The Great Wall of China is a grandiose structure in the entire history of mankind that performs a defensive function. The reasons for the creation of such a large-scale building arose long before the start of the long construction. Many principalities of the north and kingdoms of China in general built protective walls against attacks by hostility and simple nomads. When all the kingdoms and principalities united (3rd century BC), the emperor named Qin Shi Huang, with all the forces of China, began the centuries-long and difficult construction of the Chinese Wall.
Shanhai-guan is the city where the Great Wall of China begins. It is from there that it stretches in wavy curves, skirting more than half the borders of Central China. The width of the wall is on average 6 meters, and the height is about 10. At some point in time, the wall was even used as a good, flat road. On some sections of the wall there are fortresses and fortifications as additions.
2450 meters is the length of the Chinese Wall, although the total length, taking into account all the branches, bends and meanders, is almost 5000 km. Such large and endless dimensions have long given rise to many legends, myths and fairy tales, for example, one of the most common is that the wall can be seen from the Moon and Mars. In fact, the Wall of China is only visible from orbit and in satellite images.
According to a widespread legend, a huge imperial army, about 300,000 people, was spent on the construction of the wall. In addition, tens of thousands of peasants were accepted and involved in construction, since the number of builders was decreasing for various reasons, and it was necessary to compensate for this with new people. Fortunately, there are no problems with “human resources” in China to this day.
The geographical location of the wall itself is very interesting: it is a symbol that divides the country into two parts - the north belongs to the nomads, and the south to the landowners.
Another interesting and tragic fact is that this is the longest and largest cemetery in the world in terms of the number of burials. History is silent about how many people were buried during construction and during the entire period in general. But the figure is probably incredibly large. The remains of the dead are found even today.
During the entire existence of the wall, it was restored more than once: its reconstruction was carried out from the 14th to the 16th centuries, and then from 16 to 17. At this point, special signal towers were added, which made it possible to notify the enemy’s attack through fire and smoke (transmitted from one tower to another).
As a means of defense, the wall performed very poorly, because such a height is not a hindrance for a large enemy. Therefore, the guards for the most part looked not at the north side, but at the south. The reason was that it was necessary to keep an eye on the peasants who wanted to leave the country to avoid taxes.
Today, in the 21st century, the Great Wall of China is an officially recognized symbol of its country, known throughout the world. Many of its sections have been reconstructed for tourism purposes. One part of the wall runs directly next to Beijing, which is a winning option because the capital attracts the largest number of tourists.
If you ask a person anywhere in the world to name the first thing they associate with China, chances are it will be the Chinese Wall. No wonder - this is truly a huge, majestic structure that deserves to be mentioned. Many readers would probably like to know what the length of the Chinese Wall is in km, when it was built, by whom, for what purpose. We will try to answer these questions briefly but meaningfully.
Where is it?
It would seem that the answer is obvious - the Great Wall of China should be located in China. However, it is only partly true. Of course, most of it really is in the Middle Kingdom. But not all! Several hundred kilometers of the wall are in the south of Mongolia, and some section is in the northeast of the same country. Many will probably be surprised by the fact that a small piece of the same section runs along the southernmost border of the Chita region. Some of the most ancient sites can be found in North Korea.
The wall itself has a very complex structure - individual pieces were built tens and even hundreds of kilometers from others. Because of this, the wall is located not only in the northern part of China, but also in the central, and even eastern.
What is its length
Not only ordinary readers, but also many experts would like to know how long the Great Wall of China is. Unfortunately, the data on this vary greatly. Judging by the chronicles, the length was the same, some modern commissions present completely different data, and other groups of specialists present still others.
So, what is the length of the Chinese Wall in km?
The Chinese themselves call it the “10,000-li Wall.” If you consider that “li” is an ancient Chinese measure of length equal to approximately 570 meters, then you can calculate the length - you get 5,700,000 meters, or 5,700 kilometers. A very impressive figure. However, in ancient times there were often problems with counting. Therefore, it is better to turn to modern research, since it is carried out regularly.
In 2012, a special commission was assembled to determine exactly the length of the Great Wall of China in km. They counted 21,196 kilometers - it’s simply mind-boggling. After all, the length of planet Earth along the equator is a little more than 40 thousand kilometers. It turns out that the wall could encircle the Earth by more than half? Very doubtful. It is more likely that Chinese scientists, wanting to impress the whole world and attract even more tourists, simply “slightly” increased the length of their main pride. All areas were taken into account - both those existing to this day and those destroyed many centuries ago. They even included in their calculations the parameters of structures erected in Mongolia during the Qing Dynasty, although they were never part of the Great Wall of China.
The official length is 8852 kilometers. Quite impressive too! Especially when you consider its other dimensions. The thickness in different areas ranges from 5 to 8 meters, and the height is approximately 6-7 meters. However, there are also places where it rises as much as 10 meters.
Even with the use of modern technology and materials, creating such a colossus would be very difficult. But here construction was carried out using manual labor, natural materials and the most primitive tools. So you definitely can’t deny the hard work of the Chinese.
Why is it so difficult to calculate its length?
After reading, the reader may have a question: why do such problems and discrepancies arise when trying to determine how long the Great Wall of China is in km?
The answer is simple. The fact is that it was built not one or two years, but almost two millennia. As a result, when some sections were just completed, others had already collapsed - under the influence of rains, floods, and human activity.
When two sections of a wall several tens of kilometers long are found, with no buildings between them, many guesses arise as to why this happened. Maybe Chinese engineers didn’t want to build anything here? Or didn't you have time? Or maybe there was a wall here, but it simply collapsed over time? Therefore, some experts, trying to understand how long the Chinese Wall is, count only the sections that exist today. Others, trying to get more impressive figures, take into account both destroyed and hypothetically existing ones. Of course, the discrepancies are more than serious.
So, if we talk about the parameters of such a structure as the Great Wall of China, it is not possible to clearly name its length in kilometers.
Why was it built
Speaking about the global nature of the construction, one cannot help but wonder why it was built in the first place. The most obvious and popular answer is to protect Chinese lands from the enemy from the north. But it does not stand up to any criticism - we will return to this later.
There is a version that it was supposed to prevent the enemy, who captured slaves and wealth in China, from freely leaving back to the north. But this version is not very plausible.
But another option has been tested in practice - it was used as a road. Wide enough for two carts to easily pass each other, it was not afraid of rain and mud. The wall was dry even in the autumn slush. Merchants and simple peasants transporting goods to markets could quickly move from one province to another.
The wall could also be used as a customs post. After all, military men were on duty in the towers all the time, checking whether all duties were paid by the merchants. The Great Silk Road alone is crossed by the wall three times.
Some experts defend a completely different version. When the wall began to be built, China was a bunch of fragmented, warring states and peoples. A single great goal was needed that would force yesterday's enemies to work together, helping each other. This was precisely the goal of the construction of the Great Wall of China.
Useless from a military point of view
Now let's think about why it couldn't be used as a military facility? Everything is simple - precisely because of its length. In those days, the Chinese army was very small, and it protected not so much the borders from enemy raids, but rather the emperor and his entourage, as well as other feudal lords from ordinary peasants.
If you split up the entire existing army, placing a small detachment in each tower, then they would not be able to offer resistance - even a small enemy army, having chosen a good direction for attack, would easily capture a section of the fortress, killing the guards. And if small detachments were gathered into large armies, they would be at a great distance from each other - it would not be possible to control the entire length of the wall.
In addition, as mentioned above, the wall is not a straight, continuous building, but a chain of separate sections, between which there are often gaping gaps of tens and hundreds of kilometers. What prevented the enemies from breaking through the wall, but calmly bypassing it, choosing a route through such a hole?
So the fact that she could not, even if she wanted to, perform a military function is quite obvious.
How many years did it take to build
Well, the question of how long the Chinese Wall is, how many kilometers it stretches, is more or less answered. How many years did it take to build it? Fortunately, many written sources have survived that allow us to answer this question quite accurately.
Construction began in the third century BC. At that time, China as such did not exist - only numerous disparate and constantly warring kingdoms. If you believe the chronicles, then almost immediately 20% of the population - about a million people - were thrown into construction.
Construction ended in 1644, when united China was already ruled by the powerful Ming dynasty.
Of course, construction was not ongoing. Sometimes they forgot about it for decades and even centuries, only to eventually return to the construction of this amazing object.
Casualties during construction
Saying how many people died during construction is even more difficult than definitively answering how long the Chinese Wall is. The fact is that people were constantly maimed and killed: poor nutrition, primitive mechanisms, inhuman working conditions - all this affected life expectancy. But it never occurred to anyone to record or otherwise mark the deaths of people at work. It’s just that from time to time more and more workers were brought here.
There is a legend that for every kilometer of wall built, there was one fatal accident. But it is possible that in reality there were much more victims than 9 thousand.
The dead were treated quite simply - they were walled up in the base of the walls so as not to dig graves for them. So the Chinese Wall is not just an impressive building, but also a very unusual cemetery.
Legends associated with her
By the way, one of the legends is connected with the people buried in the wall. It says that one man - a simple farmer who was forced to build the wall - died and was embedded in the base of the building. His wife, Meng Jiang Nu, was heartbroken and cried terribly. So scary that part of the wall where the husband was buried simply crumbled, exposing the remains and allowing them to be buried according to customs. Rumor has it that a monument was even erected on the wall in honor of this.
Another interesting legend is associated with a dragon - what would China be without it? Allegedly, the location of the Great Wall of China was not chosen by chance. The wise dragon crawled along the ground, showing the place where it should be erected. Well, the legend is really beautiful and quite in oriental style.
Vandalism and fraud
At various times, the Great Wall was often used as... a source of building materials. Down-to-earth peasants, without thinking too much about the value of the building, calmly dismantled it into bricks for their needs. Moreover, this began many centuries ago and continues today. Only in the middle of the twentieth century did the authorities come to their senses and impose a fine for such sabotage - 5,000 yuan (about 48 thousand rubles). True, in remote provinces this does little to stop people - many do not even know about such a ban and punishment.
In many places you can even buy such a brick - it is quite inexpensive, about 50 yuan (less than 500 rubles). However, when exporting from the country, serious problems may well arise. And what prevents scammers from slipping an ordinary brick made a few days ago under the guise of an ancient artifact? Therefore, it is better to refrain from such purchases.
The main binder was not concrete, as would be done now, but slaked lime mixed with rice porridge.
On average, 40 million tourists visit the Great Wall of China every year - both from the Middle Kingdom and from all over the world.
Although there is an opinion that this is the only building that can be seen from space with the naked eye, this is not so - although the wall is quite long, its small width makes this impossible.
In 1987, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, being China's greatest attraction.
Conclusion
This is where we can end the article. Now you know, if not everything, then a lot about such an amazing building as the Great Wall of China: length in kilometers, width, purpose, years of construction and much more. Surely this will allow you to significantly expand your horizons.
From our school history course, many of us know that the Great Wall of China is the largest architectural monument. Its length is 8.851 km. The height of the grandiose structure varies from 6 to 10 meters, and the width varies between 5 and 8 meters.
Chinese Wall on the map of China
The history of the Great Wall of China
In Northern China, as early as the 3rd century BC, there were frequent clashes between the Chinese people and the Xiongnu. This historical period was called the "Era of the Warring States".
It was then that the construction of the Great Wall of China began. The main role assigned to the stone structure was that it was supposed to mark the borders of the Chinese Empire and unite scattered provinces and regions into a single territory.
In the center of the Chinese plains, new trading posts and cities arose every now and then. And the neighboring peoples, warring among themselves and with others, robbed and ruined them with enviable regularity. The rulers of that era saw the construction of the wall as a solution to this problem.
During the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty, it was decided to devote all efforts to continuing the construction of the wall. Most of the population, and even the emperor's army, participated in this large-scale historical project.
The Chinese Wall was built during the reign of this emperor for 10 years. Slaves, peasants, people with average incomes laid down their lives to build a structure made of clay and stone. The construction work itself was complicated by the lack of access and roads to some construction sites. People experienced a shortage of drinking water and food, and died from epidemics without doctors or healers. But construction work did not stop.
At first, the wall was built by 300 thousand people. But by the end of its construction the number of workers reached 2 million. There were many legends and tales around the Wall of China. One day, Emperor Qin was informed that the construction of the wall would stop after the death of a man named Wano. The emperor ordered to find such a one and kill him. The poor worker was immured at the base of the wall. But construction continued for a very long time.
The Chinese Wall divides China into the south of farmers and the north of nomadic peoples. During the Ming Dynasty, the wall was reinforced with bricks and watchtowers were erected on it. Under Emperor Wanli, many parts of the wall were rebuilt or rebuilt. People popularly called this wall the “earth dragon.” Because its foundations were high earthen mounds. And its colors corresponded to this name.
The Great Wall of China begins in the city of Shanghai-guan, one of its sections runs near Beijing, and ends in the city of Jiayu-guan. This wall in China is not only a national treasure, but also a real cemetery. The bones of people buried there are still found today.
As a defensive structure, this wall did not show its best side. Its empty sections could not stop the enemy. And for those places that were guarded by people, its height was not enough to effectively repel attacks. Its small height could not fully protect the area from barbarian raids. And the width of the structure was clearly not enough to accommodate a sufficient number of warriors capable of fully fighting.
Meaningless for defense, but useful for trade, the wall continued to be built. To build it, people were forcibly taken to work. Families were broken up, men lost wives and children, and mothers lost sons. They could send you to the wall for the slightest offense. To recruit people there, special calls were held, similar to how soldiers are recruited for the army. People grumbled, and sometimes riots were organized, which were suppressed by the emperor's army. The last riot was the last. After all, after him, the reign of the Ming Dynasty came to an end, and construction stopped.
The current Chinese government has introduced a number of fines for damaging landmarks. This had to be done due to the fact that many tourists wanted to take a piece of the Chinese Wall with them. And the natural processes of its destruction only accelerated from such barbaric actions. Although in the 70s it was proposed to destroy the wall deliberately. Due to the prevailing political worldview at that time, the wall was perceived as a relic of the past.
What was the Great Wall built of?
Before the reign of the Qin dynasty, primitive building materials were used for the wall: clay, earth, pebbles. After this period, they began to build from sun-baked bricks. And also from large stone blocks. Construction materials were taken from the same place where construction took place. The solution for the stones was made from rice flour. This gluten quite reliably fastened blocks of different shapes together.
The Chinese Wall was even used as a road. It is heterogeneous in its structure. It has different heights, borders with mountain gorges and hills. The height of its steps in some places reaches 30 cm. Other steps are only 5 cm high. Climbing the Chinese Wall is quite convenient, but descending can be a risky adventure. And all because of this arrangement of steps.
Many tourists who visited the wall noted this feature. It would seem that there is nothing easier than going down the steps. But the paradox is that going down steps of different heights takes more time than going up them.
The attitude of the Chinese towards this building
During different periods of construction and reconstruction of the wall, people rebelled, as their strength was running out. The guards easily let the enemy through the wall. And in some places they willingly took bribes so as not to lose their lives during enemy raids.
People rebelled, not wanting to build a useless structure. Today in China the wall has a completely different meaning. Despite all the failures, difficulties and failures that arose during construction, the wall is considered a symbol of the resilience of the Chinese people.
Modern Chinese view the wall differently. Some experience sacred awe at the sight of it, others can easily throw garbage near this landmark. Most people have a moderate interest in it. But the Chinese go on group excursions to the wall just as willingly as foreign tourists.
Mao Zedong wrote in his book that anyone who has not visited the Great Wall cannot call himself a true Chinese. On small sections of the wall, runners' marathons are held annually, excursions are held, research work and reconstructions are carried out.
Chinese Wall: facts, myths and beliefs
Among the abundance of information about the main Chinese attraction, a fairly popular myth is that the Wall of China is visible even from the moon. In fact, this myth has long been debunked. Not a single astronaut was able to clearly see this wall either from an orbital station or from a night satellite of the earth.
In 1754, the first mention appeared that the Great Wall of China was so large that it was the only one visible from the moon. But the astronauts were never able to see this structure made of stones and earth in the photographs.
In 2001, Neil Armstrong also denied rumors that the Wall of China could be seen from Earth's orbit. He stated that none of the other astronauts could clearly see this structure on Chinese territory.
In addition to disputes about the visibility of the wall from orbit, there are many rumors and legends surrounding this landmark. The terrible legend that the construction mortar was mixed from crushed human bones was also not confirmed. Rice flour served as the basis for the solution.
Another myth says that when a farmer died while building a wall, his wife cried on it for so long that part of the structure collapsed, exposing the remains of the deceased. And the woman was able to bury her husband with all honors.
There were various rumors about the construction of this facility. Some claimed that a real fire-breathing dragon helped people lay the track for the wall, which melted the space with its flame to facilitate construction work on it.
Among other things, there is a legend about the construction itself. It says that when the chief architect was approached and asked how many bricks to make. He said the number "999999". After the completion of the construction work, one brick remained, and the cunning architect ordered it to be installed above one of the entrances to the watchtower to attract good luck. And he pretended that everything was planned that way.
Let's look at the reliable facts about the Great Wall of China:
- The site is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List;
- Some sections of the wall were destroyed by contemporaries because there was a need for space for new construction;
- This artificial structure is the longest in the world;
- The attraction is not classified as a wonder of the Ancient World;
- Another name for the Chinese Wall is “Purple Border”;
- The wall was opened for the entire world community in 1605 by the European Bento de Gois;
- In addition to protective functions, the design was used to impose state duties, control the resettlement of peoples and record foreign trade;
- Many famous politicians and actors visited this attraction;
- The wall's sentry points were used as beacons;
- Even today, night and evening tours are organized on the wall;
- This structure can be climbed on foot or by cable car;
- In 2004, 41.8 million foreign tourists visited the wall;
- The simple wheelbarrow, commonly used on construction sites, was invented during the construction of the wall;
- The final battle on this structure took place in 1938 between the Chinese and Japanese;
- The highest point of the wall is located near the city of Beijing, 5000 meters above sea level;
- This object is the most popular tourism destination in the Middle Kingdom;
- The construction of the legendary wall was completed in 1644.
It is almost impossible to maintain such a huge architectural object in a presentable form. What influences the Great Wall of China today?
Why is the heritage of our ancestors being destroyed?
Over the course of three imperial “kingdoms” in a row, the Chinese Wall was built and rebuilt several times. It was built during the reign of the Qin, Han and Ming dynasties. Each dynasty brought something new to the appearance of the structure, giving the construction a new meaning. Construction was completed during the Ming era. The construction of the wall served as one of the reasons for a large-scale uprising, during which the last representative of the dynasty was overthrown from the throne.
Today, even modern construction technologies and innovations cannot stop the destruction of a huge structure. Some sections of the wall collapse on their own due to exposure to rain, sun, winds and time.
Others are dismantled by local residents to use the materials to build villages. Tourists also cause damage to the wall. Often there are sections of the wall covered in graffiti. Stones and other parts are pulled out from the structure.
In addition, some sections of the Great Wall of China are located so far from cities and towns that there is simply no one to monitor their condition. And the business, which is costly for the economy, does not fit into the modern Chinese budget.
The Great Wall gives the impression of a structure organically integrated into the landscape. It seems to merge with the trees, hills and steppes around, without in any way disturbing the beauty of the places where it lies. Her colors are earthy and sandy tones. If you look from the outside, you get the impression that the structure, like a chameleon, adapts to all the shades of greenery around it and dissolves among the woody palettes of the local vegetation.
This attraction has many canals and branches. Her story is full of secrets, tragedies and mysteries. And the design itself is not distinguished by engineering delights. But the meaning inherent in this symbol today allows us to say that the Chinese people have no equal in work and perseverance. After all, the construction of this structure took millennia and millions of human hands, building the wall stone by stone.
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. The main symbol of China, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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, a national symbol, a landmark and a calling card of 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 a very interesting story, or rather 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 complete most of the wall. 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 historical fact public, 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 off tourists who want to touch ancient history and look at the greatest buildings 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 costs, you will need to buy an entrance ticket to the wall, which costs 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 are not for you. Although in most cases there is nothing to do there all day. 
Taxi ride
You can get to the historical monument by hiring a private car with a 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 center, there are many cafes and fast foods, 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.
, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan Province, Qinghai And China
the great Wall of China(Chinese trad. 長城, ex. 长城, pinyin: Changcheng, literally: "Long wall" or whale. trad. 萬里長城, ex. 万里长城, pinyin: Wanlǐ Changcheng, literally: “Long wall of 10,000 li”) - a separation wall almost 9000 km long (total length 21.2 thousand km), built in ancient China. The largest architectural monument.
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✪ THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. REVIEW OF A SECTION OF THE WALL NEAR BEIJING. THE GREAT CHINA OF WALL. CHINA 2017
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The Great Wall of China... Many are amazed at the absurdity of this huge structure. Why build a wall in impassable mountains, where not only nomads on horseback, but even foot troops are unlikely to pass through? Why was it built? It's actually simple. The wall was built to prevent green monsters from destroying humanity. They attacked humanity every 60 years until, with the help of two Caucasians and a huge number of Chinese, the queen of the monsters was destroyed. Although no, this is a story from a slightly different opera, and it was created for the sake of money. But the official version is not far from being plausible. Appreciate the beauty and logic of the official answer of the Chinese themselves - this wall was supposed to protect the peoples of China from transitioning to a semi-nomadic way of life, from merging with the northern barbarians. The wall was supposed to clearly define the border of China itself, and contribute to the consolidation of the Empire, which was made up of a number of separate kingdoms. That is, the Great Wall of China was needed not to protect against external attacks, but to protect its subjects from the flight. This is a kind of ancient Berlin Wall, blocking the flight of its citizens to other countries. This is such a wise and instructive official version. Therefore, the loopholes, about which there have been disputes relatively recently, look first on one side, then on the other, and sometimes there are even double ones on both sides. So to speak, according to the Chinese version, in order to effectively regulate the flow of illegal emigrants trying to escape from the general joy of the unification of the Celestial Empire. Some researchers put forward this version about the purpose of the wall - it was used in hard-to-reach areas as a road. More on this a little later, but now let’s talk about the antiquity of this structure. Construction of the first sections of the wall supposedly began in the third century BC. Official modern Chinese sources claim that the first fortifications at the base of the wall began to be built during the Jou Dynasty more than 2 thousand years ago. The western part of the Great Wall of China was also completed during the Han Dynasty in 220 AD. Well, the Ming Dynasty from the 14th to the 17th centuries only restored and strengthened the inner wall around Beijing. So, when was this Great Wall of China actually built? To begin with, let us recall a quote from the outstanding Russian scientist, historian and linguist Nikolai Morozov: “Every large building has a predetermined practical purpose. Who would have thought of starting a construction that would be completed in two thousand years, and until then would be a meaningless burden for the population. And the Chinese Wall could have survived so well only if it was no more than two hundred years old.” The argument that it has been repaired all this time, which is why it has survived to us in perfect condition, is questionable. Because even the Chinese did not believe in the effectiveness of the wall itself. Even if one emperor built it for some of his own reasons, another is unlikely to have spent huge human resources and money on its restoration. Today, the tourist part of the Chinese Wall route is the same part that was built more than 2000 years ago, according to official sources. But even the first European and Russian travelers began to doubt this. For example, the Russian archimandrite IokInf, the first Russian sinologist, an expert in the Chinese language, who spent time in Beijing from 1808 to 1821. He also wrote “Notes on Mongolia”, here is a quote from there: “An earthen rampart opened before us, both ends of which were hidden behind the horizon. This is the famous Great Wall, which we in Russia think Emperor Shihuang built 214 years before our reckoning. It has long since fallen apart on both sides.” The monk clearly doubted the authenticity of the Chinese Wall. He notes in his book that Europeans considered the wall an example of the quality and reliability of ancient construction. And then he describes that the wall was actually built quite primitively from compacted hay, straw and clay, so that it is washed away by the rain right before our eyes. Such a flimsy structure could not stand for two thousand years. The Russian monk in his book provides evidence that many sections of the wall were built in the 15th-16th centuries. He also cites the words of the Catholic monk Zhe Bellon, who saw the Chinese Wall in person in 1697, that this section had practically disappeared along its entire length by the end of the 17th century, since initially it was only a small earthen rampart. IokInf further writes that the Chinese themselves admit that the first 600 leagues of the first and longest section of the wall began to be built in 1485, and the rest of the wall was completed in 1546. But European sources continue to insist on the ancient origin of this section of the wall. We talked about how European Jesuits of the 17th–19th centuries invented stories about the antiquity of the Chinese Wall and deliberately stretched out the history of the state in the film “The False Antiquity of China,” watch it if you haven’t seen it yet. Until the 17th century, all military fortifications, fortresses and military buildings were built from compacted earth and straw, at best from clay, and sometimes from wood. Brick manufacturing technology and stone and granite processing were brought to China from Europe at the end of the 15th century. Therefore, the Chinese, by definition, could not have built the Great Brick Wall earlier than the 15th century. The same priest provides an interesting reference on the construction of the wall itself. Many of the sites were built quite quickly. Most of them have exact construction dates; most often the wall was built in the same year, or rather in the same summer. And this is a real fact. According to Chinese documents, between 50 and 180 thousand workers worked on one section of the wall. How many such areas were there? Dozens, if not more. Why in one summer? Obviously, it was impossible to exploit the peasants for any longer practically for free; this would lead to serious uprisings that would be difficult to suppress. One of these uprisings caused the death of the Yuan ruling house. Here is another interesting description of the wall. During a trip along the Chinese Wall, the same priest Iokinthos went out for a walk. Let us remember that this is the beginning of the 19th century. In the Nordian region, he climbed a wall made of small unprocessed lime stones, that is, without mortar. There were several brick towers on this wall. What struck the Russian priest and his companions? These towers were clearly built recently. There was even a construction tool inside one of the towers. The monk noted in his “Notes”: “These towers clearly do not show their antiquity, but were erected quite recently, that is, at the beginning of the 19th century.” And this is a place that is now considered one of the ancient sections of the Great Wall of China. And finally, an interesting fact. Another Russian Archimandrite Palladius traveled through the northern regions of China at the end of the 19th century, in the world Pyotr Ivanovich Kofarov, the head of the next Russian Orthodox mission in Beijing, he was also an orientalist, polyglot and linguist. Having read “Notes on Mongolia” by his predecessor, he also became interested in the history of China, and in particular the ancient legends about the Great Wall of China. As a result, during almost 40 years of his stay in China, he never found a single genuine source worthy of attention about the two-thousand-year origin of the Great Wall. Kofarov found the first recorded information about Chinese earthen ramparts made of earth, clay and straw hundreds and thousands of kilometers away, dating back at best to the second half of the 15th century, at worst to the 17th century. Moreover, it is the earthen ramparts that make up 80% of the total length of the entire Great Wall of China as a whole. But the first stone walls, built without mortar using primitive technology, date back only to the middle of the 16th century. The brick sections of the Great Wall, with the exception of isolated sections along the trade routes to Beijing, generally date back to the late 17th and early 19th centuries. And that section of the modern Chinese Wall, where tourists are taken, not far from Beijing, is an outright remake of the second half of the 20th century, it is no more than half a century old. This is not even a restoration, but an outright fake. To answer the question of when the Great Wall of China was built, it is worth deciding what we mean. An ordinary earthen rampart made of sand and earth, or the famous stone wall with brick towers. Obviously, there were some ramparts on certain plots of land, but in Russia we also have a lot of earthen ramparts several thousand kilometers long, for example, the Siberian ramparts or the so-called great Trans-Volga Wall. Or Serpentine Shafts in Eastern Europe. In terms of engineering technology, they are superior to primitive Chinese structures, and they are not inferior in length to Chinese ones. But we don’t call them the Great Russian Wall. Moreover, the Chinese themselves, when speaking about the Great Wall of China, mean precisely its stone and brick part, which is only about 60 kilometers long, and are extremely reluctant to remember earthen embankments. And tourists are shown only a brick structure. Therefore, if we talk only about the brick Great Wall, then there is no need to talk about antiquity, it is definitely not 2300 years old, but less than 500 years old, and some sections are not even three hundred. Today the Chinese Wall is located inside China. However, there was a time when the wall marked the border of the country. This fact is confirmed by ancient maps that have reached us. Here is Frederick de Wit's map from 1648 with the border along the Chinese wall, and on Mercator's map of 1606 it is written in Latin that the king of China defended himself against the Tartar invasion with the help of this wall. And the map of William and John Blau from 1635 also says that the wall was built from the Tartarus invasion. And on the map of Nicolas Sanson from 1654 there is an inscription near the wall - “mountains and a wall between China and Tartary.” And here is an engraving from 1750 with the inscription “View of Beijing, the capital of China, and the Great Wall that separates it from Tartary.” In general, a road or a border, but in any case, as a defensive structure, the Wall is practically meaningless: it is simply unrealistic to guard more than four thousand kilometers around the clock, and to build such a colossus in impassable mountains and rocks, in which both the enemy on foot and on horseback would willingly break his neck , there is no reason. That's all we have for now. Although, of course, there is something left. But more about this some other time. See you later.
Description
The thickness of the Great Wall is generally about 5-8 meters, and the height is most often about 6-7 meters (in some areas the height reaches 10 meters) [ ] .
The wall runs along the Yinshan mountain range, skirting all the spurs, overcoming both high rises and very significant gorges.
Over the centuries, the wall has changed names. Initially called the "Barrier", "Revelry" or "Fortress", the wall later acquired more poetic names, such as "Purple Border" and "Land of Dragons". Only at the end of the 19th century did it receive the name that we know to this day.
Story
Construction of the first sections of the wall began in the 3rd century BC. e. during the Warring States period (475-221 BC) to protect the state from the Xiongnu. A fifth of the country’s then living population, that is, about a million people, took part in the construction. The wall was supposed to clearly fix the boundaries of Chinese civilization and contribute to the consolidation of a single empire, just made up of a number of conquered kingdoms. [ ]
Settlements developing on the plain of central China, turning into large centers of trade, attracted the attention of nomads, who began to frequently attack them, making raids from beyond Yingshan. Large kingdoms such as Qin, Wei, Yan, Zhao, whose borders were located in the north, attempted to build protective walls. These walls were adobe structures. The Wei Kingdom builds a wall around 353 BC. e., which served as the border with the kingdom of Qin, the kingdoms of Qin and Zhao built a wall around 300 BC. e., and the kingdom of Yan around 289 BC. e. The disparate wall structures are later connected and form a single structure.
During the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC, Qin dynasty), the empire united into a single whole and achieved unprecedented power. More than ever before, she needs reliable protection from nomadic peoples. Qin Shi Huang gives the order to build the Great Wall of China along Yingshan. During construction, pre-existing parts of the wall are used, which are strengthened, built on, connected with new sections and extended, while sections that previously separated separate kingdoms are demolished. The commander Meng Tian was appointed to manage the construction of the wall.
Construction took 10 years and faced numerous difficulties. The main problem was the lack of appropriate infrastructure for construction: there were no roads, there was no water and food in adequate quantities for those involved in the work, while their number reached 300 thousand people, and the total number of builders involved under Qin reached, according to some estimates, 2 million . Slaves, soldiers, and peasants were involved in construction. As a result of epidemics and overwork, at least tens of thousands of people died. Outrage against the mobilization for the construction of the wall caused popular uprisings and served as one of the reasons for the fall of the Qin dynasty. [ ]
The terrain itself was extremely difficult for such a grandiose structure: the wall ran straight along the mountain range, going around all the spurs, and it was necessary to overcome both high climbs and very significant gorges. However, this is precisely what determined the unique originality of the structure - the wall is unusually organically integrated into the landscape and forms a single whole with it.
Up until the Qin period, a significant portion of the wall was built from the most primitive materials, mainly by ramming earth. Layers of clay, pebbles and other local materials were pressed between shields of twigs or reeds. Most of the materials for such walls could be obtained locally. Sometimes bricks were used, but not baked, but dried in the sun.
Obviously, the Chinese popular name for the wall, “earth dragon,” is associated with the building materials. During the Qin period, stone slabs began to be used in some areas, which were laid close to each other over layers of compacted earth. Stone structures were widely used during the construction of the Wall in the east, where, due to local conditions, stone was not available (western lands, in the territory of the modern provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi) - a large embankment was erected.
The dimensions of the wall varied by area, the average parameters were: height - 7.5 m, height with battlements - 9 m, width along the ridge - 5.5 m, width of the base - 6.5 m. The battlements of the wall, located on the outside, have simple rectangular shape. Towers are an integral part of the wall. Some towers, erected before the construction of the wall, were built into it. Such towers often have a width smaller than the width of the wall itself, and their locations are random. The towers, erected together with the wall, were located from each other at a distance of up to 200 meters (arrow flight range). There are several types of towers, differing in architectural design. The most common type of tower is two-story, rectangular in plan. Such towers had an upper platform with loopholes. Also within sight of the fire (about 10 km), there were signal towers on the wall, from which the enemy’s approaches were monitored and signals were transmitted. Twelve gates were made in the wall for passage, which over time were strengthened into powerful outposts.
The Chinese and the Great Wall of China
The constant construction and restoration of the wall drained the strength of the people and the state, but its value as a defensive structure was questioned. Enemies, if desired, easily found weakly fortified areas or simply bribed the guards. Sometimes during attacks she did not dare to raise the alarm and silently let the enemy pass.
For Chinese scientists, the wall became a symbol of military weakness during the Ming Dynasty, capitulation to the next barbarians. Wang Sitong, a 17th-century historian and poet, wrote:
After the fall of the Ming dynasty, the Qing Emperor dedicated a poem to her, in which he wrote about the wall:
The Chinese of the Qing era were surprised by the interest of Europeans in a useless structure.
In modern Chinese culture, the wall has taken on a new meaning. Regardless of the failures associated with its military use, it turned into a symbol of the resilience and creative power of the people. On several sections of the Great Wall of China you can find monuments with Mao Zedong’s phrase: “ If you have not visited the Great Wall of China, you are not a real Chinese"(Chinese: 不到长城非好汉).
The popular athletics marathon “The Great Wall” is held annually, in which athletes run part of the distance along the crest of the wall.
Destruction and restoration of the wall
Despite many years of efforts, the wall was systematically destroyed and fell into disrepair. The Manchu Qing dynasty (1644-), having overcome the wall with the help of Wu Sangui's treachery, treated the wall with disdain.
During the three centuries of Qing rule, the Great Wall almost collapsed under the influence of time. Only a small section of it near Beijing - Badaling - was maintained in order; it served as a kind of “gateway to the capital”. In 1899, American newspapers started a rumor that the wall would be completely demolished, and a highway would be built in its place.
Despite the work carried out, the remains of the wall, removed from tourist places, are still in a ruined state today. Some areas are destroyed when the site of the wall is chosen as a place to build villages or stone from the wall as a construction material, others - due to the construction of highways, railways and other extended artificial objects. Vandals spray graffiti on some areas.
It is reported that a 70-kilometer section of the wall in Minqin County, Gansu Province in the north-west of the country is undergoing active erosion. The reason is China's intensive agricultural practices since the 1950s, which have led to the drying up of groundwater, and as a result, the region has become a major source and center of powerful sandstorms. More than 40 km of the wall have already disappeared, and only 10 km are still standing; the height of the wall in some places has decreased from five to two meters.
In 2007, on the border of China and Mongolia, William Lindsay discovered a significant section of the wall, which was attributed to the Han Dynasty. In 2012, the search for further fragments of the wall by the expedition of William Lindsay culminated in the discovery of a lost section already in Mongolia.
In 2012, a 36-meter section of the wall, located in Hebei province, collapsed due to heavy rains. No one was injured in the collapse. This happened on August 6, but the official message appeared only on the 10th.
Visibility of the wall from space
Visibility of the wall from the Moon
One of the earliest references to the myth of the wall being visible from the moon comes from a 1754 letter from the English antiquarian William Stukeley. Stukeley wrote: “This huge wall eighty miles long (we are talking about Hadrian’s Wall) is surpassed only by the Chinese Wall, which takes up so much space on the globe, and in addition it can be seen from the Moon.” Henry Norman also mentions this. Sir Henry Norman), English journalist and politician. In 1895, he reports: “...besides its age, this wall is the only human creation that can be seen from the moon.” At the end of the nineteenth century, the theme of Martian canals was widely discussed, which may have led to the idea that long, thin objects on the surface of planets were visible far from space. The visibility of the Great Wall of China from the Moon was also featured in 1932 in the popular American comic strip Ripley's Believe It or Not. Ripley's Believe It or Not! ) and in the 1938 book The Second Book of Miracles ( Second Book of Marvels) American traveler Richard Halliburton (eng. Richard Halliburton).
This myth has been exposed more than once, but has not yet been eradicated from popular culture. The maximum width of the wall is 9.1 meters, and it is approximately the same color as the ground on which it is located. Based on the resolving power of the optics (the distance to the object relative to the diameter of the entrance pupil of the optical system, which is a few millimeters for the human eye and several meters for large telescopes), only an object that is in contrast to the surrounding background and has a size of 10 kilometers or more in diameter (corresponding to 1 arc minute) can be seen with the naked eye from the Moon, the average distance from which to the Earth is 384,393 kilometers. The approximate width of the Great Wall of China, when viewed from the Moon, would be the same as that of a human hair when viewed from a distance of 3.2 kilometers. Seeing the wall from the Moon would require vision 17,000 times better than normal. It is not surprising that none of the astronauts who visited the Moon ever reported seeing the wall while on the surface of our satellite.
Visibility of the wall from Earth orbit
More controversial is whether the Great Wall of China is visible from orbit (which is approximately 160 km above the earth). According to NASA, the Wall is barely visible, and only under ideal conditions. It is no more visible than other artificial structures. Some authors argue that due to the limited optical capabilities of the human eye and the distance between the photoreceptors on the retina, the wall cannot be seen even from low orbit with the naked eye, which would require vision 7.7 times sharper than normal.
In October 2003, Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei said that he was unable to see the Great Wall of China. In response, the European Space Agency issued a press release stating that from an orbit altitude of 160 to 320 kilometers, the wall is still visible to the naked eye. In an attempt to clarify this issue, the European Space Agency published a photo of part of the Great Wall of China taken from space. However, a week later they admitted the mistake (instead of a wall in the photo there was one of the rivers).