The Great Wall 长城

Vocabulary Nomadic- people travel from place to place rather than living in one place all the time. Fortress - a castle or other large strong building, or a well-protected place, which is intended to be difficult for enemies to enter Yurt - a circular domed dwelling that is portable and self-supporting; originally used by nomadic Mongol and Turkic people of central Asia Huns - the people lived in northern China. They didn’t have a fixed place for home. They lived on horses and yurts. Ram - to push it with a great force Endure-If something endures, it continues to exist without any loss in quality or importance Quickened - If something quickens or if you quicken it, it becomes faster or moves at a greater speed. Lime - a substance containing calcium. It is found in soil and water. Tile - flat pieces of baked clay which are used for covering roofs.

The Great Wall The Great Wall of China, across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plains, extends about 8,850 kilometers (5,500 miles) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the greatest wonders of the world.

Definition 长城 - Long fortress

Definition In Chinese, we call it the Long Fortress, instead of the Great Wall. Because, ancient Chinese emperors had built it to defend themselves against northern northern invaders.

The History The history of the Great Wall started from ancient China. At that time, China had seven powerful territories. In order to defend themselves from Huns, they all built walls and stationed troops on the borders.

The History Huns were nomadic tribes in north of China. They didn’t have a fixed place for home. They lived on horses and yurts. They went down toward the south for food and resources. After fighting with them years and years, early Chinese emperors had built walls in the northern territories to protect their nations against attack from Huns.

The History In 221 BC, the Emperor Qin defeated the other six territories and established the first unified kingdom in China. He is the first emperor of China during the Qin Dynasty.(221 B.C B.C.)

Soldier and Horse Figures (Terracotta Army)Terracotta Army These were the figures of his army under the ground which he used to conquer the other six states

The History In order to strengthen his newly born authority and defend against the Huns in the north, he ordered all the walls to be connected.

The Qin Wall Over 300,000 soldiers, prisoners and local people were forced to help connect the existing walls together and expend them. Many of them died during the construction. After being built for more than 10 years, the Qin Wall eventually covered a distance of over 4000 miles.

Chinese Romeo and Juliet During the connecting, a sad story happened, which we can say it was Chinese Romeo and Juliet. A young woman, named Meng Jiangnü, went to the Great Wall looking for her husband who was sent to build the Wall from southern China years ago, but never heard since he left home.

Chinese Romeo and Juliet She couldn’t find her husband as she arrived at the Wall and nobody could tell her where he was. The most well-known legend is about the collapse of a section of the Wall caused by Meng Jiangnü, who cried bitterly over the death of her husband after he died while building the wall. This legend has been spread widely through textbooks, folk songs and traditional operas.

The Great Wall The Wall we see today was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty ( ). The Great Wall was originally built in early Qin Dynasty. It went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties.

Characteristics Before the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from rammed earth, stones, and wood. During the Ming Dynasty, however, bricks were heavily used in many areas of the wall, as were materials such as tiles, lime, and stone. The size and weight of the bricks made them easier to work with than earth and stone, so construction quickened. Additionally, bricks could bear more weight and endure better than rammed earth. Stone can hold under its own weight better than brick, but is more difficult to use. Consequently, stones cut in rectangular shapes were used for the foundation and gateways of the wall.rammed earthtileslimegateways

Can you see the Great Wall from the Moon? The Great Wall can be seen from Earth orbit, but, contrary to legend, is not visible from the Moon with the naked eye, according to NASA.Earth orbit

Cable Car Some walls are not easy to climb for tourists, especially seniors. There’re cable cars available for tourists which greatly increase the enjoying of the tour.

The Great Wall Badaling, Beijing More and more people from the world visit the Great Wall in different seasons.

Tourists President Obama visited the Great Wall at winter time in 2009

Every season has its special view as pictures showed on the right Enjoy the four seasons of the Great Wall

Red Autumnal Leaves In Autumn, the red leaves over the Great Wall attract many visitors

Even greater: The Great Wall is more than twice as long as previously believed the Great Wall of China is even greater than anyone realized. State surveyors measuring the wall found it is more than twice as long as was previously believed. The official new official length — based on the first-ever formal measurement — is 21,196 kilometers long. The previous estimate was about 8,850 km.