The only man-made structure that astronauts can see from orbit is Velikaya Chinese Wall... The beginning of construction dates back to the IV-III centuries BC, as a defensive structure from the raids of Asian tribes in a strategically important place borders. 400 thousand soldiers took part in the construction of this monumental structure. The wall originates from Shaihanguan. This huge earthen rampart, surrounded by stones, a huge python passes through dangerous gorges, steep cliffs and dry deserts. The length of the Wall is almost six thousand kilometers, its height is 7.8 m, width is 5.8 m. Signal towers are built along the entire length of the wall at a certain distance from each other. This great structure ends at the Jiaiguan outpost. The necessary cargo was transported along the top of the Wall, ammunition was delivered during the hostilities. Now tourists who climb the Wall on foot are issued a colorful diploma "I was on the Great Wall of China."
The oldest Chinese monument
The Great Wall of China is a symbol of China, a symbol of national pride, “the eighth wonder of the world” and one of the world's oldest architectural monuments. On the globe there is not at least one person who would not have heard and read about this great largest grandiose monument of antiquity. This wall is located in an area covering an area from the Liaodong Bay (northeast of Beijing), through the north of China to the Gobi Desert. There are several opinions about the specific length of this attraction. But we can say with all accuracy that it spread over a distance of more than two thousand kilometers. Taking into account also the ramparts that extend from it, the result is approximately 6000-6500 km.
Officially, this Great Wall began to be erected in the 220 years. BC. by order of the ruler Qin Shih Huang. She defended the northwestern border from the raids of nomadic peoples. Its construction took hundreds of years. After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty rule, its construction ceased.
In order to get inside the state, it was necessary to go through all the checkpoints that close at night and do not open until the morning. Rumors spread among the people that in order to get into his state, even the Chinese emperor himself waited until dawn.
Over the course of 2,700 years, the construction of the wall took place three times. Prisoners, prisoners of war, as well as peasants, who were taken from their families by force, were sent to the north, to build the wall. About two million people died during the construction of this wall. At its base were their remains. Based on this, up to the present time, the people call the Great Wall of China “the Wailing Wall”.
Casemates, signal towers and guard towers were built at various points of the Great Wall, which was 6 to 10 meters high and 5.5 to 6.5 meters wide. The fortresses were built at the main passages of the mountains.
An interesting legend and story about the Chinese wall
It took a lot of people to build the Chinese wall. There is a Chinese legend according to which, after the wedding, the husband of a girl named Mung Jiannyu was exiled to the construction of the Great Wall. After three years of waiting, the young wife never saw her husband. He did not return home. In order to carry warm clothes to her husband, she set off on a very long, dangerous and difficult journey. The young woman reached the Shanhaiguan Outpost and, upon learning that her husband had died from hard work and was buried under the wall, she sobbed loudly. Then a large section of the wall collapsed, and she saw the corpse of her beloved husband. In the legends of China, the memory of the hard work of the participants in the construction of the wall is immortalized. The construction of the wall included several conditions. So, each of the wall towers must have been in the visible area of two adjacent towers. Messages between them were transmitted using smoke, drumming, or fire at night. The width of the wall was also calculated. It was 5.5 meters. This was done on purpose, because then five infantrymen could march in a row or five cavalrymen could go nearby. Now its average height is nine meters. The watch towers are twelve meters high.
Badalin wall
Tourists in China consider it essential to visit the Wall of China. Millions of people come to see this magnificent historical landmark every year. In the region of Mount Badaling, located 60 km from the city of Beijing, there is the most visited section of the Chinese Wall by tourists. There are always a lot of people here. This site was restored in 1957.
The length of this ancient monument is approximately 50 kilometers. Entrance: Y45. In summer it is open from 6.00 to 22.00, and in winter - from 7.00 to 18.00. The ticket includes a screening of a 15-minute film about the history of the construction of the wall, which is shown in the circular amphitheater from 9.00 to 17.45, as well as an acquaintance with the Museum of the Wall of China from 9.00 to 16.00. You can also get to Badalin by bus number 919 (depending on the number of stops Y5-10), which runs every 10 minutes from old gate Deshengmen, located 500 meters east of Jishuitan subway station. Warning: at 18.30 the last bus trip from Badaling.
For 8 hours, that is, for the whole day, you can rent a taxi with 4 passengers (maximum), cost Y400, and maybe more.
Among other things, there are tourist routes. One of them is Line C with a cost of Y80 round trip, including the cost of visiting the wall. Opening hours: from 6.30 to 22.00. Another route is Line C, with a stop at the Tomb of Minh at a cost of Y140, entrance tickets and lunch are included. Hours from 6.30 to 22.00.
Secrets of the Great Wall of China
Mutianyu wall
Mutianyu is the second known section of the wall. It is located 90 km north of Beijing. It can be visited from 6.30 am to 6 pm. The entrance ticket costs 35 RMB. The Mutianyu site is located in a mountainous area. You can climb it using the funicular. On the funicular, for a round trip ticket, spend another 50 yuan or just one way 35 yuan. A happier, cheaper descent is the iron chute that runs under the cable car. On it, in a special capsule, you can ride down. Bill Clinton also rode in one of the funicular booths. You can read this on a special sign. Maybe you will be able to ride in the president's cabin.
This wall has great dignity... It is located in a very picturesque place. There are far fewer people here than in Badalin. People are out after the fourteenth tower. Therefore, this place is very suitable for capturing beautiful and interesting moments, photographing.
Here it is necessary to take into account that this section of the wall, which consists of stairs going down and up, was made very thoughtfully. To slow down the enemy who made his way to the wall, they came up with these uneven, different sizes stairs. Not all visitors enjoy so many obstacles while walking.
Taking bus number 916 to the last stop, you can walk to the tower. To the very same wall you need to transfer to a minibus. This stop is located 200 m east of Dongzhimen station. You will pay 11 RMB to travel. Bus hours are from 6.00 to 19.00.
Simatai wall
110 kilometers northeast of Beijing is the next section of the wall - Simatai, 4.5 km long. 30 RMB is the entrance to this site. The visiting time is from 8.00 to 17.00. In order to climb the wall, you have to ride the cable car, paying for the ticket 50 yuan round trip or 30 - only one way.
From the same Dongzhimen stop, two buses travel to the Simatai wall. The first bus, number 970, leaves for Simatai at 5:40, and the last return bus leaves at 18:30. The second bus, number 980, goes there at 5:50, and the last one at 19:00. In the same way, you need to go to the last stop and then transfer to a minibus.
There are much fewer people here. People need to be in good physical condition to visit this wall, which rises along the mountains and descends along the cliffs. Watchtowers located close to each other - 35, s minimum distance between them, amounting to 40 meters. The main tower, which depicts mythical creatures and decorated with carvings, is the most beautiful of them. The tallest, the sixteenth tower, is the Beijing Tower. For a kilometer above sea level, it lacks a few meters. An incomparable, magnificent and interesting view opens from it.
There are two places on this site that are especially surprising and dangerous. These are the Heavenly Bridge and Heavenly Ladder. The Sky Bridge at the top tapers to 30 centimeters. Can you imagine how brave Chinese soldiers in ancient times could overcome it? Tourists are not allowed on the Heavenly Bridge and Heavenly Ladder. On the Heavenly Staircase, the climb up is very steep. The staircase is very narrow and has a climb angle of 85 degrees. There are no parapets.
Jinshanlin wall
Jinshanling is located 130 kilometers from Beijing, west of Simatai. Entrance fees to this site from mid-November to mid-March cost 40 RMB, and 50 RMB at other times of the year. You can get there by cable car in the same way and for the same cost, i.e. 50 yuan round trip and 30 one way. Here, as in Simatai, the opening hours are the same, that is, from 8.00 to 17.00.
This section of the wall is little restored. Here, there are very few visitors and few places where people can be admitted.
The length of the Jinshanling Wall is 10.5 kilometers. There are 24 watchtowers here. They all have different shape... Height additional walls, which fenced the watchtowers - 2.5 m. These walls were made to protect the soldiers. The warriors, being in a safe place, in the event of an attack, could attack the enemy, even after they were able to climb the wall.
Near the tower, which is called Hudin, there are bricks in the wall, on which there are signatures from hieroglyphs. The date of manufacture of bricks and the divisions involved in the construction of each site can be found by them.
You can get to Jinshalin in the same way and by the same buses that go to Simatai. Then you need to take a minibus. There is another way to get there - by train # 6453, which departs at 6:38 from North Beijing Railway Station to Gubeikou Station. After that, it remains to take a short bus ride to the wall.
Other notable wall pieces
There are three sections of the wall that are built of marble purple... Two sites are located in Jian'an City and the other in the Yanishan Mountains called Baiyanyu. They are considered the most reliable, strongest and most beautiful. Unfortunately, not every tourist can visit this wall.
The essence of the inscription left by Mao Zedong at the entrance to the reconstructed part of the wall that a Chinese man who has not visited the Great Wall of China is not a real Chinese.
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 wriggling 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
The beginning of the construction of the Great Wall of China
According to the official version, construction began during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), during the reign of Emperor Qin Shi-Huang in order to protect the state from the raids of the Xiongnu nomads, and lasted ten years. About two million people built the wall, which then made up a fifth of the total population of China. Among them were people of various classes - slaves, peasants, soldiers ... The commander Meng Tian supervised the construction.
Legend has it that the emperor himself rode on a magic white horse, plotting the route of the future structure. And where his horse stumbled, then a watchtower was erected ... But this is just a legend. But the story of the dispute between the Master and the official looks much more believable.
The fact is that for the construction of such a bulk, talented craftsmen-builders were required. There were plenty of them among the Chinese. But one was especially distinguished by intelligence and ingenuity. He was so skillful in his business that he could calculate exactly how many bricks were needed for such a construction ...
The imperial official, however, questioned the Master's ability and made a condition. If, they say, the Master is mistaken for only one brick, he himself will install this brick on the tower in honor of the craftsman. And if the mistake turns out to be 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, besides the wall, guard 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 others, is noticeably protruding from the masonry. They say that this is the one that the Official promised to put in honor of the skillful Master. Consequently, he escaped the promised punishment.
Great Wall of China - the longest cemetery in the world
But even without any punishment, so many people died during the construction of the Wall that the place was also 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. Poor working conditions were the reason.
According to legend, one of these unfortunates tried to save loving wife... She hurried to him with warm clothes for the winter. Learning on the spot about her husband's death, Meng - that was the name of the woman - wept bitterly, and from the abundant tears her part of the wall collapsed. And then the emperor himself intervened. Either he feared that the entire Wall would crawl from women's tears, or he liked the widow, beautiful in her sorrow, 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 the faithful Maine committed suicide, throwing herself into a stormy stream ... And how many such deaths have happened? However, is it kept track of victims when great state affairs are being done ...
And there was no doubt that such a "fence" was an object of great state importance. According to historians, the wall did not so much protect the great "Middle Kingdom of the Middle Kingdom" from the nomads, as it guarded the Chinese themselves so that they did not flee their sweet homeland ... They say that the greatest Chinese traveler Xuan-tsang had to climb over the wall, stealthily, in the middle of the night, under a hail of arrows from the border guard ...
Today we will learn everything we need to know about the Great Wall of China. First of all, we will analyze the facts from history that will help us understand why such an immense structure was required. Further we will talk about the approximate sizes, because the exact ones are still not known. Finally, we will find out if the Chinese Great Wall is visible from space. This overview is part of a voluminous travel guide to China.
What was the Chinese Great Wall for?
To get to know the Great Wall of China, it is worth going back in time to understand how it all began. It is foolish to deny that the Great Wall of China is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Today, most attractions are built for profit and are not always practical. At the time of the beginning of the construction of the wall, everything was different. The Great Wall of China was conceived primarily as a defensive structure in order to protect the borders of the empire from invaders.
The beginning of the construction of the wall dates back to the third century BC, when the Chinese empire was constantly attacked by the nomadic tribes of the Huns (later the Huns). It is worth mentioning separately about the Hunnu people, because it was a really strong rival, the confrontation with which took several centuries. Take a look at the territory occupied by the Huns, it was huge and stretched from the Pamir mountain range to Manchuria. The army numbered more than 300 thousand soldiers, among whom were excellent arrows, riders and war chariots.
Just in order to protect yourself from cavalry, on different sites border construction of defensive walls and barriers began. By that time, China was already a united kingdom, headed by the emperor of the Qin dynasty. The emperor plans to build an unprecedented structure that will serve as the border of the empire in the north and will be able to at least partially protect the then China from the Hunnu raids.
In the times preceding the reign of the emperor of the Qin dynasty, the scattered Chinese kingdoms, each individually, built barriers in order to escape from the raids of the nomads. Taking on the construction of a Chinese great wall, the emperor takes the already created structures as a basis, altering part of it, completing it and combining the walls into a single whole. Of course, this was not enough and an unprecedented amount of work was required, and it was planned to do this as soon as possible. To supervise the construction of the Great Wall of China was entrusted to the closest commander of the emperor named Meng Tian.
China's great wall. Start of construction
During the Qin dynasty, the construction of the wall took about 10 years. During this time, only part of the Great Wall of China, which we know now, was built. The fact is that for the construction of such an incredible in scale and concept of construction, it was necessary to involve a huge number of people. Of course, the most cost-effective way for the empire's budget to find labor was to coerce people. Hundreds of thousands of peasants, convicts and prisoners were thrown into the northern sections of the borders of the Chinese Qin Empire.
There is no reliable data left on how many people died, but the number is probably approaching 1 million. The supply of provisions was poorly adjusted and the construction of the wall was a tamping earthworks several meters in height, which was very laborious. Many could not stand this way of life and died. Therefore, it is customary to say that the Chinese Great Wall was built on the bones and blood of the peasants.
As the wall was erected, more people were required and the population's dissatisfaction with the policies of the Qin emperor grew. It reached its climax when the emperor died unexpectedly after 20 years of rule. The second emperor of the Qin dynasty ascended the throne, but he was not destined to rule. Numerous uprisings broke out throughout the empire, eventually leading to the overthrow of the emperor and the fall of the Qin dynasty. Thus, the construction of the Great Wall of China was temporarily suspended. It is believed that the commander Meng Tian, who led the construction of the wall, committed suicide after the death of the emperor, saying that the Great Wall of China was a crime against nature.
China's great wall. Second wind
The boundaries of the wall expanded significantly during the reign of the Han dynasty. The emperor of the Han dynasty decided to put an end to the power of the nomads in the west of the empire and at the turn of the second and third millennia was ready to oppose the eternal enemy. In addition to training soldiers, it was necessary to strengthen defensive structures. For this, an additional 10,000 km of the wall was built, with watchtowers, moats and an early warning system.
The main difficulty in building the Great Wall of China in the Gobi Desert was the lack of building materials. It was not possible to build a really reliable wall in a desert area until the Chinese engineers came up with the idea of tamping sand and clay between the layers of brushwood. This multi-layered construction provided the necessary rigidity, which helped to withstand not only the hordes of nomads, but also survive more than 2,000 years of exposure to nature. Over time, nomads were driven out of the Chinese empire, making it much safer for traders to travel along the Silk Road. More than a thousand years later, the Great Wall of China underwent a new, even more difficult test. Hordes of Mongols moved to the Chinese empire.
China's great wall. Ming dynasty rule
The Mongols invaded and ruled China for over 100 years. After this time, around the 14th century, the Ming dynasty expelled the Mongols from their empire and stood before them new question... How to build a wall that will once and for all close the issue with nomads, who have been attacking from the western borders for centuries?
In addition to modernization existing wall in the west, the empire needed to build a site near the newly formed capital of Beijing. The new capital of the empire was well defended by a chain of mountains, but there were gorges through which nomads could easily invade the heart of the empire. The best architects and workers were brought together for the construction of the new site. At the head was the brilliant architect Tzi Jiguan. He came up with the idea of using bricks in the construction of new sections of the Great Wall of China.
The construction system of the Great Wall of China has also undergone a change. Now the towers were interconnected so that in the event of an attack on one of them, warriors from neighboring towers could come to the aid of each other. Weapon cannons, huge crossbows capable of killing several people with one arrow and catapults for firing projectiles with gunpowder were installed. A few decades after the construction of a new section of the Great Wall of China, the first attempt was made to break through by nomads. This attempt failed, the wall showed how thoughtful it was.
Having closed the issue here, it was necessary to return to the west of the empire, since the threat of an invasion from the west was still relevant. The main problem, like many centuries ago, was Construction Materials... Chinese architects have found a way out here as well. Using sand and rubble, which was abundant here, they laid them between the rows of bricks burnt by the desert sun. Thus, the walls were extremely strong and had an elaborate system to repel attacks. At the same time, a farpost was erected behind the west of the empire. It was built according to the "fortress within a fortress" principle. The fortress included many labyrinths and the attacking warriors were an easy target for the defenders. The western farpost was never attacked.
Thus, the construction of the Great Wall of China took many years, claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, but played an important role in the history of the construction of modern China. Opinions differ about the need to build the Great Wall of China. Not everyone is sure that it was worth such human sacrifices. However, there is hardly anyone who does not recognize that this structure is one of the greatest buildings in the history of mankind.
Great Wall of China dimensions
Nobody will tell you the exact dimensions of the Great Wall of China even today. Despite the fact that scientists have every opportunity to explore the wall meter by meter, the data still vary.
Great Wall of China length
The length of the Great Wall of China raises questions and scholars argue about it day after day. But most agree that the length of the Great Wall of China is over 21,000 kilometers. If you measure the wall from edge to edge.
Great wall of china height
On different sections of the wall, the height differs. Minimum height China's great wall is 6 meters, while the towers are 10 meters high. Indeed, a grandiose structure!
Great wall of china width
If we talk about thickness or width, as a rule, the figure will be approximately 5-8 meters. Summarizing, according to preliminary data, the dimensions of the Great Wall of China are as follows:
- length> 21,000 kilometers
- height ~ 6-10 meters
- width ~ 5-8 meters
Great Wall of China on the map
The map of China clearly shows which borders the rulers of the empire tried to protect. The Great Wall of China stretches along the north and northwest borders ancient China where clashes with nomads constantly arose. Just imagine China, the third largest country in the world after Russia and Canada. Even just looking at the map, you can see what the scale of the structure is.
Coordinates of the Great Wall of China
From the above map, you can take all the necessary coordinates of the Great Wall of China. To save you time, the coordinates of the Great Wall of China are 40 ° 40 ′ 36.95 ″ N, 117 ° 13 ′ 54.95 ″ E.
Great Wall of China from a satellite
Lively debate is aroused by the question of whether the wall is visible from a satellite. The overwhelming majority of people agree that it is not possible to see the Great Wall of China from a satellite with the naked eye. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Chinese sent their astronaut into orbit. Of course, the first thing upon his return to Earth was the question, is the wall visible from space? He answered in the negative.
If you want to see the Great Wall of China from a satellite, you can do it in the image below.
Great wall of china
At the end of the story, I suggest watching a film about the Great Wall of China from national geographic. An interesting and comprehensive film.
- Guangzhou attractions -
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Many sources mention that the length of the Great Wall of China is 8 851.8 kilometers. However, official figures in China point to 21 196.18 km... But still, how long is the Great Wall of China and why is the data so different?
Below we will tell you how to correctly measure the Great Wall of China, count together the kilometers of this famous symbol of the Celestial Empire, and also tell you about which sections of the wall are open to the public today!
The official length of the Great Wall of China is 21,196 km
To measure the length of the Great Wall of China was first used scientific approach and a systematic assessment was carried out. After 5 years of research, scientists were able to measure the length of the entire wall. June 5, 2012 Public administration China Ancient Cultural Monuments Affairs announced that The official length of the Great Wall of China is 21,196.18 km.
This is a misleading figure, since some sections of the wall in different eras were built on top of or next to each other. Also included in the calculations are individual sections of the fortified wall that protect the state borders. That is, not only the part of the wall on the northern border of China, which is usually considered the Great Wall of China.
All known sections of the Great Wall of China were measured
The official measurements of the Great Wall of China cover all sections built by the seven Warring States (475-221 BC) and at least seven dynasties from Qin to Ming (221 BC - 1644 AD) in 15 provincial regions: Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai. The measured length includes 43,721 relics: walls, trenches, towers, fortress walls, etc.
Length of the Great Wall of China during the Ming Dynasty: 8,851 km
Over the years, during the reigns of various imperial dynasties, the Great Wall of China collapsed, rebuilt and lengthened many times. The last construction works on the wall were carried out during the reign of the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644). At that time, the wall was over 6,000 km long. This, in fact, is the wall that we are talking about using the term the great Wall of China.
On April 18, 2009, the State Administration of Ancient Cultural Monuments of China and the State Administration of Cartography of China announced that the length of the Great Wall of China during the reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was 8 851.8 km.
What was actually measured then
Sections of the Great Wall of China were measured across 10 provinces: Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai.
The length of the wall included trenches and natural barriers such as mountains, rivers and lakes. The actual length of the wall itself was thus more than 6,200 km. However, this figure includes many lateral branches that are not counted as "west-to-east" length.
The shortest distance from the westernmost point of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall in Jiayuguan to its easternmost point on the North Korean border in Hushan is 2,235 km.
Why is the Great Wall of China called "The Wall of 10,000 Li"
The Great Wall of China began to be called "Wan-li Changcheng" (万里长城, Wan Li Changcheng) from the time of the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC).
Wan means 10,000, and 1 li equals half a kilometer, Changcheng means Long Wall. Indeed, during the reign of the Qin dynasty, this was exactly the length of the Great Wall of China. The wall continued to be built, it increased in subsequent centuries, but, despite this, the name "Wall 10,000 Li Long" survived.
The fact is that "wan" in China also means "great number". And therefore, the name that appeared at that time can also be translated as the poetic "Wall in the length of a great number" or, in abbreviated form, "The Great Wall".
Interesting to know:
If, when calculating the length of the Great Wall of China, we include in it all the protective walls that were built during the reign of different dynasties in the northern part of China, then this total length will exceed 50,000 kilometers. Find out more here
In China, there is one more material evidence of the presence in this country of a highly developed civilization, to which the Chinese have nothing to do. Unlike Chinese pyramids, this testimony is well known to all. This is the so-called The great Wall of China.
Let's see what Orthodox historians have to say about this largest architectural monument, which in recent times has become a major tourist attraction in China. The wall is located in the north of the country, stretching from the sea coast and going deep into the Mongolian steppes, and according to various estimates it has a length, taking into account the branches, from 6 to 13,000 km. The thickness of the wall is several meters (on average 5 meters), the height is 6-10 meters. The wall is said to have included 25,000 towers.
A brief history of the construction of the wall today looks like this. Allegedly, they began to build the wall. in the 3rd century BC during the reign of the dynasty Qin to defend against the raids of nomads from the north and clearly define the border of Chinese civilization. The initiator of the construction was the famous "collector of Chinese lands" Emperor Qin Shi-HuangDi. He rounded up about half a million people for construction, which, with 20 million of the total population, is a very impressive figure. Then the wall was a structure mainly made of earth - a huge earthen rampart.
During the reign of the dynasty Han(206 BC - 220 AD) the wall was extended to the west, fortified with stone and a line of watchtowers was erected, which went into the depths of the desert. Under the dynasty Min(1368-1644) the wall continued to be built further. As a result, it stretched from east to west from the Bohai Bay in the Yellow Sea to the western border of the modern Gansu provinces, entering the territory of the Gobi Desert. It is believed that this wall was already built by the efforts of a million Chinese from bricks and stone blocks, which is why these sections of the wall have survived to this day in the form in which a modern tourist is already used to seeing it. The Ming dynasty was replaced by the Manchu dynasty Qing(1644-1911), which did not build the wall. She limited herself only to maintaining in relative order small area near Beijing, which served as a "gateway to the capital".
In 1899, American newspapers spread a rumor that the wall would soon be torn down and a highway would be built in its place. However, no one was going to demolish anything. Moreover, in 1984, a program for the restoration of the wall was launched at the initiative of Deng Xiaoping and under the leadership of Mao Tse Tung, which is being carried out now, and is financed from the funds of Chinese and foreign companies, as well as individuals. How much Mao drove to restore the wall is not reported. Several sites were repaired, in some places they were erected altogether. So we can assume that in 1984 the construction of the fourth Chinese wall began. Usually, tourists are shown one of the sections of the wall located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the region of Badaling Mountain, the length of the wall is 50 km.
The wall makes the greatest impression not in the area of Beijing, where it was erected on a not very high mountains, and in remote mountainous areas. There, by the way, it is very clearly visible that the wall, as a defensive structure, was made very thoughtfully. Firstly, five people in a row could move along the wall itself, so it was also a good road, which is extremely important when it is necessary to transfer troops. Under the cover of the battlements, the guards could covertly approach the area where the enemies planned to attack. The signal towers were located in such a way that each of them was in line of sight of the other two. Some important messages were transmitted either by drumming, or by smoke, or by the fire of bonfires. Thus, the news of an enemy invasion from the farthest lines could be transmitted to the center per day!
During the restoration process, the walls opened Interesting Facts... For example, its stone blocks were held together by sticky rice porridge mixed with slaked lime. Or what loopholes on her fortresses looked towards China; that on the north side the height of the wall is small, much less than on the south, and there are stairs... The latest facts, for obvious reasons, are not advertised and are not commented on by official science - neither Chinese nor world. Moreover, during the reconstruction of the towers, loopholes are being built in the opposite direction, although this is not always possible. These photos show the south side of the wall - the sun is shining at noon.
However, the oddities with the Chinese wall do not end there. Wikipedia has full map walls where in different colors shows the wall that we are told was built by every Chinese dynasty. As you can see, the great wall is not one. Northern China is often and densely dotted with "Great Walls of China" that extend into the territory of modern Mongolia and even Russia. Shed light on these oddities A.A. Tyunyaev in his work "The Wall of China - the Great Barrier from the Chinese":
“It is extremely interesting to trace the stages of the construction of the“ China ”wall, based on the data of Chinese scientists. It can be seen from them that the Chinese scientists, who call the wall "Chinese", are not very concerned about the fact that the Chinese people themselves did not take any part in its construction: every time when another section of the wall was built, the Chinese state was far from the construction sites.
So, the first and main part of the wall was built in the period from 445 BC. to 222 BC It runs along 41-42 ° north latitude and simultaneously along some sections of the river. Yellow River. At this time, naturally, there were no Mongol-Tatars. Moreover, the first unification of peoples within China took place only in 221 BC. under the kingdom of Qin. And before that there was the Zhangguo period (5-3 centuries BC), in which there were eight states on the territory of China. Only in the middle of the 4th century. BC. Qin began fighting against other kingdoms, and by 221 BC. conquered some of them.
The figure shows that the western and northern border of the Qin state by 221 BC. began to coincide with the section of the "Chinese" wall, which began to be built more in 445 BC and was built exactly in 222 BC
Thus, we see that this section of the "Chinese" wall was not built by the Chinese of the Qin state, but northern neighbors, but precisely from the northward Chinese. In just 5 years - from 221 to 206. BC. - a wall was built along the entire border of the Qin state, which stopped the spread of its subjects to the north and west. In addition, at the same time, 100-200 km west and north of the first, the second line of defense from Qin was built - the second "Chinese" wall of this period.
The next construction period covers the time from 206 BC to 220 AD During this period, sections of the wall were built, located 500 km to the west and 100 km to the north of the previous ones ... from 618 to 907 China was ruled by the Tang dynasty, which did not mark itself with victories over its northern neighbors.
In the next period, from 960 to 1279 in China, the Song empire was established. At this time, China lost its dominance over its vassals in the west, in the northeast (on the territory of the Korean Peninsula) and in the south - in northern Vietnam. The Song Empire lost a significant part of the territories of the Chinese proper in the north and north-west, which went to the Khitan state of Liao (part of the modern provinces of Hebei and Shanxi), the Tangut kingdom of Xi-Xia (part of the territory of the modern province of Shaanxi, the entire territory of the modern province of Gansu and Ningxia Hui) autonomous region).
In 1125, the border between the non-Chinese kingdom of the Jurchens and China passed along the river. Huaihe is 500-700 km south of the places where the wall was built. And in 1141 a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Chinese Song Empire recognized itself as a vassal of the non-Chinese state of Jin, pledging to pay him a large tribute.
However, while China itself huddled south of the river. Hunahe, 2100-2500 km north of its borders, another section of the "Chinese" wall was erected. This part of the wall built from 1066 to 1234, passes through the Russian territory north of the village of Borzya near the river. Argun. At the same time, another section of the wall was built, 1500-2000 km north of China, located along the Great Khingan ...
The next section of the wall was built between 1366 and 1644. It runs along the 40th parallel from Andong (40 °), just north of Beijing (40 °), through Yinchuan (39 °) to Dunhuang and Anxi (40 °) in the west. This section of the wall is the last, the most southern and the most deeply penetrating into the territory of China ... During the construction of this section of the wall, the entire Amur region belonged to the Russian territories. By the middle of the 17th century, on both banks of the Amur there were already Russian fortresses-forts (Albazinsky, Kumarsky, etc.), peasant settlements and arable lands. In 1656, the Daursky (later - Albazinsky) voivodeship was formed, which included the valley of the Upper and Middle Amur on both banks ... Built by the Russians in 1644, the "Chinese" wall passed exactly along the border of Russia with Qing China. In the 1650s, Qing China invaded Russian lands to a depth of 1500 km, which was secured by the Aigun (1858) and Beijing (1860) treaties ... "
Today, the Wall of China is inside China. However, there was a time when the wall meant border of the country.
This fact is confirmed by the surviving vintage maps... For example, the map of China by the famous medieval cartographic book of Abraham Ortelius from his geographical atlas of the world Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1602. North is on the right on the map. It clearly shows that China is separated from the northern country - Tartaria by a wall.
On a map of 1754 "Le Carte de l'Asie" it is also clearly seen that the border of China with Great Tartary runs along the wall.
And even a map from 1880 shows the wall as China's border with its northern neighbor. It is noteworthy that part of the wall extends far enough into the territory of China's western neighbor - Chinese Tartary ...
Interesting illustrations for this article are collected on the website "Food of RA" ...
Fake antiquity of China
