T his is the most massive construction project undertaken in ancient times. The Great Wall rambles across 4,500 miles of hills, desert, and mountains from Shan-hai Pass to Phai-yü Pass keeping ancient enemies at bay. No single person or government is responsible for building the Great Wall. It is made up of a number of smaller walls erected by the warlords of the various provinces that would be united under Shih Huang-ti around 200bc. He took many of those existing walls and ordered them to be connected into a single defense system. That's why the main wall is only 4,100 miles long -- much of the rest are branches and offshoots left over from before China's unification. Because of geography, its fragmented past and construction over hundreds of years, different sections of the wall are made from different materials. Some of the earliest fortifications were nothing more than minimal defenses placed on top of existing dikes. Others were huge formal walls, resembling the stonework of European castles, balancing on the crests of windswept mountain ridges. The walls, themselves, vary in form but are generally about 21 feet wide at the bottom, and 19 feet at the top. They stand between 23 and 26 feet tall, depending on the terrain. For the most part the inside of the wall is made of compacted dirt. The outside is faced with brick, stone, or even wood in some sections. The walls are paralleled by drainage ditches to help reduce water damage. Today, large portions of the wall are gone -- destroyed by both man and nature. After the death of Shih Huang-ti many sections of the wall were abandoned until Emperor Wu-ti rose to power in 141bc. He ordered that beacon fires be lit at regular intervals, and guard towers and castles erected along its most vulnerable section. This secure zone became known to merchants and traders in the area who used it as a way to move their goods without fear from bandits. It became known as the Silk Route. Since then a number of expansions and restorations have been necessary. Some of them using millions of workers and new advances in technology to create the barrier. Because of the dozens of restoration projects over the centuries, large portions of the wall are still standing as strong as they did 2,500 years ago giving visitors a glimpse into the might that China's ancient dynasties commanded. Children used to be taught in school that the Great Wall of China was the only man-made object visible from space. This is now believed to be an urban legend. The Great Wall became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
tommy
Thursday, May 1st, 2008 @ 1:54pm
Rating: Five stars. go there last year on tour group but no enough time to see around. what an amazing structure and top art
nisha
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 @ 9:59pm
Rating: Five stars. absolutely breathe taking... it truly represents the beauty and capability that the mind can posses.
disha
Saturday, October 13th, 2007 @ 2:28am
Rating: Four stars. I am saluting those persons who had contributed to make sach a great structure..........
Leticia
Tuesday, November 28th, 2006 @ 10:48pm
Rating: Five stars. I give this work of artfive stars... if i could i would give it a ten. :Dwell i hope one day i can reise enough money to go to china with some of my freinds and walk the whole wall. (Yay!!)
Jordan Thoreson
Tuesday, March 21st, 2006 @ 2:23pm
Rating: Five stars. its amazing how somethn like that can be built
Wellie Eglorianin
Sunday, October 23rd, 2005 @ 2:47pm
Indeed very beautiful and magnificent, been there twice. more power.
Barbara
Friday, October 7th, 2005 @ 6:59am
Rating: Five stars. What a magnificent structure !!!
Stephanie
Tuesday, October 4th, 2005 @ 2:21pm
The Great Wall of China is coool and big.
Anna Lee
Wednesday, June 1st, 2005 @ 10:32am
I loved it it was the most wanderful ting in in the world. Sooo beutifull
arlene
Wednesday, May 18th, 2005 @ 10:20pm
Rating: Five stars. the great wall is the best and my favourite of the 7 wonders of the world
annie
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004 @ 6:29pm
Rating: Four stars. isn't it so beautiful?
so long and ancient?
love it so much!
KRISTI
Friday, October 29th, 2004 @ 4:18pm
ITS GREAT!!!!!!!
Anthony Ocran
February 11th, 2003 @ 12:09pm
The Great Wall of China occupies a unique landmark of man's creative and ingenious ability to precipitate an idea into form and reality,all in response to challenges of his environment.
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New York, United States
tommy
Five stars.
nisha
disha
Four stars.
Leticia
Wellie Eglorianin
Barbara
Anna Lee
arlene
annie
Anthony Ocran