The Great Wall of China (220 BC - 1368 - 1644 AD) is a symbol of China, one of the most beautiful and grandiose structures of all times and peoples. This is the largest creation of human hands in world history and is the only building of such a huge scale in the whole world. The Wall of China is the only man-made structure in the world that can be seen from space with the naked eye.

The history of the Chinese wall began in the 3rd century BC, during the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi - the Qin Dynasty (475-221 BC). The wall began to be erected during the Warring States period. At that time, the Celestial Empire was in great need of protection from the attacks of enemies, including the nomadic people - the Xiongnu. A fifth of the Chinese population was involved in the construction of the wall, at that time it was about a million people. The Chinese landmark was to become a planned Chinese habitat, an extreme northern point countries, and protect subjects Chinese empire from assimilation with the barbarians. Inhabitants East Asia they planned to accurately mark the boundaries of their civilization, since the Chinese state had just begun to form from many conquered states, to contribute to the unification of the Chinese empire into one whole.

The eighth wonder of the world - the Chinese wall - "Wan li chang cheng" - the longest in the world. The length of the wall is even - 8,852 kilometers. The height of the Chinese wall is about 7 m, but in some sections its height reaches 10 meters, the width of the wall at the base from the ground is about 6.5 m, and its upper part is about 5.5 m. two horse-drawn carts could pass easily. Fortresses were built near the main mountain passes, and along the entire length of the Chinese wall, watchtowers were built to protect casemates. And from the highest points of the wall, you can admire a breathtaking panorama.

The wall was built skillfully and with such a margin of safety that it has survived to this day. The Great Wall stretches across all modern China, along cities, through deep gorges, deserts, valleys. When the wall was completed, the country, located to the south, turned into a well-defended, huge fortress. But neither the wall nor the cruel ruler could help the Qin dynasty. After the death of the first emperor of China, a few years later the Qin dynasty was overthrown.

And a new dynasty entered the reign - the Han Empire, which was formed at the end of the 3rd century BC. e. and ruled over China for over four hundred years. At that time, the Chinese people realized themselves as a single whole, today some Chinese call themselves “Han”. The Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) extended the wall to the west as far as Dunhuang. Also, to protect against the attack of nomads - trade caravans, they built a line of watchtowers that went into the desert. The sections of the wall that have survived to this day were mainly built during the reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD).

The Great Wall is not only a symbol of a united China, but is also the longest cemetery in the world, a wall of tears and suffering. This is because about a million people were rounded up to build the wall. It was built mainly by forced peasants, convicts, slaves, and soldiers - almost the entire population of the country worked. During the construction of the current eighth wonder of the world, there is no count of the Chinese who died there, because it was built for about fifteen centuries. The bodies of all the dead were walled up in the foundation of the wall. In order for their souls to also protect the borders of China from the attacks of enemies, and from demons northern peoples. According to legend, the construction of such a large-scale fortification caused fury among the spirits.

The Great Wall of China today attracts tourists from all over the world, every day. All the legends historical facts and even fairy tales cannot do without the mention of the wall. The Chinese people claim that the history of this wall is half of the history of China and it is impossible to understand China without visiting the wall. According to the miscalculations of scientists: if all the materials used to build the Chinese Wall during the Ming Dynasty are folded into a single wall, 1 meter thick and 5 meters high, then its length will be enough to tie the globe, And if you use all the materials, used by the Qin, Han and Ming dynasties, such a wall could wrap the earth more than ten times.

Today, millions of tourists from all over the world visit this monument of world architecture to enjoy and admire the grandeur of the building, as well as its scale.

SOME Russian researchers (President of the Academy of Fundamental Sciences A.A. Tyunyaev and his associate, Honorary Doctor of the University of Brussels V.I. Semeyko) express doubts about the generally accepted version of the origin of the protective structure on the northern borders of the state of the Qin dynasty. In November 2006, in one of his publications, Andrey Tyunyaev formulated his thoughts on this topic as follows: “As you know, to the north of the territory of modern China there was another, much more ancient civilization. This has been repeatedly confirmed by archaeological discoveries made, in particular, on the territory of Eastern Siberia. Impressive evidence of this civilization, comparable to Arkaim in the Urals, not only has not yet been studied and comprehended by world historical science, but has not even received a proper assessment in Russia itself.

As for the so-called "Chinese" wall, it is not quite right to speak of it as an achievement of the ancient Chinese civilization. Here, to confirm our scientific correctness, it is sufficient to cite only one fact. LOOPHOUSES on a significant part of the wall ARE NOT DIRECTIONAL TO THE NORTH, BUT TO THE SOUTH! And this is clearly seen not only in the most ancient, not reconstructed sections of the wall, but even in recent photographs and in works of Chinese drawing.

It is generally accepted that they began to build it in the 3rd century BC. to protect the state of the Qin dynasty from the raids of the "northern barbarians" - the nomadic people of the Xiongnu. In the 3rd century AD, during the Han Dynasty, the construction of the wall was resumed and it was extended to the west.

Over time, the wall began to collapse, but during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), according to Chinese historians, the wall was restored and strengthened. Those sections of it that have survived to our time were built mainly in the 15th-16th centuries.

Over the three centuries of the reign of the Manchu Qing Dynasty (since 1644), the protective structure dilapidated and almost everything collapsed, since the new rulers of the Celestial Empire did not need protection from the north. Only in our time, in the mid-1980s, the restoration of sections of the wall began as material evidence ancient origin statehood in the lands of Northeast Asia.

Earlier, the Chinese themselves made a discovery about the belonging of ancient Chinese writing to another people. There are already published works proving that these people were the Slavs of Aria.
In 2008, at the First International Congress "Pre-Cyrillic Slavic Writing and Pre-Christian Slavic culture» in Leningradsky state university named after A.S. Pushkina Tyunyaev made a report "China is the younger brother of Russia", during which he presented fragments of Neolithic ceramics from the territory
eastern part of northern China. The signs depicted on ceramics did not look like Chinese characters, but showed almost complete coincidence with the Old Russian runic - up to 80 percent.

Based on the latest archaeological data, the researcher expresses the opinion that during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, the population of the western part of Northern China was Caucasoid. Indeed, throughout Siberia, up to China, mummies of Caucasians are found. According to genetic data, this population had the Old Russian haplogroup R1a1.

This version is also supported by the mythology of the ancient Slavs, which tells about the movement of the ancient Rus to eastbound- they were headed by Bogumir, Slavunya and their son Skif. These events are reflected, in particular, in the Book of Veles, which, let's make a reservation, is not recognized by academic historians.

Tyunyaev and his supporters draw attention to the fact that the Great Wall of China was built in a similar way to European and Russian medieval walls, the main purpose of which is protection from firearms. The construction of such structures began no earlier than the 15th century, when cannons and other siege weapons appeared on the battlefields. Before the 15th century, the so-called northern nomads did not have artillery.

Pay attention to which side the sun is shining.

ON THE BASIS of these data, Tyunyaev expresses the opinion that the wall in eastern Asia was built as a defensive structure marking the border between two medieval states. It was erected after an agreement was reached on the delimitation of territories. And this, according to Tyunyaev, is confirmed by the map of that
the time when the boundary between Russian Empire and the Qing Empire passed along the wall.

We are talking about a map of the Qing Empire in the second half of the 17th-18th centuries, presented in the academic 10-volume " world history". That map shows in detail the wall that runs exactly along the border between the Russian Empire and the Empire of the Manchu Dynasty (Qing Empire).

There are other translations from the French phrase "Muraille de la Chine" - "a wall from China", "a wall delimiting from China". Indeed, in an apartment or in a house, we call the wall that separates us from our neighbors a neighbor's wall, and the wall that separates us from the street - outer wall. We have the same thing with the name of the borders: the Finnish border, the Ukrainian border... In this case, the adjectives indicate only the geographical location of the Russian borders.
It is noteworthy that in medieval Russia there was the word "whale" - knitting poles that were used in the construction of fortifications. So, the name of the Moscow district Kitay-gorod was given in the 16th century for the same reasons - the building consisted of a stone wall with 13 towers and 6 gates...

According to the opinion enshrined in official version history, the Great Wall of China began to be built in 246 BC. under Emperor Shi Huangdi, its height was from 6 to 7 meters, the purpose of construction was protection from northern nomads.

Russian historian L.N. Gumilyov wrote: “The wall stretched for 4,000 km. Its height reached 10 meters, and watchtowers rose every 60-100 meters. He also noted: “When the work was completed, it turned out that all the armed forces of China were not enough to organize an effective defense on the wall. In fact, if a small detachment is placed on each tower, then the enemy will destroy it before the neighbors have time to gather and give help. If, however, large detachments are spaced less often, then gaps are formed through which the enemy will easily and imperceptibly penetrate into the interior of the country. A fortress without defenders is not a fortress.”

Moreover, the loophole towers are located on the South side, as if the defenders repelled attacks from the NORTH ????
Andrey Tyunyaev offers to compare two towers - from the Chinese wall and from the Novgorod Kremlin. The shape of the towers is the same: a rectangle, slightly narrowed upwards. From the wall inside both towers there is an entrance blocked by a round arch, lined with the same brick as the wall with the tower. Each of the towers has two upper "working" floors. Round-arched windows were made in the first floor of both towers. The number of windows on the first floor of both towers is 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The height of the windows is approximately the same - about 130-160 centimeters.
And what does the comparison of the preserved towers say? Chinese city Beijing with the medieval towers of Europe? The fortress walls of the Spanish city of Avila and Beijing are very similar to each other, especially in that the towers are located very often and have practically no architectural adaptations for military needs. Peking towers have only an upper deck with loopholes, and are laid out at the same height as the rest of the wall.
Neither the Spanish nor the Peking towers reveal such high similarity with the defensive towers of the Chinese wall, as the towers of Russian kremlins and fortress walls show. And this is an occasion for reflection for historians.

Great Wall of China (China) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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It is difficult to find a larger creation of human hands than the Great Wall of China. It is possible to single out perhaps the Egyptian pyramids. And if the structures in the Giza Valley are mainly concentrated in one place, then the wall, like a giant dragon, runs over deserts, fields, mountains and plateaus, stretching for more than 20,000 km from east to west of China. Despite the almost zero effectiveness in protecting against invaders, it still became a symbol of the country's power, a kind of barrier between the Celestial Empire and the rest of the world. Today, millions of tourists annually strive to see this symbol, a significant part of which are residents of China, who believe that if a person has never been on the wall, he cannot be a real Chinese.

A bit of history

The Great Wall of China was not built overnight. This is the result of the work of many states that existed on the territory of modern China. It was erected in the 7th century by the rulers of the state of Chu, and completed in 1878 by the rulers of the Qing empire. The main part of the structure was built 600 years ago. Until the 1980s, the wall was practically not repaired, and only the Badaling segment was in a more or less intact state. But thanks major program The restoration of the building was saved, although many sections are still in a dilapidated state.

There is an urban legend that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space. Actually, this is not entirely true. The wall is really impressive, but first of all for its length. Its width is relatively small, and visual acuity is simply not enough to see it. But you can still see the wall in a high-quality photograph. She looks like him but thin broken hair.

What to watch

The Great Wall is not a solid structure. Over the 2700 years of its existence, many of its sections have turned into ruins, or even been completely dismantled. Therefore, a trip to certain segments is implied, most often completely restored, located near large cities with a developed tourist infrastructure.

Mutianyu is the most "sleek" 73-kilometer section, located 2 hours from Beijing. The meticulously restored wall with many watchtowers is surrounded by stunning mountain ranges. There are not as many people here as in other segments, so if time permits, it is better to go here. According to many tourists, the architecture here is more interesting than on the super popular Badaling site.

Badaling is often overcrowded - this is "thanks" to a short distance from Beijing (80 km), developed infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, funicular) and, of course, beautiful scenery.

Symatai is one of the few segments that has retained the original appearance 14th century. On the bricks of which the wall is composed, the date when they were laid and the number of the military unit involved in the construction are indicated. This is the only area open in the evening.

A feature of the Jinshanling segment is a well-preserved defensive system with loopholes, clock towers, gates and firing points.

Practical information

The most popular sections of the wall are located in relative proximity to Beijing. Here's how to get to them.

Mutianyu. Take the subway directly from the airport and go to Dongzhimen Station. From there, on weekends at 7:00 and 8:30, bus number 867 leaves for the wall. It spends 2-2.5 hours on the road and leaves back for Beijing at 14:00 and 16:00.

Badaling. Bus No. 877 to Badaling departs from Deshengmen Capital Bus Station from 6:00. You can also get here on the Beijing Tourist Hub tourist bus, plying from the southern tip of Tiananmen Square. The ticket costs 100 CNY, children under 120 cm tall travel free of charge.

Symatai. From Beijing Dongzhimen Station, take Bus No. 980 to Miyun City and then take a taxi to the wall (180 CNY round trip). The total travel time is 2 hours.

Jinshanling. Take the subway to Dongzhimen Station. A tourist bus leaves from there to the wall at 8:00. From Jinshanling it departs at 15:00. Ticket 50 CNY, travel time 2 hours. Prices on the page are for August 2018.

The most recognizable symbol of China, as well as its long and vibrant history, has become. This monumental structure consists of numerous walls and fortifications, many of which run parallel to each other. It was originally conceived to protect against nomadic raids by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (circa 259-210 BC). Great Wall of China (China) became one of the most grandiose construction projects in the history of mankind.

The great Wall of China: Interesting Facts

The VKS is the longest wall in the world and the largest building of antiquity.
Stunning scenery, from the beaches of Qinhuangdao to the rocky mountains around Beijing.

Consists of many sections-plots:

Badaling
- Huang Huangcheng
- Juyongguan
- Ji Yongguang
- Shanhaiguan
- Yangguang
- Gubeyka
- Giancu
- Jin Shang Ling
- Mutianyu
- Symatai
- Yangmenguang

Length of the Great Wall of China

Contrary to popular belief, the wall is not visible from space without a good approximation.
Already during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), glutinous rice dough was used for construction as a kind of material for fastening stone blocks.
The labor force at the construction site was military personnel, peasants, convicts and prisoners, naturally not of their own free will.
Although officially 8851 km, the length of all branches and sections built over thousands of years is estimated at 21,197 km. The circumference of the equator is 40,075 km.

There is a popular legend about Meng Jing Niu, whose husband died at a construction site. Her weeping was so bitter that the Great Wall of China collapsed, revealing her husband's bones, and his wife was able to bury him.
There are still traces of bullets on the Gubeiku site, there was a fierce battle here in the past.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), many stones were stolen from the wall to build houses, farms and reservoirs.

The northwestern sections of the wall (for example, in the provinces of Gansu and Ningxia) are likely to disappear within 20 years. The reason for this is as natural conditions as well as human activity.
most known part Great Wall - Badaling, visited by more than 300 heads of state and dignitaries from around the world, the first was Soviet politician Klim Voroshilov in 1957.

The Great Wall of China (China): the history of creation

Significance: The longest fortification ever built by man.
The purpose of the construction: the protection of the Chinese empire from the Mongol and Manchu invaders.
Significance for tourism: the largest and at the same time the most popular attraction in China.
Provinces in which the Great Wall of China passes: Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu.
Start and End: From Shanhaiguan Pass (39.96N, 119.80E) to Jiayu Belt (39.85N, 97.54E). Distance directly - 1900 km.
Nearest section to Beijing: Juyongguan (55 km)

Most visited site: Badaling (63 million visitors in 2001)
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills. Great Wall of China, China extends from the Bohai coast, in Qinhuangdao, around the northern part of the Chinese Plain, through the Loess Plateau. Then it goes along the desert province of Gansu, between the Tibetan plateau and the loess hills of Inner Mongolia.

Altitude above sea level: from sea level to more than 500 meters.
The most suitable time of year to visit the Great Wall of China: the sites near Beijing are best visited in spring or autumn. Jiayuguan - from May to October. Shanhaiguan pass - in summer and early autumn.

The Great Wall of China is the largest cemetery. More than a million people lost their lives during its construction.

How the Great Wall of China was built
Everyone is interested How was the Great Wall of China built? structures. Here is the whole story chronologically.
7th century BC: Feudal warlords began building the Great Wall of China.
Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC): already built sections of the wall were joined together (along with the unification of China).
206 BC - 1368 AD: Rebuilding and expanding the wall to prevent nomads from plundering the land.

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644): The Great Wall of China reached its greatest extent.
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911): The Great Wall of China and surrounding lands fell to the Manchu invaders in alliance with a traitor general. Maintenance of the wall ceased for more than 300 years.
Late 20th century: various sections The Great Wall of China have become architectural monuments.

Great Wall of China on the world map:

Details Category: Masterpieces of ancient and medieval fine arts and architecture Published on 04/26/2016 17:03 Views: 2899

The Great Wall of China is the largest defensive structure in the history of mankind.

Even by modern standards, this building is gigantic. It could be realized only as a result of the unification of the whole country. The wall was conceived to protect the northern borders Ancient China from the raids of the barbarian hordes. But modern scientists believe that the wall was never a single defensive structure - it was built in various parts countries under different dynasties for different purposes.

Description of the Great Wall of China

The height of the wall is 10 m, width 5-8 m. It originates from the city of Shanhaiguan and from there stretches like a giant snake along the ledges of mountain ranges to the west, ending in Central China, at the borders of the Gobi desert.
In some places, other fortifications and earthworks stretch parallel to it. At the gates and passages, additional fortresses and casemates were built for protection.

The length of the wall is over 21,000 km. To date, only 8.2% of the total length of the wall erected during the Ming Dynasty retains its original appearance, while over 74% has received serious damage. This huge structure is clearly visible even from space, from Earth's orbit. Although not all astronauts agree with this.

Satellite image of the Great Wall of China
On a section of 750 km, the wall is used not only as a fortification, but also as a convenient road.

Construction

The construction of the wall began in 221 BC. It is believed that it was built by the 300,000-strong imperial army and a huge number of peasants. The Great Wall of China was built over several centuries, but its main part was built under Emperor Qing in 10 years. Adhesive was used when laying the stone blocks of the wall. rice porrige with an admixture of slaked lime.
One can only guess how many human lives were put into its construction. No wonder the Great Wall of China is called the "wall of tears" and "the longest cemetery in the world." The remains of workers who died of exhaustion were often immured directly into the wall, sometimes they are already found in our time.
After Qin's death, the wall lost its significance for a long time. During the Han Dynasty (206-220 AD), it was renovated and extended by 100 km. In 607, the emperors of the Sui dynasty (589-618) began its reconstruction. Subsequently, the wall was subjected to reconstruction more than once.

The wall acquired its modern appearance under the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In many areas it was rebuilt, earthen embankments were replaced with brick and stone structures. Of the 25,000 watchtowers 12 meters high, standing at a distance of two arrow flights, many have survived to this day. From their upper platforms in the event of an enemy attack, an alarm was transmitted: at night with the help of fire, and during the day with a smoke signal.
In the XV century. under the Wanli emperor, huge work was carried out to reconstruct this structure, so huge that until the beginning of the 20th century. many believed that it was he who built the wall.
Despite the huge expenditure of manpower and resources, the effectiveness of the wall as a defensive structure turned out to be extremely low - it turned out to be a weak defense against foreign invaders. But on the other hand, it kept the population of China from fleeing from a country where cruel orders reigned.
As China's borders expanded beyond the wall, its role as a frontier was reduced to zero. For decades, peasants dismantled the wall for building materials, so that in some places it disappeared altogether. Only in 1977 did the authorities begin to punish with a large fine for damaging the wall.