The length of the Chinese Wall in ancient China. The Great Wall of China is the largest defensive structure on Earth

Today it is believed that the Chinese began building their Great Wall of China as early as the 3rd century BC. e. Built for protection from northern nomads. Current state The walls are shown in Fig. 37 and 38. Regarding this, N.A. Morozov wrote:

"The mere thought that the famous Chinese Wall, with a height of 6 to 7 meters, and a thickness of up to three, stretching for THREE THOUSAND KILOMETERS, construction began back in 246 BC by Emperor Shi Hoang Ti (aka Shi Huang Di - Initial Venerable Emperor - Auto.) and WAS FINISHED ONLY AFTER 1866 YEARS, BY 1620 AD, is so absurd that it can only cause annoyance to a serious historian-thinker. After all, every large building has a predetermined practical purpose... Who would have thought of starting a huge construction that could only be completed in 2000 years, and until then would only be a useless burden for the population... And the Chinese Wall would be preserved as well as it is now could only if it was no more than several hundred years old”, vol. 6, p. 121–122.

Rice. 37. The Great Wall of China. Taken from, vol. 6, p. 121.

They will tell us that the Chinese took care of and constantly repaired their Wall for two thousand years in a row. Doubtful. It only makes sense to repair a building that is not very old, otherwise it will become hopelessly outdated and simply fall apart. This is what we are seeing, by the way, in Europe. Old defensive walls were dismantled and new, more powerful ones were built in their place. For example, many military fortifications in Rus' were rebuilt in the 16th century.

Rice. 38. Great Wall of China modern form. Taken from, vol. 21.

But in China everything was supposedly completely different. We are told that the Chinese Wall was built and stood for TWO THOUSAND YEARS. Historians don’t say that “a modern wall was recently built on the site of an ancient one.” No, they claim that today we see exactly the same wall that conscientious Chinese workers built two thousand years ago. In our opinion, this is extremely strange, to say the least.

When and against whom was the Wall built? It's easy to give an approximate answer. As we have already said, “Chinese” history up to the 15th century AD. e. actually unfolded IN EUROPE. Therefore, the Chinese Wall could only have been created NO EARLIER than the 15th CENTURY AD. That is, when Chinese history“settled” already in modern China. And the Wall was built, of course, not against arrows and spears with copper or even stone tips of the 3rd century BC. Against which a three-meter thick stone wall is simply not needed. Walls such as the Chinese Wall were already built against battering rams and firearms. And they began to be built no earlier than the 15th century, when GUNS appeared on the battlefields, including SIEGE WEAPONS. In Fig. 39 we show another image of the Chinese Wall. It is very interesting that ancient authors also called it the WALL OF GOG AND MAGOG, vol. 1, p. 294. This was stated, for example, by Abulfeda.

Who was the wall built against? We cannot yet answer for sure. This requires additional research.

However, we will express the following thought, which will simultaneously indicate our proposed dating of the Wall.

Apparently, the Great Wall of China was built primarily as a structure marking the BORDER between China and Russia. And it was only partially conceived as a military-defensive structure - and it was hardly ever used in this capacity. Defend the 4000-kilometer wall, p. 44, from an enemy attack is SENSELESS. Even if it stretches “only” one or two thousand kilometers. The wall in its current form is only slightly short of 4 thousand kilometers.

L.N. Gumilyov wrote: “The wall stretches for 4 thousand km. Its height reached 10 meters, and watchtowers rose every 60-100 meters. But, when the work was completed, it turned out that all of China’s armed forces were not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall (as if this could not have been realized BEFORE construction began - Auth.). In fact, if you place a small detachment on each tower, the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and send help.

Rice. 39. The Great Wall of China. It turns out that it was also called “The Wall of Gog and Magog”, vol. 1, p. 293–294. Taken from, vol. 1, p. 293.

If large detachments are spaced out less frequently, gaps will form through which the enemy can easily and unnoticed penetrate deep into the country. A FORTRESS WITHOUT DEFENDERS IS NOT A FORTRESS”, p. 44.

How does our point of view differ from the traditional one? We are told that the Wall separated China from the nomads in order to secure the country from their raids. But, as A.N. correctly noted. Gumilev, this explanation does not stand up to criticism. If the nomads wanted to cross the Wall, they could easily do so. And more than once. And anywhere.

We offer a completely different explanation. We believe that the Wall was built primarily to MARK THE BORDER BETWEEN TWO STATES. And it was built when an agreement was reached on this border. Apparently in order to eliminate border disputes in the future. And there probably were such disputes. Today, the parties to the agreement draw the border ON THE MAP (that is, on paper). And they think that this is enough. And in the case of Russia and China, the Chinese side apparently attached such great importance to the agreement that they decided to immortalize it not only on paper, but also on the ground itself, by drawing the Wall along the agreed border. This was more reliable and, as the Chinese probably thought, should have eliminated border disputes for a long time.

The length of the Wall itself speaks in favor of this assumption. Four thousand kilometers may well be the LENGTH OF THE BORDER between the two states. But for a purely military structure such a length is meaningless.

But the northern border of China has changed many times over its supposedly more than two-thousand-year history that has passed since the construction of the Wall. What the historians themselves tell us about. China was either united or divided into separate states, lost and gained some lands, etc.

But then we are given a wonderful opportunity not only to test our idea that the Wall was from the very beginning the BORDER of China, but also to supposedly DATE the construction of the Wall. Because if we manage to find a RELIABLE DATED ancient map, on which the BORDER OF CHINA GOES EXACTLY ALONG THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA, then this will mean that, most likely, THE WALL WAS BUILT AT THIS TIME.

Today the Chinese Wall is INSIDE China. Was there a time when she passed EXACTLY ALONG THE BORDER? And when was this? By answering these questions we will get an approximate dating of the Wall.

Let's try to find a GEOGRAPHICAL MAP on which the Chinese Wall runs EXACTLY ALONG THE NORTHERN BORDER OF CHINA. It turns out that SUCH CARDS REALLY EXIST. Moreover, there are many of them. These are maps of the 17th–18th centuries AD.

Take, for example, an 18th-century map of Asia produced by the Royal Academy in Amsterdam. The map is part of a rare 18th-century atlas. The inscription on the map reads: L"Asie, Dresse sur les observations de l"Academie Royale des Sciences et quelques autres et Sur les memoires les plus recens. Par G. de l "Isle Geographe a Amsterdam. Ches R. & J. Ottens, Geographes dans le Kalverstraat au Carte du Monde. See Fig. 40.

On this map we see two large states in Asia: Tartarie and China. See Figure 41 and our drawing of the map in Figure 42. China's northern border runs approximately along the 40th parallel. THE CHINA WALL IS VERY CLOSE TO THIS BORDER. Moreover, on the map the Wall is MARKED as a thick line with the inscription Muraille de la Chine, that is, “high wall of China” translated from French.

We see the same Chinese Wall, with the same inscription on it, on another map of 1754 - Carte de l "Asie, which we took from a rare atlas of the 18th century. See Fig. 43. Here the Chinese Wall goes EXACTLY along the border between China and Great Tartary. See Fig. 44 and drawing in Fig. 45.

Rice. 40. Map of Asia from an 18th century atlas. Made in Amsterdam. L"Asie, dresse sur les observations de l"Academie Royale des Sciences et quelques autres, et sur les memoires les plus recens. Par G. de l'lsle Geographe. a Amsterdam. Chez R. & J. Ottens, Geographes dans le Kalverstraat au Carte du Monde. Taken from.

We see literally the same thing on another map of Asia in the 17th century, placed in the famous Blau world atlas of 1655. See Fig. 46. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China, and only its small western section is already inside China.

It is also important that the cartographers of the 18th century ACTUALLY CONSIDERED IT NECESSARY TO PLACE THE CHINESE WALL ON THE POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD. Which indirectly suggests that the Wall HAD THE MEANING OF A POLITICAL BORDER. After all, they did not depict other wonders of the world. For example, Egyptian pyramids not on this map. And they painted the Chinese Wall.

Rice. 41. Fragment of a map of Asia from an 18th century atlas. It is clearly visible that the Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China. The wall is not only depicted on the map, but is also directly called the “Wall of China”: Muraille de la Chine. Taken from

The Great Wall of China is depicted on a color map of the Qing Empire in the second half of the 17th–18th centuries from the academic 10-volume World History, p. 300–301. This map shows the Great Wall in detail, with all its small curves in the terrain. Almost along its entire length it runs EXACTLY ALONG THE BORDER OF THE CHINESE EMPIRE, with the exception of a small westernmost section no more than 200 kilometers long.

Rice. 42. Our drawing of a fragment of a map of Asia in the 18th century with the image of the Great Wall of China. Map taken from.

Rice. 43. The eastern part of the map of Asia from the atlas of the 18th Bek. Taken from .

Rice. 44. Fragment of a map of Asia from an 18th century atlas. The Great Wall of China runs exactly along the border of China. Not only is it depicted on the map, but it is also directly called the “Wall of China”: Muraille de la Chine. Taken from .

Rice. 45. Our drawing of a fragment of the map of 1754. "Carte de I" Asie. 1754. It is clearly visible that the Great Wall of China runs exactly along the northern border of China. Map taken from.

Rice. 46. ​​Fragment of a map of Asia from the Blaeu atlas of 1655. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border of China, and only a small western section is located inside China. Taken from .

Rice. 47. The Great Wall of China on a map supposedly from 1617, running exactly along the border between “China” (China) and Tartary. Taken from, p. 190–191.

Rice. 48. Enlarged image of the Chinese Wall, which plays the role of the border between China and Tartary. From a map supposedly from 1617. Taken from, p. 190–191.

On a map supposedly from 1617 from the Blau Atlas, we also see the Chinese Wall, running EXACTLY ALONG THE BORDER between “China” - that is, China - and Tartaria (TARTARIA), Fig. 47 and 48.

We see exactly the same picture on the map allegedly dated 1635 from the Blaeu Atlas, p. 198–199. Here, exactly along the border between China-China (CHINAE) and Tartaria, runs the Great Wall of China, fig. 49 and 50.

Rice. 49. The Chinese Wall runs exactly along the border between China and Tartaria on a map allegedly dating from 1635. Taken from Blaeu's Atlas, p. 198–199.

Rice. 50. Enlarged fragment depicting the Chinese Wall as a border between states. Taken from, p. 199

In our opinion, all this means the following. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA WAS PROBABLY BUILT IN THE 17TH CENTURY TO DELIVER THE STATE BORDER BETWEEN CHINA AND RUSSIA.

And if, after all these maps, someone still insists that the Chinese, they say, still built their Wall in the 3rd century BC, then we will answer this way. Maybe you're right. Let's not argue. However, in this case, we will have to admit that the “ancient” Chinese had such an amazing gift of foresight that they predicted exactly how the state border would run in the north of China in the 17th–18th centuries of the NEW ERA. That is, two thousand years after them.

They may object to us: the wall was not built along the border, but, on the contrary, the border between Russia and China in the 17th century was drawn along the ancient Wall. However, in this case, the Wall would have to be mentioned in a written Russian-Chinese treaty. But, as far as we know, there are no such references.

But if the Great Wall of China is really the border between Russia and China, then WHEN EXACTLY was it built? Apparently, in the 17th century. No wonder it is believed that its construction was “completed” only in 1620, vol. 6, p. 121. Or maybe even later. We will return to this issue in the next chapter.

And I immediately remember that EXACTLY in the 17th century there were BORDER WARS between Russia and China. See S.M. Soloviev, “History of Russia since ancient times,” vol. 12, chapter 5, . It was probably only at the end of the 17th century that the border was agreed upon. And then they built the Wall to FIX THE AGREEMENT.

Did the Wall exist in some form before the 17th century? Apparently not. As we now understand, in the XIV-XVI centuries Rus' AND CHINA STILL CONSTITUTED ONE EMPIRE. It is believed that China was conquered by the “Mongols”, after which it became part of the Great = “Mongol” Empire. Therefore, there was no need to build a border wall. Most likely, such a need arose only after the Great Troubles of the early 17th century and the seizure of power in Rus' by the pro-Western Romanov dynasty. Then Türkiye separated from the Empire and heavy wars began with it. China also separated. The Manchu dynasty needed to build a wall to secure the border of the state they created. Which is what was done.

By the way, many “ancient Chinese” chronicles talk about the Great Wall. So what year were they written? It is clear that after the construction of the Wall, that is, not earlier than the 17th century AD. e.

And one more interesting question. Are there any other powerful stone fortress structures still preserved in China that were erected earlier than the 17th century, that is, before the Manchu rule over China? And also stone palaces and temples? Or the Great Wall, before the arrival of the Manzhurs in the 17th century, stood in China in splendid isolation as the ONLY powerful stone wall in the entire country fortification? If so, then it’s very strange. Is it really possible that in the two thousand years that have supposedly passed since the construction of the Wall, the Chinese did not think of building many other structures that were even remotely comparable to the Wall? After all, we are told that the long history of China was filled with internecine wars. Why then did the Chinese not fence each other off with walls? According to the logic of historians, in two thousand years all of China should have been blocked by a wide variety of Great - and not so great - Walls. But there is nothing like it.

In Europe and Rus', for example, a lot of stone fortifications have been preserved. If the Chinese, two thousand years ago, built a gigantic stone structure, generally useless from a military point of view, then why didn’t they direct their remarkable talents to build the ones that were really needed? stone kremlins in your cities?

If the Wall was built, as we assume, only in the 17th century and was ONE OF THE FIRST grandiose stone buildings in China, then everything falls into place. Since the 17th century, there have been no major internecine wars in China. Until 1911, the same Manjurian dynasty ruled there. And after it, in the 20th century, no one built stone fortresses for military purposes. They are no longer needed.

Apparently, it is possible to even more accurately indicate the time of construction of the Great Wall of China.

As we have already said, the Wall was apparently built as a border between China and Russia during the border disputes of the 17th century. ARMED COLLISIONS between the two countries flared up from the middle of the 17th century. The wars went on with varying degrees of success, p. 572–575. Descriptions of the wars are preserved in Khabarov’s notes.

The treaty that secured the northern border between China and Russia was concluded in 1689 in Nerchinsk. Perhaps there were earlier attempts to conclude a Russian-Chinese treaty. Therefore, we would expect that the Great Border Wall of China was built sometime between 1650 and 1689. This expectation is justified. It is known that the Chinese Emperor (Bogdykhan) Kangxi “began the implementation of his plan to oust the RUSSIANS FROM AMUR. Having built a chain of fortifications in Manzhuria (! - Author), Bogdykhan in 1684 sent the Manjurian army to the Amur”, vol. 5, p. 312. We show a portrait of Bogdykhan Kangxi based on a drawing from the 18th century in Fig. 51.

Rice. 51. Chinese Bogdykhan. (Emperor) Kangxi (1662–1722), under whom construction of the Great Wall of China probably began. From an 18th century drawing. Taken from, vol. 5, p. 312.

What kind of fortification chain did Bogdykhan Kangxi build by 1684? In our opinion, this refers to the construction of the Great Wall of China. A CHAIN ​​OF FORTIFIED TOWERS CONNECTED BY A WALL.

Figure 52 shows an engraving from the early 18th century, which depicts the Russian embassy passing through the Great Wall of China. It is worth noting that the Wall depicted here bears little resemblance to a real military fortification. For example, both passages in the towers through which the road from Russia to China is laid are COMPLETELY DEprived of ANY GATES OR GRATINGS, Fig. 53. Both through passages through the Wall are quite high and spacious. They are not protected by anything! The thickness of the wall, judging by the drawing, is quite small. So, from a military-defensive point of view, the Wall depicted in Fig. 54 is rather meaningless.

Rice. 52. An ancient image entitled: “The Russian embassy passes through the gates of the Great Wall of China. Engraving from the book by I. Ides. Beginning of the 18th century." This Wall is not like the Chinese Wall that we are shown today. It is much narrower than modern and there is no wide passage along its top. And today in China a much thicker “ancient” Wall with a wide road along the top has already been built. Taken from, p. 143.

Rice. 53. An enlarged fragment of an ancient engraving from the 18th century depicting the passage towers of the Chinese Wall. The passage through them is wide and high. There are no gates or bars visible in the towers. Such a wall is in no way capable of serving as a serious military-defensive structure, but it may well mark the border between two states. Taken from, p. 143.

The Great Wall, which the Chinese show their guests today, is constructed significantly differently. It has become much thicker and there is now a wide road along its top, fig. 55. The question is, when was it built in this form? Isn't it in the 20th century? By the way, the road leading along the top of the modern Chinese Wall looks as if it was made for tourists to walk, and not for soldiers to run under a hail of arrows. It's a wide road that opens up beautiful views to the surrounding area. Figure 56 shows a photograph of the Wall of China, believed to have been taken in 1907. But perhaps this photograph was taken much later or was heavily retouched. It is possible that a significant contribution to the construction of the “most ancient” Chinese Wall was made in the 20th century, already under Mao Zedong, when it was necessary to create an outstanding symbol of the greatness of the “most ancient” China. The wall was completed, expanded, and in some places rebuilt from scratch... And they said that, they say, it has always been this way.

Rice. 54. The current state of the Great Wall of China. It is already made very thick and there is a wide road along its top. Probably a remake for tourists. Taken from, p. 362.

Rice. 55. Photograph of the Great Wall of China, allegedly taken in 1907 (which, however, is doubtful). Taken from, p. 122.

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Today we will go to China. The Great Wall of China is 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 about which you will learn very soon, is a grand 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 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 proper 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. Locals they 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.

The colossal defensive structures known today as the “Great Wall of China” were built by those who, thousands of years ago, possessed technologies that we have not yet developed. And these were clearly not Chinese...

In China, there is another material evidence of presence in this country highly developed civilization, to which the Chinese have no relation. Unlike Chinese pyramids, this evidence is well known to everyone. 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 has recently 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 along different estimates has a length, taking into account 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. It is alleged that the wall included 25 thousand towers.

Short story The construction of the wall today looks like this. They supposedly started building the wall in the 3rd century BC during the reign of the dynasty Qin to defend against raids by nomads from the north and clearly define the border Chinese civilization. The construction was initiated by the famous “collector of Chinese lands” Emperor Qin Shi-Huang Di. He brought about half a million people to the construction, which, with 20 million general population is a very impressive figure. Then the wall was a structure made mainly of earth - a huge earthen rampart.

During the reign of the dynasty Han(206 BC - 220 AD) the wall was expanded to the west, strengthened with stone and a line of watchtowers was built that went deep into the desert. Under the dynasty Min(1368-1644) the wall continued to be built. As a result, it stretched from east to west from the Bohai Gulf in the Yellow Sea to the western border of the modern province of Gansu, entering the territory of the Gobi Desert. It is believed that this wall was built by the efforts of a million Chinese from bricks and stone blocks, which is why these sections of the wall have been preserved to this day in the form in which a modern tourist is already accustomed to seeing it. The Ming Dynasty was replaced by the Manchu Dynasty Qing(1644-1911), which was not involved in the construction of the wall. She limited herself to maintaining in relative order a small area near Beijing, which served as the “gateway to the capital.”

In 1899, American newspapers started a rumor that the wall would soon be demolished and a highway would be built in its place. However, no one was going to demolish anything. Moreover, in 1984, a program to restore the wall was launched on the initiative of Deng Xiaoping and under the leadership of Mao Zedong, which is still being carried out today, and is financed from Chinese and foreign companies, as well as individuals. It is not reported how much Mao drove to restore the wall. Several areas were repaired, and in some places they were completely rebuilt. So we can assume that in 1984 the construction of the fourth wall of China began. Usually, tourists are shown one of the sections of the wall, located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the area of ​​Mount Badaling, the length of the wall is 50 km.

The wall makes the greatest impression not in the Beijing area, where it was built to a very low standard. high mountains, and in remote mountainous areas. There, by the way, you can clearly see 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 transport troops. Under the cover of the battlements, the guards could secretly approach the area where the enemies were planning to attack. The signal towers were located in such a way that each of them was within sight of the other two. Some important messages were transmitted either by drumming, or by smoke, or by the fire of fires. Thus, the news of an enemy invasion from the farthest borders could be transmitted to the center per day!

During the restoration of the wall, interesting facts were discovered. For example, its stone blocks were held together with sticky rice porridge mixed with slaked lime. Or what the loopholes on its 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 there. The latest facts, for obvious reasons, are not advertised and are not commented on in any way by official science - neither Chinese nor world. Moreover, when reconstructing towers, they try to build loopholes in the opposite direction, although this is not possible everywhere. These photographs show South side walls - the sun shines at noon.

However, the strangeness with the Chinese wall does not end there. Wikipedia has a complete map of the wall, which shows in different colors the wall that we are told was built by each Chinese dynasty. As we see, there is more than one great wall. Northern China is often and densely dotted with the “Great Walls of China”, which extend into the territory of modern Mongolia and even Russia. Light was shed on these oddities A.A. Tyunyaev in his work “The Chinese Wall - the Great Barrier from the Chinese”:

“Tracing the stages of construction of the “Chinese” wall, based on the data of Chinese scientists, is extremely interesting. It is clear 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 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 at the same time 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 Zhanguo period (5-3 centuries BC), in which eight states existed on Chinese territory. Only in the middle of the 4th century. BC. The Qin began to fight 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 that section of the “Chinese” wall that began to be built in 445 BC and it was built exactly in 222 BC

Thus, we see that this section of the “Chinese” wall was built not by the Chinese of the Qin state, but northern neighbors, but precisely from the Chinese spreading to the north. 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, a second line of defense against 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... During the period 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 The Song Empire established itself in China. At this time, China lost dominance over its vassals in the west, in the northeast (on 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 northwest, 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 territories 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 Jurchen kingdom and China ran along the river. Huaihe is 500-700 km south of 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 it 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 Russian territory north of the village of Borzya next to the river. Argun. At the same time, 1500-2000 km north of China, another section of the wall was built, located along the Greater 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 southernmost and the deepest penetrating into the territory of China... At the time of the construction of this section of the wall, the entire Amur region belonged to Russian territories. By the middle of the 17th century, Russian fortresses (Albazinsky, Kumarsky, etc.), peasant settlements and arable lands already existed on both banks of the Amur. In 1656, the Daurian (later Albazinsky) voivodeship was formed, which included the valley of the Upper and Middle Amur on both banks... The “Chinese” wall, built by the Russians by 1644, ran exactly along the border of Russia with Qing China. In the 1650s, Qing China invaded Russian lands to a depth of 1,500 km, which was secured by the Aigun (1858) and Beijing (1860) treaties...”

Today the Chinese Wall is located inside China. However, there was a time when the wall meant country border. This fact is confirmed by ancient maps that have reached us. For example, a map of China by the famous medieval cartographer Abraham Ortelius from his geographical atlas of the world Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1602 On the map, north is on the right. It clearly shows that China is separating from northern country- Tartaria with a wall. On the map of 1754 "Le Carte de l'Asie" it is also clearly visible that the border of China with Great Tartaria 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 quite far into the territory of China’s western neighbor - Chinese Tartaria...

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The Great Wall of China is one of the largest and ancient monuments architecture in the world. Its total length is 8851.8 km, in one of the sections it passes near Beijing. The construction process of this structure is amazing in its scale. We will tell you about the most interesting facts and events from the history of the Wall

First, let's delve a little into the history of the great structure. It is difficult to imagine how much time and human resources are required to build a structure of this scale. It is unlikely that anywhere else in the world there will be a building with such a long, great and at the same time tragic story. Construction of the Great Wall of China began in the 3rd century BC during the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty, during the Warring States period (475-221 BC). In those days, the state was in dire need of protection from attacks by enemies, in particular the nomadic Xiongnu people. A fifth of the Chinese population was involved in the work, at that time it was about a million people

The wall was supposed to become the northernmost point of the planned expansion of the Chinese, as well as protect the subjects of the “Celestial Empire” from being drawn into a semi-nomadic lifestyle and assimilation with the barbarians. It was planned to clearly define the boundaries of the great Chinese civilization and to promote the unification of the empire into a single whole, since China was just beginning to form from many conquered states. Here are the boundaries of the Chinese Wall on the map:

During the Han Dynasty (206 - 220 BC), the structure was expanded westward to Dunhuang. They built many watchtowers to protect trade caravans from attacks by warring nomads. Almost all sections of the Great Wall that have survived to this day were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During this period, they built mainly from bricks and blocks, thanks to which the structure became stronger and more reliable. During this time, the Wall ran from east to west from Shanhaiguan on the shores of the Yellow Sea to the Yumenguan outpost on the border of Gansu provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The Qing Dynasty of Manchuria (1644-1911) broke the resistance of the Wall defenders due to the betrayal of Wu Sangui. During this period, the structure was treated with great disdain. During the three centuries that the Qing remained in power, the Great Wall was practically destroyed under the influence of time. Only a small section of it, passing near Beijing - Badaling - was preserved in order - it was used as a “gate to the capital”. Nowadays, this section of the wall is the most popular among tourists - it was the very first open to the public back in 1957, and also served as the finishing point of the cycling race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. US President Nixon visited it. In 1899, newspapers in the US wrote that the wall would be dismantled and a highway would be built in its place.

In 1984, on the initiative of Deng Xiaoping, a restoration program was organized Chinese wall, financial assistance from Chinese and foreign companies was attracted. A collection was also held among individuals; anyone could donate any amount.

The total length of the Great Wall of China is 8 thousand 851 kilometers and 800 meters. Just think about this figure, isn’t it impressive?

Nowadays, a 60-kilometer section of the wall in the Shanxi region in northwestern China is undergoing active erosion. The main reason for this is intensive management methods Agriculture in the country, when groundwater gradually dried up starting in the 1950s, and the region became the epicenter of extremely strong sand storms. More than 40 kilometers of the wall have already been destroyed, and only 10 kilometers are still in place, but the height of the wall has partially decreased from five to two meters

The Great Wall was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987 as one of China's greatest historical sites. In addition, this is one of the most visited attractions in the world - about 40 million tourists come here every year

There are many myths and legends surrounding such a large-scale structure. For example, the fact that this is a solid, continuous wall, built in one approach is a real myth. In reality, the wall is a discontinuous network of individual segments built by various dynasties to protect China's northern border

During construction, the Great Wall of China was nicknamed the longest cemetery on the planet, as a large number of people died during construction. According to rough estimates, the construction of the wall cost the lives of more than one million people

It is logical that such a giant has broken and still holds many records. The most significant of them is the longest structure ever built by man.

As I wrote above, the Great Wall was built as many individual elements in different times. Each province built its own wall and gradually they were united into a single whole. In those days, protective structures were simply necessary and were built everywhere. In total, more than 50,000 kilometers of defensive walls have been built in China over the past 2,000 years.

Because the Chinese Wall was broken in some places, the Mongol invaders led by Genghis Khan had little difficulty in raiding China, and they subsequently conquered the northern part of the country between 1211 and 1223. The Mongols ruled China until 1368, when they were driven out by the Ming Dynasty, described above.

Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space. This pervasive myth was born in 1893 in the American magazine The Century and then re-discussed in 1932 on Robert Ripley's show, which claimed that the wall was visible from the moon - even though the first flight into space was still very far away. Nowadays, it has been proven that it is quite difficult to notice a wall from space with the naked eye. Here's a NASA photo from space, see for yourself



Another legend says that the substance used to hold the stones together was mixed with powder from human bones, and that those killed at the construction site were buried right in the wall itself to make the structure stronger. But this is not true, the solution was made from ordinary rice flour - and there are no bones or dead in the wall structure

For obvious reasons, this miracle was not included in the 7 ancient wonders of the world, but the Great Wall of China is quite rightly included in the list of 7 new wonders of the world. Another legend says that a large fire dragon paved the way for workers, indicating where to build a wall. The builders subsequently followed his tracks

While we are talking about legends, one of the most popular is about a woman named Meng Jing Nu, the wife of a farmer working on the construction of the Great Wall. When she found out that her husband died at work, she went to the wall and cried on it until it collapsed, revealing the bones of her loved one, and her wife was able to bury them

There was a whole tradition of burying those who died during the construction of the wall. Family members of the deceased carried the coffin, on which was a cage with a white rooster. The crowing of a rooster was supposed to keep the dead man's spirit awake until the procession recounted the Great Wall. Otherwise, the spirit will forever wander along the wall

During the Ming Dynasty, more than one million soldiers were called upon to defend the country's borders against enemies on the Great Wall. As for the builders, they were recruited from the same defenders in Peaceful time, peasants, simply unemployed and criminals. There was a special punishment for all those convicted and there was only one verdict - to build a wall!

The Chinese invented a wheelbarrow especially for this construction project and used it throughout the construction of the Great Wall. Some particularly dangerous parts of the Great Wall were surrounded by protective ditches, which were either filled with water or left as ditches. The Chinese used advanced weapons for defense such as axes, hammers, spears, crossbows, halberds, and a Chinese invention: gunpowder

Observation towers were built along the entire Great Wall in uniform areas and could be up to 40 feet high. They were used to monitor the territory, as well as fortresses and garrisons for troops. They contained supplies of necessary food and water. In case of danger, a signal was given from the tower, torches, special beacons or simply flags were lit. The western section of the Great Wall, with a long chain of observation towers, served to protect the caravans that moved along the Great Wall. silk road, famous trade route

The last battle at the wall took place in 1938 during the Sino-Japanese War. There are many bullet marks left in the wall from those times. The most high point The Great Wall of China is located at an altitude of 1534 meters, not far from Beijing, while the most low point located at sea level near Lao Long Tu. Average height the wall is 7 meters, and the width in some places reaches 8 meters, but in general ranges from 5 to 7 meters



The Great Wall of China is a symbol of national pride, centuries-old struggle, and greatness. The country's government spends enormous amounts of money on the preservation of this architectural monument, amounting to billions of US dollars per year, hoping to preserve the wall for future generations

This is probably one of the few buildings of humanity that has gathered so many interested scientists, researchers, historians, and ordinary tourists. People from all over the world come to gaze at the Great Wall of China. It is rightfully considered one of the most grandiose structures ever created by humanity. Main symbol China, which is included in the list world heritage UNESCO.

During the time that has elapsed from the time of construction to the present day, this structure has been rebuilt more than once, something was completely destroyed, considered unnecessary or superfluous, something was completed, adjusting it to today's needs. But, one way or another, this historical monument has survived to this day and is ready to welcome tourists.

By the way, few people know that Mao Zedong once wrote an expression near the entrance. According to him, a Chinese who has not seen this monument cannot be called a real Chinese.

Today the wall is considered a majestic monument, national symbol, attraction and business card China. After all, this building witnessed many events in the history of the Chinese Empire.

This grandiose structure begins in the city of Shanhai-guan. From that place the wall stretches, passing half the country and ending in Central China. To some, its location resembles the movements of a snake, while the Chinese themselves associate it with the rise of a dragon. It is probably because of such associations that it has become a national symbol for the people of China.

The length of the Great Wall of China is 8851.8 kilometers. The width of the wall ranges from 5 to 8 meters, and the height in some places reached 10 meters.

The structure is so strong that one section, 750 kilometers long, was once turned into a real road. In some places near the wall, fortresses and fortifications were built, which has a historical and logical explanation.

The most popular sections of the wall among tourists are Simatai and Badaling.. There is nothing surprising in this, because they are located next to, 75 kilometers from the capital.

By the way, there is a widespread myth that the Great Wall is visible even from space. The astronauts say that this is not so - no one has ever seen a wall from space with the naked eye.

History of construction

Construction of the Great Wall of China began in the 3rd century BC. Historians have not even argued about who built the Chinese wall. This idea belonged to Emperor Qin Shi Huang. In history, he became famous as a cruel ruler thirsty for change. During his reign, he completely changed the life of his people. This was especially felt by the aristocrats and princes, from whom the emperor took away their privileges and subjugated them to himself.

Historians claim that the original purpose of building the Great Wall of China was to protect the emperor’s possessions from raids by nomadic tribes. But the researchers deny themselves, saying that the northern tribes of that time did not pose any particular danger to the emperor and his country. Therefore, it was pointless to defend against raids in this way. And on this basis, historians have come up with a new version: the purpose of such a huge construction was to mark the borders of the Chinese Empire, which was supposed to prevent the merging of the Chinese with the nomads.

221 BC - 300 thousand people arrived on the northern border of the Chinese Empire. The “parade” was led by commander Meng Tian. These people were given the task of building a wall of stones and bricks in the place where the earthworks had been. It is worth noting that most of the wall was located in hard-to-reach places, which, of course, made the work of its builders difficult. To keep the construction under control, all people were distributed to 34 bases, around which settlements appeared over time.

The construction of the wall began with towers. There were 25 thousand of them then. It must be said that they were significantly different from each other, had different densities and sizes. But all such structures looked like real fortifications. Their average length was 12 meters.

The distance between the towers was measured by “arrow flights”, which were supposed to be equal to two. The defensive structures (towers) were interconnected by a wall whose height reached seven meters. By the way, the width of the wall was measured by a line of eight people.

There is very interesting story, or rather a legend, about how the border of the Great Wall was determined. The emperor decided to travel around his possessions on horseback. His route became the boundary of the wall. And the places for the towers were designated in areas where the ruler’s horse stumbled.

The protective function of the wall is also cast in doubt by the fact that during its construction the features of the terrain were taken into account. For example, in the north it separates uninhabitable mountain areas from fertile lands. Scientists have expressed their opinion on this matter. According to them, this structure was intended to separate the fertile south of the Chinese Empire from the nomadic north.

Wall of Bones

Until 213 BC, builders managed to bring to mind most walls. Peasants were also brought in to help the soldiers. Most commoners could not work for a long time in such conditions and at such a shocking pace, and died from exhaustion. What was done with their bodies? They were walled up in the wall.

Since historians made this public historical fact, many statements have appeared on this topic. Some called the Great Wall of China "the longest cemetery in the world". Someone reproachfully said that the wall was built on human bones. And such thoughts are not without reason: About 400 thousand Chinese are immured in the wall. At that time, people considered this huge construction project a great disaster. These motifs can be found in ancient Chinese songs, fairy tales and legends.

Whatever it is, no matter what they say, but even the nickname “the longest cemetery in the world” e" will not be able to scare away tourists who want to touch ancient history, look at the greatest construction of the Chinese people.

The further fate of the wall

After waiting for the death of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, in 210 BC the people rebelled and overthrew the Qin dynasty. This made it possible to stop construction of the wall. A period of stagnation began in the fate of the Chinese Wall. Further history says that not all emperors undertook to complete the construction of the defensive structure. Many had high hopes for the troops, but neglected the wall as an opportunity to strengthen the borders of the empire.

When the Mongol Khan came to power, the wall was completely abandoned. Its restoration began only in the 15th century.

How to get to the Great Wall of China

To see this grandiose monument of the Chinese Empire, you can go in several ways:

• go on a tour
• get there by taxi
• take the train express

Please note that, in addition to other expenses, you will need to buy admission ticket on the wall, the cost of which is 45 yuan.

Bus excursion tours

A guided tour is the easiest way. For those who don't speak Chinese or are afraid to travel alone, a group of tourists led by a guide is a great option.

Sightseeing buses await tourists to Yabaolu, Tiananmen and Qianmen. In addition, such information can be found at the reception desk of any hotel.

Prices for such pleasure are reasonable, from 100 to 500 (depending on the number of people in the group). But the price, most often, only includes travel to Badaling. You will have to buy your own entrance ticket and food. But after visiting the wall you will be taken to the tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

The only disadvantage of this option is the limited nature of the tour. You cannot decide when and where to go, because you need to focus on other tourists. Therefore, if you want to spend the whole day on the Great Wall of China, then Bus tours– not for you. Although in most cases there is nothing to do there all day.

Taxi ride

Get to historical monument you can hire a private car with driver. There are more than enough people offering such services in Yabaolu. You can also order a car through the hotel, but it will be a little more expensive.

The cost of a taxi can fluctuate around 400-800 yuan. But do not forget that food and entry tickets again remain on your shoulders.

This method is much more convenient than the previous one, the driver will take you anywhere, because here only you are in command of the parade.

By train express to Badaling

Especially for the Chinese Olympics, an express train was built for those wishing to visit the section of the wall located in Badaling. The journey takes one and a half hours. The train departs from Beijing North Station, located at Xizhimen subway station - the intersection of the Circle Line. Directly from the metro station there are signs that say "Beijing Railway Station North".

The Wall Express departs from here - Xizhimen Station

The cost of the trip will be minimal, and will cost no more than 20 yuan per person in both directions. Tickets are sold directly at the station. The train schedule is constantly changing, but the express train leaves every hour. The numbers of all trains departing for Badaling begin with S2. Please note that the station is not the final one and you need to get off together with the main crowd of passengers, you definitely can’t go wrong.

Of the minuses, it is worth noting that you will encounter huge queues, and you will have to stand while driving.

Before the trip, be sure to eat well and buy water, as everything on the wall is very expensive. At the same Xizhimen station there is a large shopping mall, there are many cafes and fast foods here, for example, Burger King and McDonald's.

Don't forget to dress warmly, since the wall is located on a hill and there is often a strong, piercing wind blowing here.