elected emperor. It was he who, with the combined efforts of all of China, began the long construction of the Great Wall of China, designed to protect China from attacks by enemy troops.
The Great Wall of China in facts and figures
Where is the Great Wall of China? In China. The wall originates in the city of Shanhai-guan and from there stretches in snake-like curves across half the country into Central China. The end of the wall is near Jiayuguan City. The width of the wall is approximately 5-8 meters, the height reaches 10 meters. On a stretch of 750 kilometers, the Great Wall of China was once even used as an excellent road. Near the wall in some areas there are additional fortifications and fortresses.
The length of the Great Wall of China, if measured in a straight line, reaches 2,450 kilometers. And the total length, taking into account all the twists and branches, is estimated at 5,000 kilometers. Since ancient times, myths and legends have been telling about the size of this building; it was even said that the wall can be seen from the moon. But this myth has been freely exposed in our age of technological progress. Although from space (orbit) the Wall of China is visible, especially if it concerns satellite images. By the way, the satellite map can be viewed below.
Satellite view of the wall
The history of the grandiose construction of China
The construction of the Great Wall of China began in 221 BC. According to legend, the emperor’s army (about 300 thousand people) was sent to the construction. A large number of peasants were also involved here, because the loss of builders had to be constantly compensated for by new human resources, fortunately there were no problems with this in China. There are even a number of people who believe that the Great Wall of China was built by the Russians, but let's leave this as another beautiful guess.
The main part of the wall was erected just under the Qing. The front work was carried out to combine the already built fortifications into a single structure and expand the wall to the west. Most of the wall was ordinary earthen embankments, which were later replaced with stone and brick.
Unrestored section of wall
Interesting geographical location walls. It seems to divide China into two parts - the north of the nomads and the south of the farmers. Further ongoing research confirms this fact.
At the same time, the longest fortification is also the longest cemetery. One can only guess about the number of builders buried here. Many were buried right here in the wall and construction continued on their bones. Their remains are still found today.
Based on the high mortality rate, many legends have surrounded the wall over the centuries. According to one of them, Emperor Qin Shi Huang was predicted that the construction of the wall would be completed either after the death of a person named Vano or 10 thousand other people. The Emperor, of course, ordered to find Vano, kill him and bury him in the wall.
During the existence of the wall, attempts were made to restore it many times. This was done by the Han and Sui dynasties. The Great Wall of China received its modern appearance during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was here that earthen mounds replaced bricks and some areas were rebuilt. Watchtowers were also installed here, some of which have survived to this day. The main purpose of these towers was to warn of enemy advances. So at night the alarm was transmitted from one tower to another with the help of a kindled fire, and during the day with the help of smoke.
Watchtowers
Construction acquired a huge scale during the reign of Emperor Wanli (1572-1620). Many people, right up to the 20th century, thought that it was he, and not Qin Shi Huang, who erected this grandiose structure.
The wall performed poorly as a defensive structure. After all, for a major conqueror, a wall is not an obstacle. Only people can interfere with the enemy, but there were problems with the people on the wall. Therefore, for the most part, the guards of the wall looked not to the North, but to... the South. It was necessary to keep an eye on the peasants, tired of taxes and work, who wanted to move to the free north. In this regard, there is even a semi-myth that the loopholes of the Great Wall of China are directed towards China.
With the growth of China to the North, the function of the wall as a border disappeared completely and it began to decline. Like many other large structures of antiquity, the wall began to be dismantled for building materials. And only in our time (1977) Chinese government imposed a fine for damaging the Great Wall of China.
The wall in a photograph from 1907
Now the Great Wall of China is a recognized symbol of China. Many sections have been restored again and are shown to tourists, one section even runs close to Beijing, which attracts millions of lovers of Chinese culture.
Badaling site near Beijing
The history of the Great Wall of China (in short – VKS) goes back more than two thousand years. The Great Construction of China is known throughout the world. This amazing structure is not included in the official list of Ancient Wonders of the World, but is not inferior to them in popularity. The Chinese architectural monument is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List; among tourists it is often called the eighth wonder of the world. The construction of the protective structure was accompanied by the death of hundreds of people, huge financial expenses, and the birth of numerous legends and rumors.
In what city was it built?
The length of China's “calling card” is approximately 21 thousand kilometers. Researchers estimate this figure taking into account areas that did not survive into the 21st century. The wall is laid across a vast territory, which is why its location cannot be attributed to any one specific city.
The defensive structure conventionally divides China into two parts: south and north. The main Chinese attraction begins in the city of Jiayuguan, stretches in whimsical windings across the country right up to the waters of the Yellow Sea in Liaodong Bay and ends in the city of Shanghaiguan. The direct distance between these two points is 1900 kilometers.
One of the sections of the wall is located near the Chinese capital. Tourists coming to Beijing will have to travel only 55 kilometers - this is the distance from the city where the “earth dragon” is located.
Description
The Great Wall of China is the largest ancient building, the curves of which resemble a giant snake. That is why the Chinese landmark is called the “earth dragon” or “earth snake.”
Over the centuries that have passed since the beginning of the phenomenal scale of construction, the most famous Chinese architectural object has repeatedly changed its name. The widespread name - the Great Wall of China - appeared at the end of the 19th century AD. Until this time, the building was known under the following poetic names:
- Land of Dragons;
- Revelry;
- Purple border;
- Fortress;
- Barrier.
Age
The answer to the question “Who built the Chinese Wall?” ambiguous. It is known for sure that the construction of the Great Wall of China began in the third century BC by Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
In the first decade, work on the construction of the building was carried out most actively. Subsequently, over the years, the length of the structure gradually increased; the end of construction and its beginning are separated by almost two thousand years.
Thus, the age of the unique architectural monument is approximately 23 centuries.
Total length
In addition to the main branch, the giant building has many branches. According to the latest archaeological data, the Chinese Wall occupies a total of 21,196 km. For comparison, the length of the equator is 40.075 thousand kilometers.
Almost 9,000 kilometers of Chinese territory are covered by a great wall, spreading along the mountain spurs and gorges of the Yinshan ridge. This is the official length of the ancient structure. The photo below clearly demonstrates the twists of the “earth dragon”.
Where does it take place?
The videoconferencing passes through the territories of the provinces:
- Gansu;
- Beijing;
- Liaoning;
- Shaanxi;
- Ningxia.
The structure includes numerous segments, the most famous are:
- Badaling is the site that is most popular among tourists. Located 75 kilometers northwest of the Chinese capital. From Beijing you can get there by bus or express train.
- Juyongguan is also a popular site of the longest construction, which tourists can access from the Chinese capital. Juyongguan is located in the same direction as Badaling. This section and the Chinese capital are separated by 60 kilometers.
- Shanhaiguan - the structure was erected in the 14th century AD, this section is the easternmost outpost of the great structure. Shanhaiguan, also called the first pass under heaven, is located in the northeastern part of Qinhuangdao City, open to tourists.
- Yanguan is an almost completely destroyed site; only the signal tower remains of the impressive building; The outpost has been partially reconstructed and is accessible to everyone who wants to visit it.
- Gubeika is an abandoned section of the building that will appeal to lovers of antiquities;
- Jianku is a “wild” segment of the Great Wall, which is easily accessible from Beijing. This part of the main Chinese attraction is very dangerous; visiting is recommended only for people with good physical fitness. Gianku is replete with destroyed areas, collapsing stairs, and rockfalls. Tourists who decide to visit a dangerous building should take into account that Gianka is surrounded by cliffs on all sides.
- Mutianyu is the most qualitatively restored section of the Chinese Wall. Ideal for a leisurely stroll through the 22 watchtowers. It is from here, from a height of 8 meters, that a magnificent view of the mountain landscapes of China opens.
- Symatai is one of the dangerous segments that has survived to this day in its original form. This section is divided in two by the Symatai Reservoir. To get from one part of the wall to another you need to walk over the reservoir on a suspension bridge.
- Yanmenguan - the site was built during the Warring States period, open to tourists. Nearby there is a village with the same name, where you can get acquainted with the life of the ancient Chinese.
Thickness of the Chinese Wall
The thickness of the structure is not constant; the internal width of the main Chinese attraction varies from five to eight meters. The outer side of the VKS is framed by “teeth” made of bricks. The inner wall is protected by a 0.9 meter high barrier.
Historical fact: The great width of the Chinese landmark led to the transformation of one section of the wall into a road approximately 466 miles long.
Height of historical value
The average value of this parameter is 6 meters, but in selected places protective walls reach 10 meters in height.
How many bricks were used?
The scattered Chinese kingdoms that existed during the creation of a single state (the period of the warring states) erected defensive structures to protect their borders. Emperor Qin Shi Huang united existing walls with newly built ones.
Some of the fortifications were erected from the ground - these defensive sections were the most vulnerabilities The buildings have not survived to this day. Subsequently, to create defensive structures They began to use stone blocks sprinkled with earth.
During the Han and Ming dynasties, walls were built from stone blocks and bricks, which were joined using an adhesive composition containing:
- rice glue;
- slaked lime.
One of the myths associated with the Chinese landmark claims that the glue is not made from rice, but from ground human bones. Actually this is not true.
One of the sites, built during the Han Dynasty, is made of wood and consists of half a dozen layers of logs, between which there is a thin layer of stone chips.
The videoconferencing segments that were built from bricks turned out to be least susceptible to the influence of time. By the 21st century AD, more than 74% of the total size of the architectural miracle was seriously damaged, and only about 8% of the fortress walls remained in their original condition.
The Great Chinese Landmark is a very long structure. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to accurately answer the question “how many bricks were used.”
There is a legend associated with the construction of the Jiayu crossing in the Badaling section. One of the craftsmen working on the great construction site argued with the official. The master claimed that he could easily determine how many bricks were needed to build the object. The number named by the master was equal to 99.999 thousand brick blocks.
When the construction of the crossing was completed, one “extra” brick block was presented to the officials. The master said that everything was correct - according to his calculations, this brick should have been placed above the entrance to the tower to attract good luck to everyone who passed under it.
Story
The construction of the VKS began three hundred years BC. The completion of the largest construction project in human history occurred at the end of the 17th century.
In the first 10 years, the construction of the defensive structure was carried out especially actively. The attraction was built on a mountainous area, organically fitting into the landscape. The building has many branches; in some areas the walls duplicate each other, arranged in rows. This feature is clearly visible in the picture below.
What divides
Facts show that in the 21st century the VKS does not divide anything - it intricately meanders across the country’s territory, but does not pass along its borders.
Reasons for construction
The initial purpose of erecting the monumental structure was to protect ancient China from attacks by invaders from Mongolia and Manchuria. In addition to the fact that the building protected the country from nomadic peoples, it played another role - it fixed the state border.
There is a legend that answers the question: “Why was the Great Wall of China built?” Tradition tells that a court soothsayer predicted the end of the existence of the Chinese state when the country would be destroyed by northern nomads.
After the emperor decided to build a wall, a dragon appeared to him and left his mark on the surface of the earth. Construction work was ordered based on this mark.
Who participated in the construction
During the ten-year period, when the size of the wall was actively growing, a fifth of the country’s total population was directed to the construction of the defensive structure. The Chinese Wall was built by about 300 thousand people, later this figure grew to two million.
The following were involved in the construction:
- slaves;
- soldiers;
- peasants.
In the last decade, a myth has spread in our country saying that the gigantic architectural monument was actually built not by the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, but by... Russians. In response to the logical question “Why?” supporters of this idea answer: “So that the wall protects from the Chinese.”
History is written by the winners and real historical facts may differ from the information that has reached the modern world. However, the map clearly shows that Mongolia was located between Ancient China and the Slavic territories.
Another fact is that the myth about the Slavic origin of the building looks unconvincing - all the surviving ancient inscriptions on the tablets are made using hieroglyphs.
How many people died during construction
Difficult working conditions, irregular supplies of water and food led to the fact that a huge number of people died during construction. According to rough estimates total number the death toll is approximately half a million Chinese.
The wall, stretching for many thousands of miles, is called the longest cemetery on our planet, starting in Hebei province and ending at the border of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Gansu province.
Many tourists believe that when visiting the VKS you can see the skeletons of people who were walled up alive in a structure under construction. Studies of the building using magnetometers did not yield any results - no mass graves were discovered. However, the wall extends for many kilometers and not all of them have been surveyed. There is a possibility that the mystery of large-scale human burials will be solved in the coming years.
The Chinese and the VKS
The VKS played a huge role in trade relations; a busy road ran through one of its sections. The initially intended purpose of the building - defensive - did not justify itself:
- undeveloped areas could not impede the advance of enemies;
- the height was not enough for full protection areas from raids;
- its enormous length and lack of sufficient human resources did not allow the deployment of troops along its entire length.
Despite the fact that the wall extends for thousands of kilometers, it turned out to be useless in defensive terms. Chinese scientists say: “A wall is a sign of weakness.”
The architectural miracle looks amazing, leaving an indelible impression on tourists. At the time of its construction, the practice of mass forced conscription for construction work was introduced in the country. This policy caused dissatisfaction ordinary people, which often developed into uprisings. During the last of them, the Ming Dynasty ceased to exist, and at the same time the gigantic construction project was stopped.
Modern Chinese are proud of the huge structure, calling it a symbol of the resilience and greatness of their country. In some parts of the building there are monuments with the saying of the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC for short) Mao Zedong: “If you have not been to the Great Wall of China, you cannot be called a real Chinese.”
Wall restoration
The impact of time has had a detrimental effect on the condition of the fortress walls; most of the sections have been destroyed almost to the ground. The exception was the Badaling site - during the Qing period, the so-called “gate to Beijing” was located here.
In the 19th century, an unfounded rumor was launched through American newspapers about the alleged demolition of a historical landmark and the construction of a highway instead.
In the second half of the 20th century, Deng Xiaoping initiated restoration work, which was financed by:
- private individuals;
- Chinese companies;
- foreign investors.
It is impossible to completely restore the largest archaeological site on our planet. Many areas are rapidly being destroyed not only due to climate impacts, but also as a result of human activity:
- residential areas are being built;
- roads and railways are being laid;
- agricultural work is actively carried out;
- Vandals are often found among tourists.
According to researchers' forecasts, unrestored sections of the barrier structure will cease to be visible on the earth's surface in the next two decades. The most rapid destruction is observed in Gansu province - on a site built during the Han Dynasty.
Is the wall visible from space?
Most researchers agree that the gigantic building is not visible either from the Earth’s orbit or from the Moon.
View from Earth orbit
Some astronauts have reported seeing the Wall of China from space. As evidence, photographs were presented in which a sinuous line was visible. However, it was later proven that the photo depicted one of the rivers.
Chinese-American astronaut Leroy Chiao photographed the structure from aboard the ISS. The photo is accompanied by the comment: “The wall can be seen under ideal weather conditions, knowledge of its location and the presence of a good camera.”
View from the Moon
It is even more impossible to see an architectural miracle from a satellite of our planet. Human vision allows us to see from a satellite on the earth’s surface only an object contrasting with the background, the width of which is more than ten kilometers.
Among network users there are people who claim that they were able to find VKS using the popular search service Google maps. This is true. The capabilities of Google Maps allow us to examine in sufficient detail the wall and its towers, which are located from each other at an arrow flight distance (200 meters).
Wall on the map
The Chinese Wall on the map is indicated by multi-colored lines: a separate color for each era.
Interesting fact: The Great Chinese Landmark is a collection of different walls, some of which are not even connected to each other. The picture clearly shows that some sections of the structure are parallel to each other, while others are almost closed in a ring.
On the Internet, fans of sensations suggest: “The wall is not ancient at all, it was specially built to attract tourists.” This hypothesis has no scientific basis, but the secret of the greatest construction project in the history of mankind has not yet been fully revealed.
Legends
The most interesting legend involves a woman named Meng Jiangnu. Her husband was called to the “construction site of the century” and she came to visit him. When the woman reached the place, her beloved was no longer alive - he died during construction and was buried under the Great Wall.
Meng Jiangnu was beside herself with grief and began to cry bitterly. The building shook and partially collapsed. At the site of the collapse, the widow found the body of her husband, which she took and buried.
Another legend is known as the “Wall of Tears.” Emperor Qin Shi Huang received a prediction that the wall would be successfully built only if he immured a person named Wang in it. This man was found, killed and buried upright. The same fate, according to legend, befell all those who died during the construction of the monumental structure, so that their souls would forever guard the borders of the Celestial Country.
Interesting facts
- The Chinese Wall is not a single structure;
- The loopholes are directed in two directions, why this was done remains a mystery;
- There is no mention of the eighth wonder of the world in documents from the beginning of the 20th century.
Conclusion
The Chinese Wall is a symbol of modern China, known everywhere. Scientists and archaeologists ask many questions about the reasons for the construction of this structure with bizarre curves of walls running up steep mountain spurs and descending into deep gorges. The architectural miracle still keeps its secrets and is in no hurry to share them with researchers.
The history of the Great Wall of China began in the spring and autumn period (770–476 BC). Construction was first completed during the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC), and the last rebuilding was during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The wall protected northern China from invading invaders. In this article we will lift the curtain on the history of the legendary structure, examining the main periods of its existence.
History of the wall under different dynasties
Spring and autumn period (770–476 BC)
It is generally believed that the first parts of the Great Wall were built during the spring and autumn period, when the eastern and central region of what is now China consisted of many small states-principals.
To protect their states, the princes ordered the construction of independent walls along the borders. This is how numerous protective structures appeared, but on a smaller scale. The earliest was built between the principalities of Lu and Qi around 650 BC, later becoming part of the wall of the State of Chu.
Warring States Period (475-221 BC)
As rival states competed for territory and power, the influence of the Zhou kings waned. By the beginning of the Warring States period, small states were united by military leaders to form seven major states. (Chu, Qi, Wei, Yang, Zhao, Qin and Han). Each state had its own protective walls. From the outside it looked like several short Great Walls.
Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC)
The result of the period of warring states was that the Qin state became stronger, conquering and unifying other states. Qin Shi Huang (king of the state of Qin 247-221 BC) became the first emperor of China and ruled China for most of its short dynastic history.
Emperor Qin Shihuang ordered the northern sections of the wall on the state borders to be connected, especially the walls in northern China built by the states of Qin, Zhao and Yang. So he wanted to form a single line of defense against the persecution of the Mongols from the north. This is how the first real Great Wall began its history. It took a million workers 9 years, and other state border walls became obsolete in a unified China and were subsequently destroyed or dismantled.
When construction was completed, the total length of the wall exceeded 5,000 kilometers. The structure was nicknamed the 10,000 Li Wall (1 Li = 0.5 km). The Great Wall of China ran from Lingrao (Gansu Province in the west) to the Liaodong Peninsula.
Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD)
After the death of Qin Shihuang in 210 BC, the Qin dynasty was unable to maintain its power and was replaced by the Han dynasty. This is one of China's golden ages, when the nation was consolidated. The northern fortifications were lengthened, with sections of the wall running parallel for hundreds of kilometers and connecting along the border with Inner Mongolia.
The Han Dynasty Great Wall of China, from the North Korean coast near Pyongyang in the east to the Jade Gate Pass in the west, was the longest, stretching over 8,000 km. The overall length included many branching walls, natural barriers and trenches.
Other feudal dynasties (220–960)
- The construction and maintenance of the Great Wall continued throughout the Chinese feudal dynasties. The less powerful dynasties of disunited China after the Han Dynasty (Northern Wei, Northern Qi, Eastern Wei and Northern Zhou) spent heavily on the Great Wall.
- Why was the Great Wall built? Most historians agree that the purpose of the construction was to prevent invasion by northern peoples (Mongols and Manchus) and to protect trade along the Silk Road.
- The Northern Qi Dynasty (550–577) was short-lived but made significant additions, including the Great Wall of Northern Qi in the Shanxi area, as well as the "Inner Wall" as a second line of defense against the Mongols.
- The Sui dynasty (581–618) undertook extensive restoration of the Great Wall, while the following Tang dynasty (618–907, the culmination of China's feudal age) did not carry out any work due to its superior power and advantage over its nomadic neighbors to the north.
Song Dynasty (960–1279)
Known for its contributions to China's economic and trade development, the Song Dynasty played a role in the history of the Great Wall of China. Improvements were made to prevent invasions of the Liao, Western Xia and Jin in the north and northwest.
The Manchus, however, fortified and controlled northern China during the Jin Dynasty (1115–1234). The Great Wall of China could not stop the invasion of the huge Mongol Empire. This is how the Yuan Dynasty began its history
Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)
The Yuan was the first dynasty in which all of China was controlled by a non-Han people, the Mongols. The Great Wall of China has done good job to preserve Han China for 1,500 years. It is not surprising that construction stopped during the Yuan Dynasty, as China and Mongolia became a single entity.
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
When the Yuan dynasty collapsed due to civil unrest, Han China regained control under the command of rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang. He became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. China prospered during the Ming Dynasty and its military power increased. The Great Wall of China was systematically rebuilt as part of a 100-year project to prevent further invasion in the north.
Most of the remaining Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty and is known as the Ming Great Wall. Sections of the Great Wall near Beijing (Badaling and Mutianyu) were built during the Ming Dynasty.
Post-Ming history (1644–present)
The breakthrough of Manchu troops in the Great Wall at Shanghai Pass in 1644 signaled the end of Han control in China for China's last Qing dynasty (1644–1911). During this time, construction and maintenance of the Great Wall of China ceased until the government of the People's Republic of China restored the Badaling site and opened it in 1957 to attract tourists. Other sites have since been restored and opened to the public.
Rating: +27 Article author: Enia_Toy Views: 727420“There are roads that are not taken; there are armies that are not attacked; there are fortresses over which they do not fight; there are areas over which people do not fight; There are orders from the sovereign that are not carried out.”
"The Art of War". Sun Tzu
In China, they will definitely tell you about the majestic monument stretching several thousand kilometers and about the founder of the Qin dynasty, thanks to whose command the Great Wall of China was built in China more than two thousand years ago.
However, some modern scholars very much doubt that this symbol of the power of the Chinese empire existed before the mid-20th century. So what do they show tourists? - you say... And tourists are shown what was built by the Chinese communists in the second half of the last century.
According to the official historical version, the Great Wall, intended to protect the country from attacks by nomadic peoples, began to be built in the 3rd century BC. by the will of the legendary emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, the first ruler who united China into one state.
It is believed that the Great Wall, built mainly during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), has survived to this day, and in total there are three historical periods of active construction of the Great Wall: the Qin era in the 3rd century BC, the Han era in III century and Ming era.
Essentially, the name “Great Wall of China” combines at least three major projects in different historical eras, which, according to experts, total a total length of walls of at least 13 thousand km.
With the fall of the Ming and the establishment of the Manchu Qin dynasty (1644-1911) in China, construction work ceased. Thus, the wall, whose construction was completed in the mid-17th century, has largely been preserved.
It is clear that the construction of such a grandiose fortification structure required the Chinese state to mobilize enormous material and human resources, at the limit of possibilities.
Historians claim that at the same time up to a million people were employed in the construction of the Great Wall and the construction was accompanied by monstrous human casualties (according to other sources, three million builders were involved, that is, half of the male population of ancient China).
It is not clear, however, what the ultimate meaning was seen by the Chinese authorities in the construction of the Great Wall, since China did not have the necessary military forces, not only to defend, but at least to reliably control the wall along its entire length.
Probably due to this circumstance, nothing concrete is known about the role of the Great Wall in the defense of China. However, Chinese rulers stubbornly built these walls for two thousand years. Well, it must be that we are simply unable to understand the logic of the ancient Chinese.
However, many sinologists are aware of the weak persuasiveness of the rational motives proposed by researchers of the subject that must have prompted the ancient Chinese to create the Great Wall. And to explain the more than strange history of the unique structure, philosophical tirades are uttered with approximately the following content:
“The wall was supposed to serve as the extreme northern line of the possible expansion of the Chinese themselves; it was supposed to protect the subjects of the “Middle Empire” from transitioning to a semi-nomadic way of life, from merging with the barbarians. The wall was supposed to clearly fix the boundaries of Chinese civilization and contribute to the consolidation of a single empire, just made up of a number of conquered kingdoms.”
Scientists were simply amazed by the blatant absurdity of this fortification. The Great Wall cannot be called an ineffective defensive object; from any sane military point of view, it is blatantly absurd. As you can see, the wall runs along the ridges of hard-to-reach mountains and hills.
Why build a wall in the mountains, where not only nomads on horseback, but also a foot army are unlikely to reach?!.. Or were the strategists of the Celestial Empire afraid of an attack by tribes of wild climbers? Apparently, the threat of invasion by hordes of evil climbers really frightened the ancient Chinese authorities, since with the primitive construction technology available to them, the difficulties of constructing a defensive wall in the mountains increased incredibly.
And the crown of fantastic absurdity, if you look closely, you can see that the wall in some places where mountain ranges intersect branches, forming mockingly meaningless loops and forks.
It turns out that tourists are usually shown one of the sections of the Great Wall, located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the area of Mount Badaling, the length of the wall is 50 km. The wall is in excellent condition, which is not surprising - its reconstruction in this area was carried out in the 50s of the 20th century. In fact, the wall was built anew, although it is claimed that it was on old foundations.
The Chinese have nothing more to show; there are no other credible remains from the allegedly existing thousands of kilometers of the Great Wall.
Let's return to the question of why the Great Wall was built in the mountains. There are reasons here, except for those that may have recreated and extended, perhaps, the old fortifications of the pre-Manchu era that existed in the gorges and mountain defiles.
Building an ancient historical monument in the mountains has its advantages. It is difficult for an observer to ascertain whether the ruins of the Great Wall really extend for thousands of kilometers along mountain ranges, as he is told.
In addition, in the mountains it is impossible to determine how old the foundations of the wall are. Over several centuries, stone buildings on ordinary soil, carried by sedimentary rocks, inevitably sink several meters into the ground, and this is easy to check.
But on rocky ground this phenomenon is not observed, and a recent building can easily be passed off as very ancient. And besides, there is no large local population in the mountains, a potential inconvenient witness to the construction of a historical landmark.
It is unlikely that initially the fragments of the Great Wall north of Beijing were built on a significant scale; even for China at the beginning of the 19th century this is a difficult task.
It seems that the few tens of kilometers of the Great Wall that are shown to tourists were, for the most part, first erected under the Great Helmsman Mao Zedong. Also a Chinese emperor of his kind, but still it cannot be said that he is very ancient
Here is one opinion: you can falsify something that exists in the original, for example, a banknote or a painting. There is an original and you can copy it, which is what forger artists and counterfeiters do. If a copy is made well, it can be difficult to identify a fake and prove that it is not the original. And in the case of the Chinese wall, it cannot be said that it is fake. Because there was no real wall in ancient times.
Therefore, the original product of modern creativity of hardworking Chinese builders has nothing to compare with. Rather, it is a kind of quasi-historically based grandiose architectural creation. A product of the famous Chinese desire for order. Today it is a Great Tourist Attraction, worthy of being included in the Guinness Book of Records.
These are the questions I asked
Valentin Sapuno in:1. Who, exactly, was the Wall supposed to protect from? The official version - from nomads, Huns, Vandals - is unconvincing. At the time of the creation of the Wall, China was the most powerful state in the region, and perhaps in the whole world. His army was well armed and trained. This can be judged very specifically - in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang, archaeologists unearthed a full-scale model of his army. Thousands of terracotta warriors in full equipment, with horses and carts, were supposed to accompany the emperor in the next world. The northern peoples of that time did not have serious armies; they lived mainly in the Neolithic period. They could not pose a danger to the Chinese army. There is a suspicion that from a military point of view the Wall was of little use.
2. Why was a significant part of the wall built in the mountains? It passes along ridges, over cliffs and canyons, and meanders along inaccessible rocks. This is not how defensive structures are built. In the mountains and without protective walls, the movement of troops is difficult. Even in our time in Afghanistan and Chechnya, modern mechanized troops do not move over mountain ridges, but only along gorges and passes. To stop troops in the mountains, small fortresses dominating the gorges are enough. To the north and south of the Great Wall lie plains. It would be more logical and many times cheaper to build a wall there, and the mountains would serve as an additional natural obstacle to the enemy.
3. Why does the wall, despite its fantastic length, have a relatively small height - from 3 to 8 meters, rarely up to 10? This is much lower than most European castles and Russian kremlins. Strong army, equipped with assault technology (ladders, mobile wooden towers) could, by choosing a vulnerable spot on a relatively flat area of terrain, overcome the Wall and invade China. This is what happened in 1211, when China was easily conquered by the hordes of Genghis Khan.
4. Why is the Great Wall of China oriented on both sides? All fortifications have battlements and curbs on the walls on the side facing the enemy. They don’t put the teeth towards their own. This is pointless and would complicate the maintenance of soldiers on the walls and the supply of ammunition. In many places, the battlements and loopholes are oriented deep into their territory, and some towers are moved there, to the south. It turns out that the builders of the wall assumed the presence of the enemy on their side. Who were they going to fight in this case?
Let's start our discussion with an analysis of the personality of the author of the idea of the Wall - Emperor Qin Shihuang (259 - 210 BC).
His personality was extraordinary and in many ways typical of an autocrat. He combined brilliant organizational talent and statesmanship with pathological cruelty, suspicion and tyranny. At a very young age of 13, he became the prince of the state of Qin. It was here that the technology of ferrous metallurgy was first mastered. It was immediately applied to the needs of the army. Possessing more advanced weapons than their neighbors, equipped with bronze swords, the army of the Principality of Qin quickly conquered a significant part of the country. From 221 BC a successful warrior and politician became the head of a united Chinese state - an empire. From that time on, he began to bear the name Qin Shihuang (in another transcription - Shi Huangdi). Like any usurper, he had many enemies. The emperor surrounded himself with an army of bodyguards. Fearing assassins, he created the first magnetic weapon control in his palace. On the advice of experts, he ordered an arch made of magnetic iron ore to be placed at the entrance. If the person entering had an iron weapon hidden, magnetic forces would tear it out from under his clothes. The guards immediately kept up and began to find out why the person entering wanted to enter the palace armed. Fearing for his power and life, the emperor fell ill with persecution mania. He saw conspiracies everywhere. He chose the traditional method of prevention - mass terror. At the slightest suspicion of disloyalty, people were captured, tortured and executed. The squares of Chinese cities were constantly resounding with the cries of people who were cut into pieces, boiled alive in cauldrons, and fried in frying pans. Severe terror pushed many to flee the country.
Constant stress and poor lifestyle undermined the emperor’s health. A duodenal ulcer developed. After 40 years, symptoms of early aging appeared. Some wise men, or rather charlatans, told him a legend about a tree growing across the sea in the east. The fruits of the tree supposedly cure all diseases and prolong youth. The emperor ordered to immediately supply the expedition for the fabulous fruits. Several large junks reached the shores of modern Japan, founded a settlement there and decided to stay. They rightly decided that the mythical tree did not exist. If they return from empty handed, the cool emperor will swear a lot, and maybe he’ll come up with something worse. This settlement later became the beginning of the formation of the Japanese state.
Seeing that science was unable to restore health and youth, he brought down his anger on the scientists. The “historical”, or rather hysterical decree of the emperor read: “Burn all books and execute all scientists!” The emperor, under public pressure, nevertheless granted amnesty to some of the specialists and works related to military affairs and agriculture. However, most of the priceless manuscripts were burned, and 460 scientists, who made up the then flower of the intellectual elite, ended their lives in cruel torture.
It was this emperor, as noted, who came up with the idea of the Great Wall. Construction work didn't start from scratch. There were already defensive structures in the north of the country. The idea was to combine them into a single fortification system. For what?
The simplest explanation is the most realistic
Let's resort to analogies. The Egyptian pyramids had no practical meaning. They demonstrated the greatness of the pharaohs and their power, the ability to force hundreds of thousands of people to do any action, even a meaningless one. There are more than enough such structures on Earth, with the sole purpose of exalting power.
Likewise, the Great Wall is a symbol of the power of Shi Huang and other Chinese emperors who picked up the baton of grandiose construction. It should be noted that, unlike many other similar monuments, the Wall is picturesque and beautiful in its own way, harmoniously combined with nature. Talented fortifiers who knew a lot about the Eastern understanding of beauty were involved in the work.
There was a second need for the Wall, a more prosaic one. Waves of imperial terror and the tyranny of feudal lords and officials forced peasants to flee en masse in search of a better life.
The main route was north, to Siberia. It was there that Chinese men dreamed of finding land and freedom. Interest in Siberia as an analogue of the Promised Land has long excited ordinary Chinese, and for a long time it has been common for this people to spread throughout the world.
Historical analogies suggest themselves. Why did Russian settlers go to Siberia? For a better life, for land and freedom. They were fleeing from the royal wrath and lordly tyranny.
To stop uncontrolled migration to the north, which undermined the unlimited power of the emperor and nobles, they created the Great Wall. It would not have held a serious army. However, the Wall could block the path of peasants walking along mountain paths, burdened with simple belongings, wives and children. And if men further away, led by a sort of Chinese Ermak, went to break through, they were met by a rain of arrows from behind the battlements facing their own people. There are more than enough analogues of such sad events in history. Let's remember Berlin Wall. Officially built against Western aggression, its goal was to stop the flight of the inhabitants of the GDR to where life was better, or at least it seemed so. For a similar purpose in Stalin times created the most fortified border in the world, nicknamed the “Iron Curtain,” for tens of thousands of kilometers. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Great Wall of China has acquired a double meaning in the minds of the peoples of the world. On the one hand, it is a symbol of China. On the other hand, it is a symbol of Chinese isolation from the rest of the world.
There is even an assumption that the “Great Wall” is the creation not of the ancient Chinese, but of their northern neighbors.
Back in 2006, the President of the Academy of Basic Sciences, Andrei Aleksandrovich Tyunyaev, in his article “The Great Wall of China was built... not by the Chinese!”, made an assumption about the non-Chinese origin of the Great Wall. In fact, modern China has appropriated the achievement of another civilization. In modern Chinese historiography, the purpose of the wall was also changed: initially it protected the North from the South, and not the Chinese south from the “northern barbarians.” Researchers say that the loopholes of a significant part of the wall face south, not north. This can be seen in works of Chinese drawings, a number of photographs, and in the most ancient sections of the wall that have not been modernized for the needs of the tourism industry.
According to Tyunyaev, the last sections of the Great Wall were built similarly to Russian and European medieval fortifications, the main task of which was protection from the impact of guns. The construction of such fortifications began no earlier than the 15th century, when cannons became widespread on the battlefields. In addition, the wall marked the border between China and Russia. At that period of history, the border between Russia and China passed along the “Chinese” wall.” On the 18th-century map of Asia produced by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam, two geographical formations are marked in this region: Tartarie was located in the north, and China was in the south, the northern border of which ran approximately along the 40th parallel, that is, exactly along the Great Wall. On this Dutch map, the Great Wall is indicated by a thick line and labeled "Muraille de la Chine". From French this phrase is translated as “Chinese wall”, but can also be translated as “wall from China”, or “wall delimiting from China”. In addition, other maps confirm the political significance of the Great Wall: on the 1754 map “Carte de l’Asie” the wall also runs along the border between China and Great Tartary (Tartaria). In the academic 10-volume World History there is a map of the Qing Empire of the second half of the 17th - 18th centuries, which shows in detail the Great Wall, which runs exactly along the border between Russia and China.
The following is the evidence:
ARCHITECTURAL wall style, now located on the territory of China, is imprinted with the peculiarities of the construction “handprints” of its creators. Elements of the wall and towers, similar to fragments of the wall, in the Middle Ages can only be found in the architecture of ancient Russian defensive structures of the central regions of Russia - “northern architecture”.
Andrey Tyunyaev proposes to compare two towers - from the Chinese Wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. The shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed at the top. From the wall there is an entrance leading into both towers, covered with a round arch made of the same brick as the wall with the tower. Each of the towers has two upper “working” floors. On the first floor of both towers there are round-arched windows. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130–160 centimeters.
There are loopholes on the top (second) floor. They are made in the form of rectangular narrow grooves approximately 35–45 cm wide. The number of such loopholes in the Chinese tower is 3 deep and 4 wide, and in the Novgorod one - 4 deep and 5 wide. On top floor The “Chinese” tower has square holes along its very edge. There are similar holes in the Novgorod tower, and the ends of the rafters sticking out of them, on which the wooden roof is supported.
The situation is the same in comparing the Chinese tower and the tower of the Tula Kremlin. The Chinese and Tula towers have the same number of loopholes in width - there are 4 of them. And the same number of arched openings - 4 each. On the upper floor between the large loopholes there are small ones - in the Chinese and in the Tula towers. The shape of the towers is still the same. The Tula tower, like the Chinese one, uses white stone. The vaults are made in the same way: at the Tula one there are gates, at the “Chinese” one there are entrances.
For comparison, you can also use the Russian towers of the Nikolsky Gate (Smolensk) and the northern fortress wall of the Nikitsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky, 16th century), as well as the tower in Suzdal (mid-17th century). Conclusion: the design features of the towers of the Chinese Wall reveal almost exact analogies among the towers of Russian Kremlins.
What does a comparison of the surviving towers of the Chinese city of Beijing with the medieval towers of Europe say? The fortress walls of the Spanish city of Avila and Beijing are very similar to each other, especially in the fact that the towers are located very often and have practically no architectural adaptations for military needs. The Beijing towers have only an upper deck with loopholes, and are laid out at the same height as the rest of the wall.
Neither the Spanish nor the Beijing towers show such a high similarity with the defensive towers of the Chinese Wall, as do the towers of Russian kremlins and fortress walls. And this is something for historians to think about.
And here is the reasoning of Sergei Vladimirovich Leksutov:
The chronicles say that the wall took two thousand years to build. In terms of defense, construction is absolutely pointless. Is it that while the wall was being built in one place, in other places nomads walked around China unhindered for two thousand years? But the chain of fortresses and ramparts can be built and improved within two thousand years. Fortresses are needed to defend garrisons from superior enemy forces, as well as to house mobile cavalry detachments in order to immediately go in pursuit of a detachment of robbers who have crossed the border.
I thought for a long time, who and why built this senseless cyclopean structure in China? There is simply no one except Mao Zedong! With his characteristic wisdom, he found an excellent way to adapt to work tens of millions of healthy men who had previously fought for thirty years and knew nothing but how to fight. It is unthinkable to imagine what kind of chaos would begin in China if so many soldiers were demobilized at the same time!
And the fact that the Chinese themselves believe that the wall has stood for two thousand years is explained very simply. A battalion of demobilizers comes to an open field, the commander explains to them: “Here, in this very place, the Great Wall of China stood, but the evil barbarians destroyed it, we have to restore it.” And millions of people sincerely believed that they did not build, but only restored the Great Wall of China. In fact, the wall is made of smooth, clearly sawn blocks. Is it that in Europe they didn’t know how to cut stone, but in China they were able to? In addition, they cut soft stone, and it is better to build fortresses from granite or basalt, or from something no less hard. But they learned to cut granites and basalts only in the twentieth century. Along its entire length of four and a half thousand kilometers, the wall is made of monotonous blocks of the same size, but over two thousand years the methods of stone processing inevitably had to change. And construction methods have changed over the centuries.
This researcher believes that the Great Wall of China was built to protect the Ala Shan and Ordos deserts from sandstorms. He noticed that on the map compiled at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Russian traveler P. Kozlov, one can see how the Wall runs along the border of shifting sands, and in some places it has significant branches. But it was near the deserts that researchers and archaeologists discovered several parallel walls. Galanin explains this phenomenon very simply: when one wall was covered with sand, another was built. The researcher does not deny the military purpose of the Wall in its eastern part, but the western part of the Wall, in his opinion, served the function of protecting agricultural areas from natural disasters.
Soldiers of the invisible front
Perhaps the answers lie in the beliefs of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom themselves? It is difficult for us, people of our time, to believe that our ancestors would erect barriers to repel the aggression of imaginary enemies, for example, ethereal otherworldly entities with evil intentions. But the whole point is that our distant predecessors considered evil spirits to be completely real beings.
Residents of China (both today and in the past) are convinced that the world around them is inhabited by thousands of demonic creatures that are dangerous to humans. One of the names of the wall sounds like “the place where 10 thousand spirits live.”
Another interesting fact: the Great Wall of China does not stretch in a straight line, but in a winding one. And the features of the relief have nothing to do with it. If you look closely, you will find that even in flat areas it “winds” around. What was the logic of the ancient builders?
The ancients believed that all these creatures could move exclusively in a straight line and were unable to avoid obstacles along the way. Perhaps the Great Wall of China was built to block their path?
Meanwhile, it is known that Emperor Qin Shihuang Di constantly conferred with astrologers and consulted with fortunetellers during construction. According to legend, the soothsayers told him that a terrible sacrifice could bring glory to the ruler and provide reliable defense to the state - the bodies of the unfortunate people buried in the wall who died during the construction of the structure. Who knows, perhaps these nameless builders are still standing eternally guarding the borders of the Celestial Empire...
Let's look at the photo of the wall:
Masterok,
livejournal
