The Great Wall of China By: Olivia Dynan

History The Great Wall of China is a series of stone walls connecting over 4,000 miles. It was built in in 400 BC: During the warring states. -Zhou dynasty: Originally built multiple walls -Qin dynasty: They unified the wall (Connecting) -Ming dynasty: They repaired the walls.

The Great Wall of China

The Emperor The most famous wall was built by emperor Qin Shi Huang in 220 BC. Qin unified china in 221 BCE. He then unified the wall a year later. The wall was a symbol of China’s unification. He connected the earlier Zhou walls to complete the Great Wall of China

Characteristics: How the Wall was Created Builders used local resources. (Stones, rammed earth, used for construction of planes.) The core of the barrier was covered with several layers of bricks or granite blocks. Many peasants died working on the wall and were buried inside. 1 million people died building the wall, of the Qin Dynasty. Later the Han, Sui, Northern and Jin dynasties repaired and expanded sections of the Great Wall of China.

The base of the wall ranged for 25 to 30 feet in width The base of the wall ranged for 25 to 30 feet in width. The height averaged 30 feet. The low protective walls included openings which defending troops could shoot crossbows out of.

You Can see the Stones of the Great Wall of China

Four Major Walls: There was 4 major walls: 208 BC(Qin Dynasty) 1st century BC (The Han Dynasty) 1138-1198( the five dynasties and ten kingdoms period) 1368-1620 (Hongwu emperor, wanli emperor of the Ming dynasty.)

The Mings Vs. The Mongols The Ming army defeated the Oirats in the battle of Tumu. The Mings experienced trouble in conquering the Mongols. The Mongols were destroying China. The Mings created a new strategy to keep the Mongols out. They constructed walls around the northern border of China. (Used bricks, stronger.) Mongols tried to invade China, but they were stopped by strong walls which the Mings created.

Forts and Watch Towers Forts included fighting stations, defenders could retreat to if they were overwhelmed by competition. Each tower was singular and had restricted stairways and entries to confuse attackers. The watch towers were used to store weapons. Watch towers helped the Mings to communicated with each other. (Ability to call reinforcements, and warn members that were in danger.)

Inside the tower, of the Great Wall of China

Condition Restoration took place in the 20th century. 1987: the Great Wall was made a heritage site. Today, a portion of the Great Wall in Beijing receives thousands of tourist every day.

Fun Fact Can the Great Wall of China be seen from outer space?

From a low orbit of earth, artificial objects can be see, such as highways, ships, railroads, cities, fields and even individual buildings. At a low orbit the Great wall of China can be seen from outer space but the wall is not completely visible to the human eye. This myth was created by Richard Hilliburton’s 1938 book, The Second Book of Marvels”. ( Said the Great Wall of China is the only thing you can see from space.)

Conclusion The people of China felt protected by the wall. (Safety) The Wall was a symbol of china: It has become an award for helping china through the battles against the Mongols. Long lasting, durable and Traditional. China takes pride in having the Great Wall included in the seven wonders of the world. The wall was a barrier for the Chinese people and now its stand still as a monument to be looked upon.

Bibliography Ross, Jr Frank.(1882) Oracle Bones, stars and wheel barrows. (Boston; Hoghton mifflin and 10.) World Book. 2004 Edition: Gg Engc Col, Jeananda. Enchanted Learning. http://www.EnchantedLearning.com 1996. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/greatwall/Allabout.html May 14th, 2009. China Highlights. “The great Wall of China” http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/ May 14th, 2009. Crystal, Ellie. “Great Wall of China” http://www.crystalinks.com/chinawall.html Rosenberg, Matt. “The history and development of the Great Wall of China” http://geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/greatwall.htm Pictures: Dynan, Olivia.(June, 2008) Personal photographs http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/0/04/Qinshihuang2.jpg