The Great Wall of China is also called the Long Wall. Its length is 10 thousand li, or more than 20 thousand kilometers, and to reach its height, a dozen people must stand on each other’s shoulders... It is compared to a writhing dragon, stretching from the Yellow Sea to the Tibetan mountains. There is no other similar structure on earth.
Temple of Heaven: Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
Construction of the Great Wall of China begins
According to the official version, construction began during the Warring States period (475-221 BC), under Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, in order to protect the state from the attacks of the Xiongnu nomads, and lasted ten years. About two million people built the wall, which then amounted to a fifth of the total population of China. Among them were people of various classes - slaves, peasants, soldiers... The construction was supervised by the commander Meng Tian.
Legend has it that the emperor himself rode on a magical white horse, plotting the route for the future structure. And where his horse stumbled, then a watchtower was erected... But this is just a legend. But the story about the dispute between the Master and the official looks much more plausible.
The fact is that the construction of such a huge building required talented builders. There were plenty of them among the Chinese. But one was especially distinguished by his intelligence and ingenuity. He was so skilled in his craft that he could accurately calculate how many bricks were needed for such a construction...
The imperial official, however, doubted the Master's ability and set a condition. If, they say, the Master makes a mistake by only one brick, he himself will install this brick on the tower in honor of the craftsman. And if the mistake amounts to two bricks, then let him blame his arrogance - severe punishment will follow...
A lot of stones and bricks were used for the construction. After all, in addition to the wall, watchtowers and gate towers also rose. There were about 25 thousand of them along the entire route. So, on one of these towers, which is located near the famous ancient Silk Road, you can see a brick, which, unlike the others, noticeably protrudes from the masonry. They say this is the same one that the Official promised to lay in honor of the skilled Master. Consequently, he escaped the promised punishment.
The Great Wall of China is the longest cemetery in the world
But even without any punishment, so many people died during the construction of the Wall that this place began to be called “the longest cemetery in the world.” The entire construction route was covered with the bones of the dead. In total, experts say, there are about half a million of them. The reason was poor working conditions.
According to legend, she tried to save one of these unfortunate people loving wife. She hurried to him with warm clothes for the winter. Having learned on the spot about the death of her husband, Meng - that was the woman’s name - began to cry bitterly, and from the profuse tears her part of the wall collapsed. And then the emperor himself intervened. Either he was afraid that the whole Wall would crawl from the woman’s tears, or he liked the widow, beautiful in her sadness, - in a word, he ordered to take her to his palace.
And she seemed to agree at first, but it turned out only in order to be able to bury her husband with dignity. And then faithful Meng committed suicide by throwing herself into a stormy stream... And how many more such deaths have happened? However, is there a record of victims when great state affairs are accomplished...
And there was no doubt that such a “fence” was an object of great national importance. According to historians, the wall not only protected the great “Celestial Middle Empire” from nomads, but rather guarded the Chinese themselves so that they would not flee from their dear fatherland... They say that the greatest Chinese traveler Xuanzang had to climb over the wall, stealthily, in the middle of the night, under a hail of arrows from the border guards...
Today it is believed that the Chinese began building their Great Wall of China as early as the 3rd century BC. e. Built for protection from northern nomads. The current state of the Wall is shown in Fig. 37 and 38. Regarding this, N.A. Morozov wrote:
"The mere thought that the famous Chinese Wall, with a height of 6 to 7 meters, and a thickness of up to three, stretching for THREE THOUSAND KILOMETERS, construction began back in 246 BC by Emperor Shi Hoang Ti (aka Shi Huang Di - Initial Venerable Emperor - Auto.) and WAS FINISHED ONLY AFTER 1866 YEARS, BY 1620 AD, is so absurd that it can only cause annoyance to a serious historian-thinker. After all, every large building has a predetermined practical purpose... Who would have thought of starting a huge construction that could only be completed in 2000 years, and until then would only be a useless burden for the population... And the Chinese Wall would be preserved as well as it is now could only if it was no more than several hundred years old”, vol. 6, p. 121–122.
Rice. 37. The Great Wall of China. Taken from, vol. 6, p. 121.
They will tell us that the Chinese took care of and constantly repaired their Wall for two thousand years in a row. Doubtful. It only makes sense to repair a building that is not very old, otherwise it will become hopelessly outdated and simply fall apart. This is what we are seeing, by the way, in Europe. Old defensive walls were dismantled and new, more powerful ones were built in their place. For example, many military fortifications in Rus' were rebuilt in the 16th century.
Rice. 38. Great Wall of China modern form. Taken from, vol. 21.
But in China everything was supposedly completely different. We are told that the Chinese Wall was built and stood for TWO THOUSAND YEARS. Historians don’t say that “ modern wall recently built on the site of an ancient one.” No, they claim that today we see exactly the same wall that conscientious Chinese workers built two thousand years ago. In our opinion, this is extremely strange, to say the least.
When and against whom was the Wall built? It's easy to give an approximate answer. As we have already said, “Chinese” history up to the 15th century AD. e. actually unfolded IN EUROPE. Therefore, the Chinese Wall could only have been created NO EARLIER than the 15th CENTURY AD. That is, when Chinese history “settled” in modern China. And the Wall was built, of course, not against arrows and spears with copper or even stone tips of the 3rd century BC. Against which a three-meter thick stone wall is simply not needed. Walls such as the Chinese Wall were already built against battering rams and firearms. And they began to be built no earlier than the 15th century, when GUNS appeared on the battlefields, including SIEGE WEAPONS. In Fig. 39 we show another image of the Chinese Wall. It is very interesting that ancient authors also called it the WALL OF GOG AND MAGOG, vol. 1, p. 294. This was stated, for example, by Abulfeda.
Who was the wall built against? We cannot yet answer for sure. This requires additional research.
However, we will express the following thought, which will simultaneously indicate our proposed dating of the Wall.
Apparently, the Great Wall of China was built primarily as a structure marking the BORDER between China and Russia. And it was only partially conceived as a military-defensive structure - and it was hardly ever used in this capacity. Defend the 4000-kilometer wall, p. 44, from an enemy attack is SENSELESS. Even if it stretches “only” one or two thousand kilometers. The wall in its current form is only slightly short of 4 thousand kilometers.
L.N. Gumilyov wrote: “The wall stretches for 4 thousand km. Its height reached 10 meters, and watchtowers rose every 60-100 meters. But, when the work was completed, it turned out that all of China’s armed forces were not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall (as if this could not have been realized BEFORE construction began - Auth.). In fact, if you place a small detachment on each tower, the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and send help.
Rice. 39. The Great Wall of China. It turns out that it was also called “The Wall of Gog and Magog”, vol. 1, p. 293–294. Taken from, vol. 1, p. 293.
If large detachments are spaced out less frequently, gaps will form through which the enemy can easily and unnoticed penetrate deep into the country. A FORTRESS WITHOUT DEFENDERS IS NOT A FORTRESS”, p. 44.
How does our point of view differ from the traditional one? We are told that the Wall separated China from the nomads in order to secure the country from their raids. But, as A.N. correctly noted. Gumilev, this explanation does not stand up to criticism. If the nomads wanted to cross the Wall, they could easily do so. And more than once. And anywhere.
We offer a completely different explanation. We believe that the Wall was built primarily to MARK THE BORDER BETWEEN TWO STATES. And it was built when an agreement was reached on this border. Apparently in order to eliminate border disputes in the future. And there probably were such disputes. Today, the parties to the agreement draw the border ON THE MAP (that is, on paper). And they think that this is enough. And in the case of Russia and China, the Chinese side, apparently, gave the agreement such great importance, that she decided to immortalize it not only on paper, but also on the terrain itself, drawing the Wall along the agreed border. This was more reliable and, as the Chinese probably thought, should have eliminated border disputes for a long time.
The length of the Wall itself speaks in favor of this assumption. Four thousand kilometers may well be the LENGTH OF THE BORDER between the two states. But for a purely military structure such a length is meaningless.
But the northern border of China has changed many times over its supposedly more than two-thousand-year history that has passed since the construction of the Wall. What the historians themselves tell us about. China was either united or divided into separate states, lost and gained some lands, etc.
But then we are given a wonderful opportunity not only to test our idea that the Wall was from the very beginning the BORDER of China, but also to supposedly DATE the construction of the Wall. Because if we manage to find a RELIABLE DATED old map, on which the BORDER OF CHINA RUNS EXACTLY ALONG THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA, then this will mean that, most likely, THE WALL WAS BUILT AT THIS TIME.
Today the Chinese Wall is INSIDE China. Was there a time when she passed EXACTLY ALONG THE BORDER? And when was this? By answering these questions we will get an approximate dating of the Wall.
Let's try to find a GEOGRAPHICAL MAP on which the Chinese Wall runs EXACTLY ALONG THE NORTHERN BORDER OF CHINA. It turns out that SUCH CARDS REALLY EXIST. Moreover, there are many of them. These are maps of the 17th–18th centuries AD.
Take, for example, an 18th-century map of Asia produced by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam. The map is part of a rare 18th-century atlas. The inscription on the map reads: L"Asie, Dresse sur les observations de l"Academie Royale des Sciences et quelques autres et Sur les memoires les plus recens. Par G. de l "Isle Geographe a Amsterdam. Ches R. & J. Ottens, Geographes dans le Kalverstraat au Carte du Monde. See Fig. 40.
On this map we see two large states in Asia: Tartarie and China. See Figure 41 and our drawing of the map in Figure 42. China's northern border runs approximately along the 40th parallel. THE CHINA WALL IS VERY CLOSE TO THIS BORDER. Moreover, on the map the Wall is MARKED as a thick line with the inscription Muraille de la Chine, that is, “high wall of China” translated from French.
We see the same Chinese Wall, with the same inscription on it, on another map of 1754 - Carte de l "Asie, which we took from a rare atlas of the 18th century. See Fig. 43. Here the Chinese Wall goes EXACTLY along the border between China and Great Tartary. See Fig. 44 and drawing in Fig. 45.
Rice. 40. Map of Asia from an 18th century atlas. Made in Amsterdam. L"Asie, dresse sur les observations de l"Academie Royale des Sciences et quelques autres, et sur les memoires les plus recens. Par G. de l'lsle Geographe. a Amsterdam. Chez R. & J. Ottens, Geographes dans le Kalverstraat au Carte du Monde. Taken from.
We see literally the same thing on another map of Asia in the 17th century, placed in the famous Blau world atlas of 1655. See Fig. 46. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China, and only its small western section is already inside China.
It is also important that the cartographers of the 18th century GENERALLY CONSIDERED IT NECESSARY TO PLACE THE CHINESE WALL ON THE POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD. Which indirectly suggests that the Wall HAD THE MEANING OF A POLITICAL BORDER. After all, they did not depict other wonders of the world. For example, Egyptian pyramids not on this map. And they painted the Chinese Wall.
Rice. 41. Fragment of a map of Asia from an 18th century atlas. It is clearly visible that the Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China. The wall is not only depicted on the map, but is also directly called the “Wall of China”: Muraille de la Chine. Taken from
The Great Wall of China is depicted on a color map of the Qing Empire of the second half of the 17th–18th centuries from a 10-volume academic book World History, With. 300–301. This map shows the Great Wall in detail, with all its small curves in the terrain. Almost along its entire length it runs EXACTLY ALONG THE BORDER OF THE CHINESE EMPIRE, with the exception of a small westernmost section no more than 200 kilometers long.
Rice. 42. Our drawing of a fragment of a map of Asia in the 18th century with the image of the Great Wall of China. Map taken from.
Rice. 43. The eastern part of the map of Asia from the atlas of the 18th Bek. Taken from .
Rice. 44. Fragment of a map of Asia from an 18th century atlas. The Great Wall of China runs exactly along the border of China. It is not only depicted on the map, but also directly named “ Chinese wall": Muraille de la Chine. Taken from .
Rice. 45. Our drawing of a fragment of the map of 1754. "Carte de I" Asie. 1754. It is clearly visible that the Great Wall of China runs exactly along the northern border of China. Map taken from.
Rice. 46. Fragment of a map of Asia from the Blaeu atlas of 1655. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China, and only a small western section is located inside China. Taken from .
Rice. 47. The Great Wall of China on a map supposedly from 1617, running exactly along the border between “China” (China) and Tartary. Taken from, p. 190–191.
Rice. 48. Enlarged image of the Chinese Wall, which plays the role of the border between China and Tartary. From a map supposedly from 1617. Taken from, p. 190–191.
On a map supposedly from 1617 from the Blau Atlas, we also see the Chinese Wall, running EXACTLY ALONG THE BORDER between “China” - that is, China - and Tartaria (TARTARIA), Fig. 47 and 48.
We see exactly the same picture on the map allegedly dated 1635 from the Blaeu Atlas, p. 198–199. Here, exactly along the border between China-China (CHINAE) and Tartaria, runs the Great Wall of China, fig. 49 and 50.
Rice. 49. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border between China and Tartaria on a map allegedly dating from 1635. Taken from Blaeu's Atlas, p. 198–199.
Rice. 50. Enlarged fragment depicting the Chinese Wall as a border between states. Taken from, p. 199
In our opinion, all this means the following. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA WAS PROBABLY BUILT IN THE 17TH CENTURY TO DELIVER THE STATE BORDER BETWEEN CHINA AND RUSSIA.
And if, after all these maps, someone still insists that the Chinese, they say, still built their Wall in the 3rd century BC, then we will answer this way. Maybe you're right. Let's not argue. However, in this case, we will have to admit that the “ancient” Chinese had such an amazing gift of foresight that they predicted exactly how the state border would run in the north of China in the 17th–18th centuries of the NEW ERA. That is, two thousand years after them.
They may object to us: the wall was not built along the border, but, on the contrary, the border between Russia and China in the 17th century was drawn along the ancient Wall. However, in this case, the Wall would have to be mentioned in a written Russian-Chinese treaty. But, as far as we know, there are no such references.
But if the Great Wall of China is really the border between Russia and China, then WHEN EXACTLY was it built? Apparently, in the 17th century. No wonder it is believed that its construction was “completed” only in 1620, vol. 6, p. 121. Or maybe even later. We will return to this issue in the next chapter.
And I immediately remember that EXACTLY in the 17th century there were BORDER WARS between Russia and China. See S.M. Soloviev, “History of Russia since ancient times,” vol. 12, chapter 5, . Probably only in late XVII centuries agreed on the border. And then they built the Wall to FIX THE AGREEMENT.
Did the Wall exist in some form before the 17th century? Apparently not. As we now understand, in the XIV-XVI centuries Rus' AND CHINA STILL CONSTITUTED ONE EMPIRE. It is believed that China was conquered by the “Mongols”, after which it became part of the Great = “Mongol” Empire. Therefore, there was no need to build a border wall. Most likely, such a need arose only after the Great Troubles of the early 17th century and the seizure of power in Rus' by the pro-Western Romanov dynasty. Then Türkiye separated from the Empire and heavy wars began with it. China also separated. The Manchu dynasty needed to build a wall to secure the border of the state they created. Which is what was done.
By the way, many “ancient Chinese” chronicles talk about the Great Wall. So what year were they written? It is clear that after the construction of the Wall, that is, not earlier than the 17th century AD. e.
And one more interesting question. Are there any other powerful stone fortress structures still preserved in China that were erected earlier than the 17th century, that is, before the Manchu rule over China? And also stone palaces and temples? Or did the Great Wall, before the arrival of the Manzhurs in the 17th century, stand in China in splendid isolation as the ONLY powerful stone fortification structure in the entire country? If so, then it’s very strange. Is it really possible that in the two thousand years that have supposedly passed since the construction of the Wall, the Chinese did not think of building many other structures that were even remotely comparable to the Wall? After all, we are told that the long history of China was filled with internecine wars. Why then did the Chinese not fence each other off with walls? According to the logic of historians, in two thousand years all of China should have been blocked by a wide variety of Great - and not so great - Walls. But there is nothing like it.
In Europe and Rus', for example, a lot of stone fortifications have been preserved. If the Chinese, two thousand years ago, built a gigantic stone structure that was generally useless from a military point of view, then why didn’t they use their remarkable talents to build really useful stone kremlins in their cities?
If the Wall was built, as we assume, only in the 17th century and was ONE OF THE FIRST grandiose stone buildings in China, then everything falls into place. Since the 17th century, there have been no major internecine wars in China. Until 1911, the same Manjurian dynasty ruled there. And after it, in the 20th century, no one built stone fortresses for military purposes. They are no longer needed.
Apparently, it is possible to even more accurately indicate the time of construction of the Great Wall of China.
As we have already said, the Wall was apparently built as a border between China and Russia during the border disputes of the 17th century. ARMED COLLISIONS between the two countries flared up from the middle of the 17th century. The wars went on with varying degrees of success, p. 572–575. Descriptions of the wars are preserved in Khabarov’s notes.
The treaty that secured the northern border between China and Russia was concluded in 1689 in Nerchinsk. Perhaps there were earlier attempts to conclude a Russian-Chinese treaty. Therefore, we would expect that the Great Border Wall of China was built sometime between 1650 and 1689. This expectation is justified. It is known that the Chinese Emperor (Bogdykhan) Kangxi “began the implementation of his plan to oust the RUSSIANS FROM AMUR. Having built a chain of fortifications in Manzhuria (! - Author), Bogdykhan in 1684 sent the Manjurian army to the Amur”, vol. 5, p. 312. We show a portrait of Bogdykhan Kangxi based on a drawing from the 18th century in Fig. 51.
Rice. 51. Chinese Bogdykhan. (Emperor) Kangxi (1662–1722), under whom construction of the Great Wall of China probably began. From an 18th century drawing. Taken from, vol. 5, p. 312.
What kind of fortification chain did Bogdykhan Kangxi build by 1684? In our opinion, this refers to the construction of the Great Wall of China. A CHAIN OF FORTIFIED TOWERS CONNECTED BY A WALL.
Figure 52 shows an engraving from the early 18th century, which depicts the Russian embassy passing through the Great Wall of China. It is worth noting that the Wall depicted here bears little resemblance to a real military fortification. For example, both passages in the towers through which the road from Russia to China is laid are COMPLETELY DEprived of ANY GATES OR GRATINGS, Fig. 53. Both through passages through the Wall are quite high and spacious. They are not protected by anything! The thickness of the wall, judging by the drawing, is quite small. So, from a military-defensive point of view, the Wall depicted in Fig. 54 is rather meaningless.
Rice. 52. An ancient image entitled: “The Russian embassy passes through the gates of the Great Wall of China. Engraving from the book by I. Ides. Early XVIII V." This Wall is not like the Chinese Wall that we are shown today. It is much narrower than modern and there is no wide passage along its top. And today in China a much thicker “ancient” Wall with a wide road along the top has already been built. Taken from, p. 143.
Rice. 53. An enlarged fragment of an ancient engraving from the 18th century depicting the passage towers of the Chinese Wall. The passage through them is wide and high. There are no gates or bars visible in the towers. Such a wall is in no way capable of serving as a serious military-defensive structure, but it may well mark the border between two states. Taken from, p. 143.
The Great Wall, which the Chinese show their guests today, is constructed significantly differently. It has become much thicker and there is now a wide road along its top, fig. 55. The question is, when was it built in this form? Isn't it in the 20th century? By the way, the road leading along the top of the modern Chinese Wall looks as if it was made for tourists to walk, and not for soldiers to run under a hail of arrows. It's a wide road that opens up beautiful views to the surrounding area. Figure 56 shows a photograph of the Wall of China, believed to have been taken in 1907. But perhaps this photograph was taken much later or was heavily retouched. It is possible that a significant contribution to the construction of the “most ancient” Chinese Wall was made in the 20th century, already under Mao Zedong, when it was necessary to create an outstanding symbol of the greatness of the “most ancient” China. The wall was completed, expanded, and re-erected in some places. empty space... And they said that, they say, it has always been like this.
Rice. 54. The current state of the Great Wall of China. It is already made very thick and there is a wide road along its top. Probably a remake for tourists. Taken from, p. 362.
Rice. 55. Photograph of the Great Wall of China, allegedly taken in 1907 (which, however, is doubtful). Taken from, p. 122.
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East is a delicate matter. This is what Vereshchagin said in the legendary “White Sun of the Desert”. And he turned out to be right, more than ever. A fine line between reality and mystery Chinese culture encourages tourists to go to the Celestial Empire in order to unravel its mysteries.
In northern China, along winding mountain paths, rises the Great Wall of China - one of the most famous and extraordinary architectural structures in the world. At least once, each of the people more or less interested in history looked for what the Great Wall of China looks like on the map, and whether it is so majestic.
The beginning of the Great Wall of China is near the city of Shanhaiguan, Hebei Province. The length of the Great Wall of China, taking into account the “branches,” reaches 8851.9 km, but if measured in a straight line, the length will be about 2500 km. The width varies, according to various estimates, from 5 to 8 meters. Scientists claim that it was built so that a patrol of 5 horsemen could easily pass through it. Rising to a height of 10 meters, protected by observation towers and loopholes, the wall protected the eastern power from attacks nomadic peoples. The end of the Great Wall of China, which even bypasses the outskirts of Beijing, is located near the city of Jiayuguan, Gansu Province.
Construction of the Great Wall of China - a historical approach
Historians around the world agree that the Great Wall of China began to be built around the 3rd century BC. Due to the military historical events, the global construction was interrupted and the managers, architects and approach to it as a whole changed. On this basis, there are still debates on the topic: who built the Great Wall of China?
Archives and research give reason to believe that the Great Wall of China began to be created on the initiative of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The ruler was prompted to such a radical decision by the period of the Warring States, when, during long battles, the 150 states of the Celestial Empire were reduced by 10 times. The increased danger of wandering barbarians and invaders frightened Emperor Qin, and he assigned the general Meng Tian to lead the large-scale construction of the century.
Despite bad mountain roads, potholes and gorges, the first 500 workers headed to the northern part of China. Hunger, lack of water and severe physical work exhausted the builders. But, according to all Eastern severity, those who disagreed were severely punished. Over time, the number of slaves, peasants and soldiers who built the Great Wall of China increased to a million people. They all worked day and night, following the Emperor’s orders.
During construction, twigs and reeds were used, held together with clay and even rice porridge. In some places the earth was simply compacted or mounds of pebbles were created. Peak construction achievement that period began clay bricks, which were immediately dried in the sun and laid out row by row.
After the change of power, Qin's initiatives were continued by the Han dynasty. Thanks to their assistance, in 206-220 BC, the wall stretched another 10,000 km, and certain areas watchtowers appeared. The system was such that from one such “tower” one could see two standing next to each other. This is how communication between the guards was carried out.
Video - History of the construction of the Great Wall of China
The Ming Dynasty, which came to the throne, starting in 1368, replaced some of the worn-out and not particularly strong building materials with durable brick and massive stone blocks. Also, with their assistance, in the area of the current city of Jian'an, the wall was restored with purple marble. This change also affected the section near Yanshan.
But not all Chinese rulers supported this idea. The Qing Dynasty, having come to power, simply abandoned construction. The imperial family did not see the practicality of a block of stone on the outskirts of the state. The only part, which was worried about - the erected gates near Beijing. They were used for their intended purpose.
Only decades later, in 1984, the Chinese authorities decided to restore the Great Wall of China. Little by little from the world - and construction began to boil again. With money collected from caring sponsors and philanthropists around the world, destroyed stone blocks in several sections of the wall were replaced.
What does a tourist need to know?
After reading history books and looking at photographs, you may feel an irresistible desire to go and challenge yourself to climb the Great Wall of China. But before you imagine yourself as an Emperor on top of a rock massif, you need to consider a few points.
First of all, it's not that simple. The problem is not only the amount of paperwork. You will have to submit copies of both passports, an application form, photographs, copies of round-trip tickets and a copy of your hotel reservation. Also, you will be asked for a certificate from the place of work where your wage should not be lower than 5000 hryvnia. If you are unemployed, you must have a certificate from the bank about the status of your personal account. Please note - it must be worth at least 1500-2000 dollars. If you have collected all the necessary forms, copies and photographs, then you will be provided with a visa for up to 30 days without the possibility of extension.
Secondly, it is advisable to plan a visit to the Great Wall of China in advance. It’s worth deciding on the miracle of architecture and how to spend time there. You can go from the hotel to the wall on your own. But it is better to book a planned excursion and follow the plan provided by the guide.
The most popular tours offered in China take you to several sections of the wall that are open to the public.
The first option is the Badaling section. For the excursion you will have to pay about 350 yuan (1355 hryvnia). For this money you will not only explore the wall and climb to the heights, but also visit the tombs of that very Ming dynasty.
The second option is the Mutianyu site. Here the price reaches 450 yuan (1,740 hryvnia), for which, after visiting the wall, you will be taken to the Forbidden City, the greatest palace complex of the Ming Dynasty.
Also, there are a lot of one-time and shortened excursions, in the context of which you can either walk along the hundreds of steps of the Great Wall of China, or take a funicular ride, or simply admire the picturesque view from the tops of the towers.
What else is worth knowing about the Great Wall of China?
The Great Wall of China, like everything else in the Celestial Empire, is shrouded in legends, beliefs and mysteries.
There is a legend among the Chinese people that even at the beginning of the construction of the wall, the lover Meng Jiangui accompanied her newly-made husband to the construction. However, after waiting for him for three years, she could not stand the separation and went to the wall to see her beloved and give him warm clothes. It was only after going through a difficult path that she found out at the wall that her husband had died of hunger and hard work. Overwhelmed by grief, Maine fell to her knees and sobbed, causing part of the wall to crumble down, and the body of her deceased husband appeared from under the stones.
Local residents support such legends with superstitions. They believe that if you put your ear to the stones of the wall, you can hear the moans and cries of those workers who were buried during the construction of the Great Wall of China.
Video - The Mesmerizing Great Wall of China
Other storytellers claim that the mass graves of slave construction workers are a tribute higher powers. Because as soon as Emperor Qin ordered the construction of a defensive structure, a court magician came to him. He told the emperor that the Great Wall would be completed only when 10,000 inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom were buried under the boulders, and a Chinese man named Wang was dead. Inspired by the sorcerer’s speeches, the emperor ordered to find a subject with that name, kill him and wall him up within the walls.
There is also a more mundane story, which to most seems only a myth. The fact is that in 2006 V. Semeiko published an article in one of the scientific journals. In it, he suggested that the authors and builders of the stone border were not the Chinese, but the Russians. The author reinforces his idea by the fact that the towers are directed towards China, as if observing the eastern state. And the fact is that general style buildings are more typical of Russian defensive walls, supposedly unconditionally testifying to the Slavic roots of the architectural phenomenon.
Whether this is true or just a hoax will remain a mystery for centuries. But tourists happily come to China to walk the steps of one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. Stand at the tower and wave your hand to the sky in the hope that somewhere in orbit someone will certainly see them. But the theory that the Great Wall of China is visible from orbit is a lie. The only celestial images the wall can boast of are those from satellite cameras. But this fact also gives the wall a special grandeur.
And, be that as it may, the Great Wall of China, with all its ambiguity and mystery, is the best symbol of the massiveness, strength and greatness of the Celestial Empire. Its sublimity and successful symbiosis of innovation and mysticism.
History hid the real creators of the Great Wall of China for many years. Find out about them today!
Some architectural structures inspire horror and awe of ancient civilizations at the same time. For example, the Great Wall of China, the construction of which began in the 3rd century BC. and finally completed in 1644. Scientists are still arguing about the purpose of the largest ancient monument in Asia. A few years ago, the craziest of theories unexpectedly received historical confirmation. It turns out that the Chinese arrogated to themselves the right to be called the builders of the Great Wall of China, taking it away from the ancient Slavs.
Why is the official version of building a wall unviable?
The generally accepted view, which can still be found in any history textbook, states that the first sections of the wall were built in 475-221 BC. It took at least a million people to build a reliable fortification from stone blocks. After the Qin dynasty came to power, the stone was partially replaced by adobe structures: each new ruler completed, modified and connected new sections of the wall. The main stage of construction, according to classical history, took at least 10-20 years. Tens of thousands of people died from starvation, poor sanitation and epidemics of viral diseases. In 1366-1644, the Ming Dynasty repaired the collapsed sections of the wall, replacing them with more inexpensive bricks.
The historians themselves have proven only the last fact, because the clerks of the Chinese Ming emperors kept records of the materials spent during construction. The rest of the legend about the creation of the Great Wall of China looks like nothing more than a beautiful myth created to intimidate the enemies of a powerful country. At the time of construction, such a large number of people could not live in this area that would meet the needs of a large-scale construction.
The architecture of the wall is similar to the fortifications of Europe and Slavic siege walls - but the Chinese builders could not have known about the technology of their creation. And if earlier this assumption looked like just another version, today you can find more than one significant evidence for it.
The real story of the Great Wall of China, which was hidden for many centuries
For the first time, the assumption that the wall was not built by the Chinese, but by someone else, was expressed in several scientific journals at once in 2011. One of them included a comment from the President of the Academy of Basic Sciences A.A. Tyunyaev, who shared his thoughts about the true origin of the creators of the architectural monument:
“As you know, to the north of the territory of modern China there was another, much more ancient civilization. This has been confirmed many times archaeological discoveries, made in particular on the territory Eastern Siberia. Impressive evidence of this civilization, comparable to Arkaim in the Urals, not only has not yet been studied and comprehended by the world historical science, but did not even receive proper assessment in Russia itself. As for the so-called Chinese wall, it is not entirely legitimate to talk about it as an achievement of ancient Chinese civilization. Here, to confirm our scientific correctness, it is enough to cite only one fact.”
What fact does a competent scientist speak about, whose words can definitely be trusted? He considers the loopholes located along the entire perimeter of the fence to be proof that the Chinese cannot be called the creators of the wall. They are directed not to the north, but to the south, that is, towards China! This means that a certain people built a fence and placed weapons in it against the Chinese, and not to protect this people.
Here it would be logical to explain who defended against China with the help of the Great Wall. During excavations among the stones at its base, vessels with scrolls and clay tablets decorated with writings and drawings were found. Experts in deciphering Chinese characters spent more than one month working on these signs, but could not understand what even one of them meant.
The writings turned out to be Slavic - they can also be found on some maps of China, which indicate that there were Rus behind the wall. The Rus were the name given to the Eastern Slavs, whose burial mounds were found not only in central and southern Russia and Ukraine, but also near the Great Wall of China. Will the Chinese one day be able to admit to the greatest hoax in their country's history?
Who built the wall and why?
Since articles on the topic “Is the history being presented to us the right one?” have begun to appear here with noticeable regularity, I consider it necessary to speculate on the topic of who built the Great Wall of China.
The Chinese are very proud of the Great Wall of China and will be happy to tell and show you this landmark. Only bad luck, they will only show that part, a small branch, which has recently been restored, but all other parts of the wall have been destroyed almost to the foundation or are in the process of destruction, but the Chinese will keep silent about it.
A wall destroyed by time in Longkou County 
Remains of a destroyed wall. 
Section of the Wall west of Yinchuan Urban District 
180 km north of Beijing. Unlike most other areas around the capital that have been restored for tourism, this part of the Wall, built around 1368, has been left in its original condition. Many scientists are skeptical about the myth about the wall, that it has been in this form for 2000 years and they are right, the wall has long crumbled, and for tourists it is just a reconstruction.
Tourist part According to the official historical version Great Wall They began to build in the 3rd century BC in order to protect the country from raids by nomadic peoples.
But the fact is that the name Great Wall of China refers to at least three projects built in different periods. historical eras. The wall is not homogeneous, all these three projects that make it up are scattered at different distances from each other and have many branches, adding up to a total length different parts The walls are at least 13 thousand km long.
And no one is bothered by the fact that between these three projects there are huge gaps through which the nomads, from whose raids, according to official history, the wall was built, could easily enter and exit China without paying any attention to any walls there.
So the Chinese excuse about nomads and barbarians does not find proper confirmation.
At the time of the construction of these walls, China did not have the required amount of military forces; it was unrealistic not only to defend itself, but also to simply control the entire wall along its entire length.
And here is another confirmation that the wall was most likely built for any, perhaps even fantastic, purpose, but not for defense: if you look closely, you can see that the wall branches, forming some completely meaningless loops and branches. Moreover, it was not built in a straight line, but along some kind of winding trajectory. And the features of the relief have nothing to do with it, because even in flat areas the wall “winds”. How can such construction be explained?
restored part of the wall 
Restored wall fragment So it turns out that there are many hypotheses and guesses surrounding the construction of the Chinese wall. Now I will tell you about some of them.
Or maybe it wasn’t the Chinese who built it?
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!” put forward the assumption that it is the creation not of the Chinese, but of their northern neighbors. Let's return to the story about Tartary, by following the link you can see that until the middle of the 18th century, the current northern part of China was part of Tartary, or more precisely, it belonged to the Slavs living in this territory. Please note that the border of Tartaria ends exactly at the place where the Chinese wall is located. To prove this, I provide you with a map below, on which not only is there a border between China and Tartaria, but the wall itself is also shown (the map can be enlarged).
It turns out that the Chinese appropriated the achievement of another civilization and changed the purpose of the wall in history: initially the wall was a defense of the north from the Chinese, and not vice versa as they now say. Proof of this can be seen in the loopholes, which are directed towards China, and not towards the north. China couldn’t build a wall and direct the loopholes onto its own territory - it’s not logical. Ancient loopholes aimed at China can be seen at the ancient Chinese drawings, in old photographs and on the wall itself, but only on parts that are not modernized and not intended for tourists. According to Tyunyaev, the last sections of the Great Wall of China were built similarly to Russian 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.
To prove his hypothesis, Tyunyaev cites the following facts.
The architectural style of the Great Wall of China very clearly showed the handwriting of its creator. The same features of the elements of walls and towers can only be found in the architecture of ancient Russian defensive structures in the central regions of Russia.
For example, 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.
Novgorod Kremlin 
Round arch in the Chinese Wall 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 the top floor of the “Chinese” tower, along its very edge there are square holes. 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.
Tula Kremlin 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: design features The towers of the Chinese Wall reveal almost exact analogies among the towers of Russian Kremlins.
Nikolskie Gate, Smolensk Moreover, the fact that quite recently Chinese archaeologists found ancient Slavic burials in the north, almost near the wall itself, may confirm that the construction of the wall was most likely done by the inhabitants of the north, and not by the Chinese.
Second hypothesis. Why was the wall built?
A. Galanin, a famous botanist, suggested that the wall was built not only for the purpose of defense. 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.
This hypothesis can also explain the presence of a wall on the territory of Mongolia and most recently found by British researchers.
There are other hypotheses for building the wall, some are even very fantastic and are still hard to believe. But who knows where exactly the truth is hidden. For now, I have limited myself to only these two hypotheses and will be glad if you express your point of view.
Destroyed parts of the Great Wall of China.
