The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China (“the Wall”) is one of the most remarkable man-made structures in the world, with the longest building timeline.  Beginning in the 7^th century BC it continued on and off over several centuries until it peaked in the mid-17^th century AD.

The Chinese were masters at building walls.  First, they built them around their homes and cities as protection from their ferocious nomadic neighbours.  Then, they built them to protect their borders from the wars that raged within their own nation.  Most walls were of varying lengths and scattere3d throughout the land. 

The Qin Dynasty squashed the various internal wars, unifying China in 221 BC and established the First Empire.  Shi Huangdi, the first Emperor and a ruthless ruler, used hundreds of thousands of people to connect and extend the existing walls for defence.  By the end of this dynasty 3,000 mi (4,800 km) of wall ran along the northern border.

Th Han Dynasty came next and building on the Wall ceased for a short period.  Focus turned to peacetime and opening trade with the West.  However, the nomads began raiding again, reprising the need for the Wall to be repaire4d and extended further.  Safeguarding travelling traders became just as important as keeping the nomads out.

After the Han, the Wall was left neglected and crumbling.  Vulnerable to attack, it was the sheer size of the Chinese army that kept most intruders at bay until Kublai Khan, a fierce Mongol warrior, forced his way into the capital and took the throne.  With both sides of the Wall now Mongol territory, the Wall was no longer needed. Abandoned, much of the early construction disintegrated over time and very little now remains.

The Mongol rule was never accepted.  A few decades after Kublai’s death, an uprising forced all the Mongols out and the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD) came into power.  With the capital city in Beijing, it was much too close to the enemy border.  A new wall was rebuilt from scratch.  At time of completion, the Wall was 5,500 mi (8,850 km) long, built by millions of soldiers and forced labourers over a period of 200 years.  It is the remnants of this Wall that continues to exist today.

The journey of 2,183 mi (3,513 km) will begin at its most eastern end where the Wall meets the sea.  Regarded as the start of the Great Wall, it is known as Laolongtou (Old Dragon’s Head) because the structure, consisting of a beacon tower and battlement walls, resembles a dragon drinking water from the sea.