Historical Background
In northern China, the great massive military fortification, which constructed in 220 BC, lies along the border as the symbol of solid military power, civilized technology and security of China and its people (The Great Wall, nd). Yingzheng, King of Qin, waged war with other six states and finally united the whole China for the first time. After unified the other states, He established the empire of China and called himself “ The First Emperor of China (Qin Shi Huang)” (Qin Shihuang, nd). During Qin Shi Huang’s reign, code of laws and other developed administration plans were introduced (Qin Shihuang, nd). However, the empire is yet far from perfect peace. The emperor himself saw a great potential threat from the nomadic tribes from the north of China empire (Ancient architecture, nd). As a result, the legend Great wall of China was started. A million of workforces consists of veteran soldiers,commoners, and prisoners were forced to move north and constructed a wall that would defend the entire Empire from the northern invaders (Great Wall of China, 2010).
the construction of the great wall
A ruin section of the early the Great wall of China
Due to poor transportation, workers had to used alternative resources that could found in the area. The wall in that time was mainly built by stamping earth and rocks (Ancient architecture, nd). After the Qin dynasty fall, the wall was neglected. In 1211 AD, Genghis Khan, a leader of Mongols, defeated China (Great Wall of China, 2010). People started to doubt the wall was insufficient to the defend the empire. It was until the Ming dynasty, which significantly drove the mongols and their influences in China, that seriously renovated and and constructed new series of wall in order to contributed the strength of the previous wall (The Great Wall, nd). The morden sets of wall were heavily fortified by high quality materials such as bricks and limestones. Moreover, instead of common labourers, the modern walls were built by skilled labourers with Ming’ era art included with passions. Thus, making the walls more than just military fortifications but also the masterpiece of art as well (The Great Wall, nd). Unfortunately, the history once repeated another failure itself. The Manchuria, another northern tribe, breached in the wall and overtaken control of China in 1644 (Great Wall of China, 2010). Furthermore, the wall itself once again play an vital role of defending China from Japanese troops in 1937, several years before WWII (Chen, nd).
Geography
Northern China
The Great Wall of China is not a continuous wall. In addition, the wall started from Shahaiguan to the west in Gansu province (approximatly 3,000 miles)
Human activities with the wall
Since the beginning of the early wall, its main purpose is to defend china against desert tribes in the north. It had continually served as a primary military defence until Genghis Khan conquered China. In that period, the wall had another important role. The mongols barely saw usefulness of the wall in terms of military. However, they saw a great opportunity for their economy and trading. the wall’s new role is to protect trading caravans and secure the safety of their valuable trade routes (Great Wall of China, 2010). Later, in Ming dynasty’s era, the wall was more functional due to the renovations. The passage on the wall was immensely critical for communication and mobilizing troops. As a result, the wall was an ultimate line of defence the capital and served as a defensive strategic advantage (The Great Wall, nd). In 1987, UNESCO recognized the wall as one the world's heritage sites. Nowadays, the Great wall of China is one the most notable landmark in China. More than 1,000 tourists visit the wall daily (Great Wall of China, 2010).
Interesting facts
A Wall or an Art Work?
Is it a wall or an art work?
- Never success in defending China against nomadic tribes
- Costed so much money and scarifiers
- Well- builded and detailed
- Here is another interesting video http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china/videos/history-of-the-great-wall?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false#
References
Ancient architecture.(nd).Ancient architecture: The Great Wall of China.brightknowledge.Retrieved from http://www.brightknowledge.org/knowledge-bank/architecture/features-and-resources/ancient-architecture-the-great-wall-of-china
Chen, P.(nd).Battle of Shanxi.World War II Database.Retrieved from http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=172
Great Wall of China.(2010).History.Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china
The Great Wall.(nd).unesco.Retrieved from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/438
Chen, P.(nd).Battle of Shanxi.World War II Database.Retrieved from http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=172
Great Wall of China.(2010).History.Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china
The Great Wall.(nd).unesco.Retrieved from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/438