Chinese wall in which city in China. Chinese Wall brief information
Today we will go to China. Great Chinese Wall- the structure that will be discussed in this article. In 1987 it was included in the UNESCO catalog.
The great Wall of China, Interesting Facts which you will learn about very soon, is a grandiose monument that symbolizes it. It is called The longest defensive structure in the world is the Great Wall of China. Interesting facts about her today are quite numerous. This masterpiece of architecture is fraught with many mysteries. It causes fierce debate among various researchers.
The length of the Great Wall of China has not yet been established precisely. It is only known that it stretches from Jiayuguan, located in Gansu Province, to (Liaodong Bay).
Wall length, width and height
The length of the structure is about 4 thousand km, according to some sources, and according to others - more than 6 thousand km. 2450 km is the length of a straight line drawn between its end points. However, it must be taken into account that the wall does not go straight anywhere: it bends and turns. The length of the Great Wall of China, therefore, should be at least 6 thousand km, and possibly more. The height of the structure is on average 6-7 meters, reaching 10 meters in some areas. The width is 6 meters, that is, 5 people can walk along the wall in a row, even a small car can easily pass. On its outer side there are “teeth” made of large bricks. The inner wall is protected by a barrier, the height of which is 90 cm. Previously, there were drains in it, made through equal sections.
Start of construction
The Great Wall of China began during the reign of Qin Shi Huang. He ruled the country from 246 to 210. BC e. It is customary to associate the history of the construction of such a structure as the Great Wall of China with the name of this creator of a unified Chinese state - the famous emperor. Interesting facts about it include a legend according to which it was decided to build it after one court soothsayer predicted (and the prediction came true many centuries later!) that the country would be destroyed by barbarians coming from the north. In order to protect the Qin Empire from nomads, the emperor ordered the construction of defensive fortifications, unprecedented in scale. They subsequently turned into such a grandiose structure as the Great Wall of China.
Facts indicate that the rulers of various principalities located in Northern China erected similar walls along their borders even before the reign of Qin Shi Huang. By the time of his accession to the throne, the total length of these ramparts was about 2 thousand km. The emperor first only strengthened and united them. This is how the unified Great Wall of China was formed. Interesting facts about its construction, however, do not end there.
Who built the wall?
Real fortresses were built at checkpoints. Intermediate military camps for patrolling and garrison service, and watchtowers were also built. "Who built the Great Wall of China?" - you ask. Hundreds of thousands of slaves, prisoners of war and criminals were rounded up to build it. When workers became scarce, mass mobilizations of peasants also began. Emperor Shi Huang, according to one legend, ordered a sacrifice to the spirits. He ordered that a million people be immured in the wall under construction. This is not confirmed by archaeological data, although isolated burials were found in the foundations of towers and fortresses. It is still unclear whether they were ritual sacrifices, or whether they simply buried dead workers in this way, those who built the Great Wall of China.
Completion of construction
Shortly before Shi Huangdi's death, the construction of the wall was completed. According to scientists, the reason for the impoverishment of the country and the turmoil that followed the death of the monarch was precisely the enormous costs of building defensive fortifications. The Great Wall stretched through deep gorges, valleys, deserts, along cities, across the whole of China, turning the state into an almost impregnable fortress.
Protective function of the wall
Many later called its construction pointless, since there would have been no soldiers to defend such a long wall. But it should be taken into account that it served to protect against the light cavalry of various nomadic tribes. In many countries, similar structures were used against steppe inhabitants. For example, this is the Trajan Wall, built by the Romans in the 2nd century, as well as the Serpentine Walls, built in the south of Ukraine in the 4th century. Large detachments of cavalry could not overcome the wall, since the cavalry needed to break through a breach or destroy a large area to pass. And without special devices it was not easy to do this. Genghis Khan managed to do this in the 13th century with the help of military engineers from Zhudrjey, the kingdom he conquered, as well as local infantry in huge numbers.
How different dynasties cared for the wall
All subsequent rulers took care of the safety of the Great Wall of China. Only two dynasties were an exception. These are the Yuan, the Mongol dynasty, and also the Manchu Qin (the latter, which we will talk about a little later). They controlled the lands north of the wall, so they did not need it. The history of the building went through different periods. There were times when the garrisons guarding it were recruited from pardoned criminals. The tower, located on the Golden Terrace of the Wall, was decorated in 1345 with bas-reliefs depicting Buddhist guards.
After the Yuan dynasty was defeated, during the reign of the next (Ming) in 1368-1644, work was carried out to strengthen the wall and maintain defensive structures in good condition. Beijing, the new capital of China, was only 70 kilometers away, and its safety depended on the safety of the wall.
During the reign, as sentries on the towers monitoring surrounding area and, if necessary, giving alarm signals, women were used. This was motivated by the fact that they treat their duties more conscientiously and are more attentive. There is a legend according to which the legs of the unfortunate guards were cut off so that they could not leave their post without an order.
Folk legend
We continue to expand on the topic: “The Great Wall of China: interesting facts.” The photo of the wall below will help you imagine its greatness.
Folk legend tells about the terrible hardships that the builders of this structure had to endure. The woman, whose name was Meng Jiang, came here from a distant province to bring warm clothes to her husband. However, upon reaching the wall, she learned that her husband had already died. The woman was unable to find his remains. She lay down near this wall and cried for several days. Even the stones were touched by the woman’s grief: one of the sections collapsed Great Wall, revealing the bones of Meng Jiang's husband. The woman took the remains of her husband home, where she buried them in the family cemetery.
Invasion of the “barbarians” and restoration work
The wall did not save the “barbarians” from the last large-scale invasion. The overthrown aristocracy, fighting with the rebels representing the Yellow Turban movement, allowed numerous Manchu tribes into the country. Their leaders seized power. They founded a new dynasty in China - the Qin. From that moment on, the Great Wall lost its defensive significance. It completely fell into disrepair. Only after 1949 did restoration work begin. The decision to start them was made by Mao Zedong. But during the “cultural revolution” that took place from 1966 to 1976, the “red guards” (red guards), who did not recognize the value ancient architecture, decided to destroy some sections of the wall. She looked, according to eyewitnesses, as if she was subject to an enemy assault.
Now it was not only forced laborers or soldiers who were sent here. Service on the wall became a matter of honor, as well as a strong career incentive for young people from noble families. The words that one who was not there cannot be called a fine fellow, which Mao Zedong turned into a slogan, became a new saying right then.
The Great Wall of China today
Not a single description of China is complete without mentioning the Great Wall of China. Local residents say that its history is half the history of the entire country, which cannot be understood without visiting the building. Scientists have calculated that from all the materials that were used during the Ming Dynasty during its construction, it is possible to build a wall whose height is 5 meters and thickness is 1 meter. It is enough to encircle the entire globe.
The Great Wall of China has no equal in its grandeur. This building is visited by millions of tourists from all over the world. Its scale still amazes today. Anyone can purchase a certificate on the spot, which indicates the time of visiting the wall. The Chinese authorities were even forced to restrict access here in order to ensure better preservation of this great monument.
Is the wall visible from space?
For a long time it was believed that this was the only man-made object visible from space. However, this opinion has recently been refuted. Yang Li Wen, China's first astronaut, sadly admitted that he could not see this monumental structure, no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps the whole point is that during the first space flights the air over Northern China was much cleaner, and therefore the Great Wall of China was visible earlier. The history of its creation, interesting facts about it - all this is closely connected with many traditions and legends that surround this majestic building even today.
In the days of hoary antiquity, the lands of China bore little resemblance to those of today. Grew on the plains virgin forests, the lowlands were swampy areas that expanded after the flood of numerous rivers. Meadows and steppes stretched endlessly on the plateaus. The dominant trees were oaks, cypresses, and pines. Tigers, yellow leopards, buffalos, wild boars, and bears lived in the forests. Packs of wolves and jackals were always prowling the surrounding area in search of prey. Snow leopards dominated the mountains.
People also inhabited these lands. These were numerous tribes with different ancestors and cultures. Often wars arose between them for the best lands that could produce a rich harvest, and therefore a well-fed life.
In the 3rd millennium BC. e. the ancient Chinese already had highly organized state entities. Among them, the state ruled by the Xia dynasty stood out. She united all the peoples living in the lowlands, and then it was the turn of the tribes inhabiting the steppes and wooded mountains. The Hun-Yu tribes lived in the steppes, and the Rong and Di tribes lived in the forests. Wars with these peoples took hundreds of years. As a result, the distant descendants of modern Chinese won and pushed their enemies into inaccessible mountains, distant steppes and impenetrable jungles.
In 1764 BC. e. There was a revolution in China. The Xia Dynasty was overthrown and came to power Shang-Yin dynasty. In official history it is considered first dynasty of ancient China. The existence of the Xia dynasty raises certain doubts among some historians.
The Shang-Yin dynasty was a slave state with hereditary power, an aristocracy, an apparatus of officials and an army. Her greatest achievement was invention of hieroglyphs. As a result, writing arose. For descendants this was of utmost importance, since the entire subsequent history of Ancient China was reflected in ancient manuscripts.
In 1066 BC. e. power in the country passed to the Zhou dynasty. This new time period is characterized by the formation of many principalities that were subject to the reigning dynasty only nominally. In total there were 1855 practically independent princes. This political situation could not last long, since work on river reclamation, as well as on strengthening their banks, stopped. All this had a detrimental effect on agriculture, and therefore on the well-being of the people.
Gradually, the consolidation of individual principalities began. This was an economic necessity, so the process progressed more and more actively. From 842 to 827 BC. e. The so-called era of “General Accord” continued. It significantly undermined the power of the ruling dynasty. In the period from 722 to 480 BC. e, which is called “Spring and Autumn”, only 134 principalities remained on the territory of the kingdom. And in the next period of the “Warring States”, which lasted from 403 to 221 BC. e, 7 large and 3 small principalities were formed.
Due to this, the power of the princes increased significantly, and the ruling Zhou dynasty was completely weakened. As a result, China's longtime enemies, the Rong, became more active. They made regular raids on the lands ancient state and caused him great harm. Complete victory over them was achieved only by united forces in 214 BC. e.
But the Huns turned out to be much more dangerous than the Zhuns. They appeared on the borders of Ancient China in the 4th century BC. e. These were very strong and aggressive nomadic tribes. They carried out regular devastating raids, which was the reason for the creation of defensive lines.
The first such fortifications began to be created in 307 BC. e. one of the great princes of the ruling Wu Ling dynasty. They were fortresses and defensive walls. The example of the Grand Duke was followed by the commander Qin Kai from the Principality of Yan. By his order, a long defensive wall was also erected.
But the further course of events showed that such individual fortifications were ineffective. The Huns easily bypassed these structures and penetrated the territory of the principalities. Light cavalry units performed much better in the fight against nomads. Therefore, the princes, who at first were actively involved in the construction of walls, completely abandoned them.
Construction of the Great Wall of China
In 226 BC. e. The Principality of Qin entered the political arena. It was a very strong formation militarily. It subjugated several Zhun tribes, carried out military reform and united the scattered principalities. The result of all this was that the Zhou dynasty ceased to exist. All this did not happen in one day. It took the principality 200 long years (the era of the “Warring States”) before its princes began to rule a united China. Officially, the beginning of the Qin Dynasty is considered to be 221 BC. e.
Prince Ying Zheng (259-210 BC) took the honorary royal title and began to call himself. He is considered the first emperor of China. It was under him that the Great Wall of China was built. It was built surprisingly quickly - in just a couple of years. This was greatly facilitated by the cruelty of the newly-made ruler.
Chinese Emperor
The emperor had virtually unlimited power and enormous funds. By his order, a huge number of people were herded into the construction of defensive structures. Ancient sources report that every fifth resident of the country took part in the construction of the wall. The matter was made easier by the fact that most of the principalities had barrier walls on their northern borders. All that remained was to connect them and extend them.
The work was carried out around the clock and was not interrupted for a minute. At first there were not enough people, but prisoners of war and convicted criminals were thrown in to help them. The work was extremely difficult, and the builders died in the thousands. The corpses were buried right there in earthen mounds, since the wall was built by compacting the earth.
For this purpose, formworks were made, and their opposite sides were fastened together. Then they filled in a small layer of earth, gravel, chalk, and sand. All this was compacted, and the next layer was poured on top, also followed by compaction. Lime or animal blood was used to bind building materials. The process is very labor-intensive, but structures created in this way last a very long time.
As a result of construction, the Great Wall of China stretched for 4 thousand kilometers. It reached a height of 10 meters, a width of 5.5 meters, and every 60-100 meters there were watchtowers, at least 12 meters high. This greatest construction in the history of mankind separated China from the steppes and nomadic tribes, but it turned out that the country did not have enough armed forces to organize an effective defense on the wall.
And indeed, if you place a small detachment on each tower, the enemy will destroy it faster than the neighbors from other towers will gather and come to the rescue. If large and strong detachments are rarely deployed, then long gaps will form. Through them, the enemy will be able to enter the country unnoticed.
Great Wall in winter
However, building a long wall did not turn out to be a pointless exercise. Even without armed troops, it posed a serious obstacle to the nomads. They had to somehow drag the horses across it, and even cross it themselves. All this created certain difficulties. They were especially felt by small detachments that did not have the ability to carry a large number of boards with them and build bulky platforms.
Subsequently, Chinese rulers began to use criminals to guard the wall, replacing their prison sentences with military service. But everyone understands that such combat units are very unreliable, and the soldiers themselves are prone to desertion.
Peasants were settled near some sections of the wall and given land. In exchange for this, they were charged with the duty of performing border service. But the farmers were very reluctant to fulfill their official duties and were poor warriors, although they did not refuse free land.
In the end, the Chinese rulers entrusted the service on the wall to the descendants of the Rong and Hu. And although the latter themselves were not averse to plunder, they protected the lands of the empire from the Huns, towards whom they had far from friendly feelings.
The further fate of the Great Wall of China
Qin Shi Huang died in 210 BC. e. He left two sons: Fu Su and Hu Hai. The court clique feared the first and preferred the second son. The tone in this matter was set by the eunuch Zhao Gao. He produced a false order, supposedly signed by the emperor before his death. He ordered Fu Su to commit suicide. Fulfilling the will of his father, and true to ancient customs, the son cut his throat and the weak-willed Hu Hai ascended the throne, taking the title of Er Shi - the second in the family of emperor. Real power was concentrated in the hands of Zhao Gao.
But built for short term The Great Wall of China undermined the country's economy. The people became poor and embittered. The new ruling clique did not find support among the broad masses of the population. As a result of this, a new leader, Xiang Yu, and his assistant, Liu Bang, entered the political arena. They organized an opposition that destroyed the Qin Dynasty in 206 BC. e. Then, as always happens, disagreements arose between the new leaders. In 202 BC. e. Liu Bang was victorious and formed a new Han dynasty, and Xiang Yu committed suicide.
Chinese troops battle
The Han Dynasty lasted until 220 AD. uh, that is, almost 400 years. During this period of time, the Huns did not disappear anywhere. They annoyed the Chinese farmers with their raids. Therefore, the Great Wall was strengthened and lengthened. In 265, after the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty is founded. In 351, the era of the Qin Empire begins. Fu Jian I becomes its first emperor.
In 420, the Song Dynasty is founded. By this time, as a result of endless wars and internal strife, the Great Wall of China was losing its strategic importance, and it was no longer being used. In 470, the Qi dynasty took control, and in 502, the Liang dynasty was founded. The 6th century begins and the period of the disappearance of the Huns begins.
From that time until the Liao dynasty (907-1125), the grandiose structure became decrepit and crumbled. Its major renovation was carried out only in the second half of the 11th century. During the Jin Dynasty (1115-1224), long defensive walls were erected. But they were not a continuation of the old wall, but were located to the north and were separate fortified structures.
The Great Wall of China received its second wind during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Its lands were threatened by Manchu and Mongol tribes. Major construction work began in the second half of the 15th century and continued intermittently until the last decade of the 16th century. The new wall was built from stone blocks and bricks. In many places it did not coincide with the old wall, since the state border and natural conditions have changed a lot over the past centuries.
Great Wall of China on the map
This stone structure was not solid. It ended near natural barriers, such as mountains and rivers, and then continued. The height and width of the new wall generally coincided with the old one. The length was 6259 km with all branches. The total length of the grandiose protective structure reached 8852 km. This is taking into account natural barriers that were 2232 km long and trenches 361 km long.
From 1440 to 1460, the so-called Liaodong Wall was also built. It protected the Liaodong Peninsula from invasion by nomads, but had nothing to do with the Great Wall of China. It was an ordinary earthen dam with deep ditches on both sides.
The Great Wall played a positive role during the Manchu invasion of China at the beginning of the 17th century. Thanks to her, the invaders were able to penetrate deep into the state only in 1644. That same year, the Ming dynasty fell, and the Manchu Qing dynasty (1644-1912) took control.
The Great Wall of China today
During the 250 years of Manchu rule, they did nothing for the wall. The greatest man-made creation very quickly fell into decay. Many areas were completely destroyed. Others were dismantled local residents for economic needs. During times Republic of China(1912-1949) no one cared about the wall at all. The period of Mao Zedong's reign (1893-1976) was also not distinguished by concern for the grandiose structure.
Only in 1984, Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997), who was the de facto leader of the state, signed a program for the restoration of the Great Wall of China. Of course, the conversation was not about restoring thousands of kilometers, since this would cost an astronomical amount. Only certain areas that are easily accessible to tourists have undergone major renovations.
Today, the most famous section of the Great Wall, built in 1505, is located in the Badaling mountain pass. Its highest point reaches 1015 meters above sea level. This site is located northwest of Beijing. The capital of China is only 80 km away.
At this point, the length of the Great Wall of China is 7.5 kilometers. Its height reaches 7.8 meters and width 5 meters. The site was restored in 1957. They did this based on purely commercial interests. There are at least a million tourists visiting Badaling every year.
A section of the wall near the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu Province is also in good condition. Here is the main passage in the western part of the Great Wall. Its total length is 733 meters with a height of 11 meters.
Eastern end of the Great Wall
The easternmost section of the wall, where it meets the waters, is very interesting for tourists. Pacific Ocean. In this case, it is the Bohai Sea, connected to the Yellow Sea through the Bohai Strait. It was here that a fort was built at one time, which received the same name from the Shanhaiguan Pass. This place is located 300 km from Beijing. It is located north of the Bohai Bay.
The walls of the fort reach a height of 14 meters and their width reaches 7 meters. The fort is surrounded from the east, south and north by a deep ditch with drawbridges. This important strategic object served as a passage to Chinese territory. The inhabitants of the country themselves called it “The First Passage Under Heaven.” The second passage, accordingly, was located at the western end of the Great Wall of China.
The Chinese Wall stretches for many thousands of kilometers
The most impressive section of the grandiose man-made creation is 11 km long and located 125 km northeast of Beijing. It is called Jinshanling and has 5 passages, 67 towers and 2 towers with lighthouses. Its construction dates back to 1570. The site is notable for the fact that the wall in these places rises along extremely steep slopes. The height of the wall reaches 5-8 meters, the width at the base is 6 meters, at the top 5 meters. The height above sea level reaches 980 meters.
There are several more sections of the wall that are being monitored and regularly repaired. But thousands of kilometers away, the greatest structure on the planet is in deplorable condition. In many places the wall has been dismantled, and villages are located in its place. The stones are used to restore roads and build houses. Some sections of the wall interfered with modern construction and were destroyed.
Nature also makes its negative contribution. Sandstorms and erosion destroy masonry. In many areas, the wall remains no more than 2 meters high. The square towers have disappeared completely. The western section is in the worst condition, since in these places the structure was made of clay, and not of brick and stone.
The Chinese Wall is gradually crumbling
However, the Great Wall of China is not needed in all its splendor these days. It performed the necessary functions many years ago and is now absolutely useless. For posterity, it is quite enough to leave a few tens of kilometers in good condition. People must remember and know their history. Huge masses of bricks and stones, stretching for thousands of kilometers, should be used for construction needs.
Thus, the greatest construction of centuries that have sunk into oblivion will bring undoubted benefit to the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. The Great Wall will serve the interests of people for the last time and will disappear from the face of the planet forever. There is nothing wrong with this, since everything in this world has its beginning and a natural end.
Sergey Starodubtsev
The only man-made structure that astronauts can see from orbit is the Great Wall of China. 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.
Approximately 50 kilometers is the length of this the oldest monument. 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 in Simatai, the opening hours are the same, 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.
The Great Wall of China stretches across Northern China: from the desert regions of the Northwest (the city of Jiayuguan, Gansu Province) to the northeastern coast (Liaodong Bay of the Yellow Sea, the city of Shanhaiguan).
The total length of the wall is 8851.8 km, if you count the branches from the main wall. According to other sources, the length of the structure is 21,196 km. According to a number of experts, the total length of sections of the wall built in different eras is about 50 thousand km. Meanwhile, the Chinese name for the Great Wall translates to “10,000 li Long Wall.”
The first sections of the wall were built in the 3rd century. BC e., during the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty (259-210 BC), who brought an end to the Warring States era (475-221 BC). Then he ordered the construction of new fortifications in addition to those erected earlier in order to protect his possessions from the raids of the nomadic Xiongnu people.
Subsequently, the wall was also used for customs control of goods transported along the Great Silk Road, to protect trade caravans from raids by nomads and to track population migration. The latter was extremely important for the emperors of China: the wall was supposed to serve as the extreme northern line of settlement of the Chinese themselves, so that they would not adopt the nomadic lifestyle of their neighbors. The structure was to remain a visible and majestic boundary Chinese civilization, facilitating the unification of the conquered kingdoms into a single empire.
Initially, the wall was not made of stone along its entire length, and its individual sections were constructed of wood and compacted earth. Construction conditions were extremely difficult: exclusively manual labor was used. The exact number of people who died during construction and died from epidemics is unknown. In folklore legends of that time, the Great Wall of China was called nothing less than the “wailing wall.”
Construction work continued for many more centuries and ended during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when China separated from the Mongol Yuan Empire. At this time, bricks and stone blocks were already used, thanks to which these structures are best preserved.
The design elements of the Great Wall of China include, in addition to the wall itself, quadrangular watchtowers that stood every 200 m, within the visibility range of two adjacent towers. The distance from the tower to the tower was strictly equal to two arrow flights - thus, the entire space between them was shot through.
Barracks, casemates and signal towers were also built on and inside the wall to transmit messages using smoke, fire or sound. In addition, the upper part of the wall served as a road: two carts could pass each other on it.
Despite the seeming primitiveness of defense with the help of a fortress wall, in ancient times the structure was indeed a serious obstacle to those wishing to penetrate into China.
Europeans learned about the existence of the Great Wall of China only in the 16th century. The first European to describe the Great Wall of China (in the book Decalogy of Asia, published in 1563) was the Portuguese historian and writer João de Barros (1496-1570).
Along the entire length of the Great Wall of China, located in Northern China, guard casemates were built, watchtowers were erected, and fortresses were built at the main passes through the mountains. Not all buildings have survived to this day. Thanks to restoration work, the section of the wall northwest of the capital of China, in the Badaling area, is the best preserved. It has become a kind of “gateway to Beijing”. 
In the 17th century The Ming dynasty was in decline. Its weakening was facilitated by droughts, and as a consequence, crop failures and the economic crisis. The officials committed arbitrariness, and the war with the Manchus (1618-1644), which was won by the Manchu Qing dynasty (1644-1911), undermined the strength of the dynasty. The Manchus were helped by an alliance with the Chinese military leader Wu Sangui, who in 1644 opened the gates of the Shanhaiguan outpost of the Great Wall of China to their army.
The Manchus did not need the Great Wall of China, so they did not care about its safety. During the three centuries of the Qing dynasty, the fortification was severely destroyed under the influence of time, in addition, residents of the surrounding lands gradually dismantled the wall for materials for building houses. The structure was in such poor condition that it was easy to believe reports that appeared in American newspapers in 1899, which said that the wall would be completely demolished and a highway would be built in its place. Fortunately, these were only rumors.
Currently, the most famous surviving section of the Great Wall of China lies 75 km northwest of Beijing, in the Badaling area. It was built during the Ming Dynasty, and restoration began in the 1950s, during the reign of Mao Zedong (1893-1976). In 1957, this section of the wall was the first to be opened to tourists. According to the idea of the “Great Helmsman”, the wall near Badaling was supposed to become the “gateway to Beijing” and business card new communist China.
Since 1984, in China, on the initiative of the Chinese politician and reformer Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997), a program for the restoration of the Great Wall of China was launched. Certain sections of the upper part of the wall were paved and serve as highways.
In 1987, the Great Wall of China was included in the World Heritage List cultural heritage UNESCO.
In 2009, British scientist William Lindsay, one of China's most respected foreign explorers of the wall, discovered a significant section (290 km) that was attributed to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). .). In 2012, the search for further fragments of the wall by the expedition of William Lindsay culminated in the discovery of another lost section of the wall on the border of China and Mongolia, about 100 km long, the mention of which was preserved in the description of the battles of Genghis Khan in the 12th century. The search for lost sections of the wall is complicated by the fact that they are all largely buried under sediment sandstorms.
Additional factors for the destruction of wall remains - intensive management methods Agriculture in China. Since the 1950s. they have led to the depletion of groundwater, and the range of sandstorms, as well as their scale and severity, has increased significantly. As a result of this, more than 40 km of the wall have already disappeared, the height of some of its sections has decreased from five to two meters. A 70 km long section of the wall in Minqin County, Gansu Province is subject to active erosion, and in 2012, a section of the wall in Hebei Province collapsed due to heavy rains. Many sections of the Great Wall that remain from its early history were built of compressed clay rather than stone and brick, increasing the risk of erosion.
Nevertheless, the Chinese population is confident that the wall will be restored and preserved for the sake of future generations of Chinese. At the place where you can climb the restored part of the Great Wall of China, there is an inscription left by Mao Zedong: “He who has not been to the Great Wall of China is not a real Chinese.”
general information
Location: Northern China.Base - 6.5 m, top part - 5.5 m.
Highest point: 1050 m above sea level (Babalow, Badaling site)
Attractions
■ Architectural: elements of the wall (wall, towers, casemates, barracks, signal towers, fortresses, branches from the main wall), “Head of the Old Dragon” (wall and structure “First Passage Under Heaven” - the extreme eastern fortification, the outskirts of the city of Shanhaiguan, on the banks of the Yellow sea), Badaling (the best preserved section of the wall, 75 km from Beijing), reconstructed sections (north of Mutianyu - 100 km, northeast of Simatai and Jinshanling - 110 km), "Sky Bridge" and "Sky Staircase" (Simatai ), sections of the wall made of purple marble (Jianan City, Yanyshan Mountains).Curious facts
■ The Chinese name for the Great Wall translates to “Long Wall of 10,000 Li.” The generally accepted value for the length of one li - the Chinese measure of length - is 500 m. Therefore, it turns out to be 5,000 km, which is not far from the truth.■ To strengthen the wall, stone blocks were coated with sticky rice porridge with the addition of slaked lime.
■ According to ancient Chinese sources, there were 25 thousand watchtowers on the wall.
■ Every year in China, the Great Wall athletics marathon is held, during which athletes run part of the distance along the crest of the wall.
■ The width of the wall, 5.5 m, is specially designed for ten warriors to walk along it in a row or five horsemen to ride along it.
■ Exists large group skeptics who doubt that the Great Wall of China even existed. There are versions according to which the wall and its branches are initially a ridiculous structure, absolutely ineffective from the point of view of defense, and also that the wall runs along the ridges of the already inaccessible mountains and hills where nomads on horseback could not climb.
■ The first Chinese “taikonaut” (as cosmonauts are called in China) Yang Liwei in 2003, and subsequently his followers Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, returning to Earth, reported that it is impossible to see the Great Wall of China from orbit without special optical instruments, unarmed eye.
■ In the Qing Empire, the city of Shanhaiguan was called the “key to the capitals”: at that time the road connecting Beijing and Mukden passed through it.
■ In the Simatai area, where the restored section of the wall is located, there is a “Sky Bridge”, which in its upper part narrows to 30 cm, and a “Sky Staircase”, whose elevation angle reaches 85°.
■ In 1986, magician David Copperfield “walked through” the Great Wall of China. For a long time, even the most experienced specialists could not expose this trick.
■ At the Jinshanling site, next to the Huding Tower, there are bricks in the wall, signed with hieroglyphs, from which you can find out the date of manufacture of the brick and the department involved in the construction of each individual section.
■ Three sections of the wall are built of purple marble: two in Jiang'an City, one in the Yanyshan Mountains.
■ During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Badaling section served as the finish line for the cycling race.
■ The last battle of the Great Wall of China took place in 1938, during the Sino-Japanese War.
■ On February 24, 1972, during a historic trip to China, 37th US President Richard Nixon inspected the Great Wall of China at a site near Beijing.
■ In the jargon of managers of large companies, a “Chinese wall” is an imaginary information barrier between various departments of a company, designed to block the exchange of data and prevent the leakage of confidential information.
- Length: The official length of the Great Wall of China is 21,196.18 km (13,170.7 miles).
- Most modern relics of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall of China: length 8,851 km (5,500 mi)
Wall built during the Ming Dynasty: Over the years, during the reigns of various imperial dynasties, the Great Wall of China was destroyed, rebuilt and lengthened many times. The last construction work on the wall took place during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). At that time, the length of the wall was more than 6 thousand kilometers. This, in fact, is the wall we are talking about when we use the term Great Wall of China.
All walls: 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 various dynasties in the northern part of China, then this total length will exceed 50 thousand kilometers.
A wall 10 thousand li long
For many centuries, the Great Wall of China was called the 10,000-li Wall (Wan Li Changcheng, 万里长城). The Chinese unit of length, li, is equal to half a kilometer. Accordingly, 10 thousand li equaled 5 thousand kilometers.
Modern estimates: Compared to the above formulation, modern estimates are much higher. Nowadays, the length of the wall is estimated at 8851 kilometers. This figure includes defensive ditches and even natural barriers, such as special steep mountains, Rivers and lakes. If we talk about the length of the wall itself, then it is now estimated at 6,200 kilometers. However, not everything is so simple here: this figure includes branches that are not sections running strictly from west to east.
The word "Van": In earlier times the wall was called using Chinese word to indicate a quantity of 10 thousand. The word "van" can also simply mean a large amount of something.
From Wan Li Chang Cheng to the Great Wall of China: Apparently, estimates of the length of the Great Wall of China will never be unambiguous and highly accurate. There are too many defensive structures on China's northern borders, and many of them have been destroyed, and some have only recently been discovered. It is also doubtful that during the construction of the wall, the ancient Chinese knew how long their creation stretched. Therefore, it is probably better to translate the phrase Wan Li Changcheng as “A wall the length of a Great Number of Li?”, which can easily be transformed into the wording we know, “The Great Wall of China.”