When was the Chinese Wall built? Chinese Wall brief information

The only man-made structure that can be seen by astronauts from orbit is the Great Chinese Wall. The beginning of construction dates back to the 4th-3rd centuries BC, as a defensive structure against raids by Asian tribes in a strategically important place on the border. 400 thousand soldiers took part in the construction of this monumental structure. The wall originates in Shaikhanguang. This huge earthen rampart, lined with stones, runs like a huge python through dangerous gorges, steep cliffs and dry deserts. The length of the Wall is almost six thousand kilometers, its height is 7.8 m, its 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 Jiayguan outpost. Necessary cargo was transported along the top of the Wall and ammunition was delivered during hostilities. Nowadays, tourists who climb the Wall on foot are given a colorful diploma “I was on the Great Wall of China.”

The oldest Chinese monument

The symbol of China, a symbol of national pride, the “eighth wonder of the world” and one of the world’s oldest architectural monuments is the Great Wall of China. There is not a single person on the globe who has not heard or read about this great, largest, grandiose monument of antiquity. This wall is located on an area covering an area from the Liaodong Gulf (northeast of Beijing), through northern China to the Gobi Desert. There are several opinions about the specific length of this attraction. But we can say about it with complete accuracy that it spreads 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 built in 220. BC. by order of the ruler Qin Shi Huang. It defended the northwestern border from attacks by nomadic peoples. Its construction took hundreds of years. After the reign of the Qing Dynasty was established, its construction ceased.

In order to get inside the state, it was necessary to go through all the checkpoints that closed at night and did 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, to this day, people call the Great Wall of China the “Wailing Wall.”

Casemates, signal towers and guard towers were built at various places on the Great Wall, which was 6 to 10 meters high and 5.5 to 6.5 meters wide. Fortresses were built near the main passes of the mountains.

Interesting legend and story about the Chinese Wall

It took a lot of people to build the Chinese wall. There is one Chinese legend, according to which, after the wedding, the husband of the girl, whose name was Mung Jiangnu, was exiled to the construction of the Great Wall. After three years of waiting, the young wife still did not see her husband. He did not return home. In order to take warm clothes to her husband, she set out on a very long, dangerous and difficult journey. A young woman reached the Shanhaiguan outpost and learned that her husband had died from hard work and was buried under the wall, sobbed loudly. Then a large section of the wall collapsed, and she saw the corpse of her beloved husband. Chinese legends immortalize the memory of the hard work of those involved in the construction of the wall. The construction of the wall included several conditions. Thus, each of the wall towers had to be located in the visible zone of two neighboring 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 ride side by side. Now her average height nine meters. The watchtowers are twelve meters high.

Badaling Wall

Tourists in China consider it a must to visit the Wall of China. Every year, millions of people come to see this magnificent historical landmark. In the area 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 area 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 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 introduction to the Chinese Wall Museum from 9.00 to 16.00. You can also get to Badaling by bus number 919 (depending on the number of stops Y5-10), which runs every 10 minutes from ancient gate Deshengmen, located 500 m east of Jishuitan metro station. Warning: at 18.30 the last bus departure from Badaling.

For 8 hours, that is, for the whole day, you can rent a taxi with 4 passengers (maximum), costing Y400, or maybe more.

Besides everything else, there are tourist routes. One of them is Line C with a cost of Y80 round trip, which includes the cost of visiting the wall. Opening hours: from 6.30 to 22.00. Another route is Line C, stopping at the Tomb of Minh for Y140, which includes entrance fees and lunch. 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 to 18.00. Entrance ticket costs 35 yuan. The Mutianyu site is located in a mountainous area. You can climb it using the funicular. On the cable car, spend another 50 yuan for a round-trip ticket or 35 yuan for a one-way ticket only. 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 cable car cabins. You can read this on a special sign. Maybe you will be able to take a ride in the president's cabin.

This wall has great dignity. It is located in a very picturesque place. There are much fewer people here than in Badaling. There are no people after the fourteenth tower. Therefore, this place is very suitable for capturing beautiful and interesting moments and taking photographs.

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 had made his way onto the wall, they came up with these uneven stairs of various sizes. Not all visitors enjoy so many obstacles during their walk.

By taking bus number 916 to the last stop you can reach the tower. To get to the wall you need to transfer to a minibus. This stop is located 200 meters east of Dongzhimen Station. You will pay 11 yuan for travel. Bus operating 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 yuan is the entrance fee to this site. Visiting hours are from 8.00 to 17.00. In order to climb the wall, you must ride along cable car, paying 50 yuan for a round trip ticket or 30 for one way only.

From the same Dongzhimen stop, two buses go to Simatai Wall. The first bus number 970 goes to 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 good physical fitness to visit this wall, which goes up along the mountains and down the cliffs. There are 35 watchtowers located close to each other, with a minimum distance between them of 40 meters. Main tower, which depicts mythical creatures and is decorated with carvings, is the most beautiful of them. The tallest one, the sixteenth tower, is the Beijing Tower. For an elevation of one kilometer above sea level, it lacks several meters. Incomparable, magnificent and interesting view opens from it.

There are two places in this area that are especially surprising and dangerous. These are the Heavenly Bridge and the Heavenly Staircase. The Sky Bridge at the top narrows to 30 centimeters. Can you imagine how brave Chinese soldiers in ancient times could overcome it? Tourists are not allowed on the Sky Bridge and the Sky Staircase. The climb to the top of the Heavenly Staircase is very steep. The staircase is very narrow and the angle of climb is 85 degrees. There are no parapets there.

Jinshanling Wall

Jinshanling is located 130 kilometers from Beijing, west of Simatai. Entry tickets for this section from mid-November to mid-March they cost 40 yuan, and at other times of the year - 50 yuan. You can get there by cable car in the same way and at the same cost, i.e. 50 yuan round trip and 30 one way. Here, as on Simatai, same time work, i.e. from 8.00 to 17.00.

This section of the wall has been little restored. Here, there are very few visitors and few places where people can be allowed.

The length of the Jinshanling wall is 10.5 kilometers. There are 24 watchtowers here. They all have different shapes. The height of the additional walls that enclosed the watchtowers was 2.5 m. These walls were made to protect the soldiers. Warriors, being in a safe place, in case 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 of hieroglyphs. The date of manufacture of the bricks and the departments involved in the construction of each site can be found out from 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 No. 6453, which departs at 6:38 from Beijing North Station to Gubeikou Station. After which it remains to take a short bus ride to the wall.

Other famous pieces of the wall

There are three sections of the wall that are built from purple marble. Two sites are located in Jiang'an City, and the other is in the Yanyshan Mountains, which is 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 is that a Chinese who has not visited the Great Wall of China is not a real Chinese.

Is one of the largest and ancient monuments architecture in the world. It stretches for 8851.8 km, and one of its sections is located very close to Beijing. This building has a long history amazing story, we will focus only on the most interesting facts.

When and how was the Chinese Wall built?

Even in our modern world It’s hard to imagine how much human labor was invested, how much time was spent on the construction of this large-scale architectural monument. The history of the construction of this wall is as sad as it is long. They began to build the Great Wall of China back in the 3rd century BC. At that time, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ruled in China, it was the period of the Warring States. In those days, nomadic tribes often escaped into the country, and the Huns attacked especially often, so China needed powerful protection. About one fifth of the total population, that is, about 1 million people, took part in the construction of this huge protective structure. This fortification was supposed to simultaneously limit the supposed northern border of the Chinese settlement and create some kind of obstacle to the mixing of the Chinese people with barbarian tribes. It was important to create clear boundaries of the state, because at that time China as a single country was just being formed and consisted of many disparate conquered states.

A little later, when the Han Dynasty came to power, the wall was expanded to the west. At the same time, many towers were built, which were supposed to protect trade caravans from attacks by nomadic tribes. However, sections of the wall have reached us that were built only during the Ming Dynasty, that is, in 1368-1644. Then bricks and blocks were used in construction, so the structure became stronger and more reliable. During this period, the wall connected the Yellow Sea in the east with Yumenguang Outpost in the west.

However, during the Qing Dynasty, from 1664 to 1911, the Great Wall of China was not supported in any way and therefore practically collapsed. The fact is that during this period the rulers of China did not see any benefit in this structure. Only one small site, which was located near Beijing and was used as a gateway to the city, has been preserved in good condition. Now thousands of tourists from all over the world flock to this place to look at the structure. It was opened to the public in 1957, and in 2008 this place was the final point of a bicycle race Olympic Games. In 1984, a decision was made to rebuild the Great Wall of China. Money for this was collected “from the whole world”; Chinese and foreign companies and individuals were involved in this process. Anyone who wanted could donate money for the restoration of the architectural monument.

The Chinese Wall in modern times

The length of this impressive structure is 8851 kilometers and 800 meters. It is even difficult for our consciousness to imagine such a scale.

However, some sections of the wall are in very poor condition. Thus, a site in the northwest of China in the Shanxi province is being destroyed quite quickly due to improper maintenance. Agriculture. Over the past 60 years, groundwater in that area has become increasingly scarce. As a result, the province regularly experiences severe sand storms. Because of such disasters, only a small part of the wall has been preserved, but even in this area its height is often 2 meters instead of 5.

In 1987, UNESCO included the Great Wall of China in the list World Heritage. It has been recognized as the greatest Chinese historical and architectural landmark. Tens of millions of tourists come here every year.

Interesting facts and legends about the Chinese Wall

You can often come across the statement that the Chinese Wall is a solid structure built in one step. However, this is just a myth. In fact, the wall was built in parts, and this happened in different times under the rule of different dynasties.

Of course, this huge structure is listed in many reference books describing various human records. The Wall of China is most often referred to as the longest structure in the world. However, its other parameters are also impressive. In the most high places its height is 7 meters and its width reaches 8 meters.

As already mentioned, the wall was built by various dynasties. Each of them built its own site in order to protect the state from attacks by nomadic tribes and other threats. Once upon a time this was a matter of first necessity. If you count how many were built in total defensive structures in China over 2000 years, then their total length will be more than 50 thousand kilometers.

However, it was precisely the fact that the wall had “gaps” that led to the capture of the northern territories by the Mongols in 1211-1223. It was only in the 14th century that the Chinese were able to regain this piece of land again.

Observation towers were evenly installed along the entire length of the Chinese Wall, in some places their height reached 40 feet. They were used to monitor the territory and as fortresses and garrisons for troops. Also, supplies of water and food were stored in these towers. If danger was noticed, torches or beacons were lit on the towers, and sometimes a flag was raised. In the west, the wall was also used to protect caravans traveling along the Great Silk Road. During the Sino-Japanese War in 1938, the Great Wall was still in use. Bullet marks can still be seen in some places.

It is known that similar Egyptian pyramids, a lot of people died during the construction of this structure. This number is believed to be more than 1 million lives. Therefore, the Chinese Wall is sometimes called the longest cemetery on Earth.

Another popular and slightly scary legend tells that for the construction of the wall they prepared a mixture mixed with powder from human bones. And people who died at a construction site were walled up directly into the wall, so it became stronger. However, modern researchers have proven that the mortar contains only rice flour, which was previously actively used for construction in China. No bones were found in the wall either.

And yet there are many legends surrounding this topic. For example, one of them talks about the wife of a farmer who died while building a wall. When she learned about the tragedy, she came to that place and cried until the wall crumbled. Then she saw the bones of her husband and took them to be buried according to Chinese custom.

As for burial customs, this was a special ritual for the wall builders. Builders who died on the Great Wall had a cage with a white rooster placed in their coffin. The rooster was called upon with its cry to prevent the spirit of the deceased from falling asleep until the funeral procession left the wall. Otherwise, the spirit of the deceased would have found no peace for many centuries and would have wandered along the wall.

There is a myth that a dragon showed the way to the builders - a symbol of China, which is still the personification of goodness, peace and prosperity in this country. Where this creature passed, its traces remained. It was from them that the builders found out where to build the Great Wall.

Now for all Chinese Great Wall is a source of pride, a symbol of the struggle and greatness of the state. The Chinese government spares no expense in preserving and reconstructing the wall, because there is nothing more important than remembering the history of its people.