History & Purpose of the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a historic monument that has the distinction of being seen from outer space. Built with the intention of keeping barbarian hordes and additional threats away from the northern Chinese Empire, the wall has stood for hundreds of years. In modern times, the Great Wall of China no longer serves the purpose for providing protection. Instead, the wall is most commonly viewed as a tourist attraction.
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History
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The Great Wall of China, a misnomer that implies a single structure, is actually a series of separate sections of wall. Each notable segment has its own distinct size and can be dated to various ruling dynasties, as noted by National Geographic. Dynasties---such as Northern Wei, Han and Qing---added wall sections to protect themselves. Archeologists have since been able to date, identify and associate walls with their associated ruling dynasty.
Purpose
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The construction process for the Great Wall of China began in 221 B.C. in the time of Emperor Qin. The Great Wall's original purpose was to keep hostile northern barbarians out of Qin's empire. There have also been published reports of Qin building the wall to further build his own political and personal reputation. John Lienhard, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and History at the University of Houston, suggests "repressive paranoia of the regime suggests that Qin brought a great deal of pure self-aggrandizement to the project."
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Expansion
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Upon the death of Qin and the fall of his empire, a new ruling family would emerge, known as the Han Dynasty. Thought to be more benevolent than the Qins, as noted by Leinhard, the Hans ruled for over four centuries. Under the Hans' tutelage, the wall was expanded further west across China athwart the Gobi Desert. The Han dynasty was successful in pushing back on the aggressive invaders from the north, and the wall continued to expand to its current stature.
Materials
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Satellite pictures of the Great Wall of China show it as a winding road-like structure. Closer up, the stone, earth and brick materials are more noticeable; as are additional structures, such as the wall's watch towers. When the wall was originally constructed, it primarily consisted of packed earthen materials. The widening of the wall to accommodate troops, as well as the addition of watch towers, did not occur until the fourteenth century Ming dynasty. The Ming dynasty has been credited with the look and finish of the modern Great Wall of China.
Size
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Until as late as 2009, the Great Wall of China was believed to be approximately 5,000 kilometers (roughly 3,107 miles) in length. With the advancement of GPS and infrared technologies, archeologists and scientists believe the Great Wall is substantially larger than previously thought. According to BBC News, new measurements have put the Great Wall of China's length at roughly 8,850 km (5,500 miles).
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References
- Photo Credit the great wall of china image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
