The most recognizable symbol of China, like its long and vibrant history, has become the great Wall of China... This monumental structure consists of numerous walls and fortifications, many of which run parallel to each other. 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 ambitious construction projects in the history of mankind.

Great Wall of China: interesting facts

Here are the most interesting facts about the Great Wall of China:
The VKS is the longest wall in the world and the largest ancient building.
Stunning scenery, from the beaches of Qinhuangdao to the rugged mountains around Beijing.

Consists the great Wall of China from many sections-sections:

• Badalin
• Huang Huangcheng
• Juyongguan
• Ji Yongguan
• Shanhaiguan
• Yangguan
• Sponge
• Giancu
• Jin Shang Ling
• Mutianyu
• Symatai
• Yangmenguang

And here's an interesting fact. Why do the loopholes of the Great Kitasi Wall look towards China?? In fact, the photo shows that they look in both directions at once - that is, they were made with the expectation that it was possible to defend from both sides.

Length of the Great Wall of China in kilometers

• Contrary to popular belief, the wall cannot be seen from space without a good zoom.
• 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 were military personnel, peasants, convicts and prisoners, naturally not of their own free will.
• Although officially 8,851 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.

Great Wall of China (China): history of creation

Significance: The longest fortification ever built by man.
Purpose of construction: protection of the Chinese Empire from Mongol and Manchu invaders.
Significance for tourism: the largest and at the same time the most popular attraction in the PRC.
Provinces where the Great Wall of China passes: Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu.
Start and end: From the Shanhaiguan Pass (39.96N, 119.80E) to the Jiayu belt (39.85N, 97.54E). Direct distance - 1900 km.
The closest section to Beijing: Juyongguan (55 km)

Most visited site: Badalin (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 China Plain, across the Loess Plateau. Further, it goes along the desert province of Gansu, between the Tibetan plateau and the loess hills of Inner Mongolia.

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

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 wondering how the Great Wall of China was built structures. Here's the whole story chronologically.
7th century BC: Feudal warlords begin construction of the Great Wall of China.
Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC): The 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 largest size.
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911): The Great Wall of China and adjacent lands passed to the Manchu invaders in alliance with the traitor general. Wall services ceased for more than 300 years.
The end of the 20th century: various sections of the Great Wall of China became architectural monuments.
Great Wall of China on the world map:

In China, there is one more material evidence of the presence in this country of a highly developed civilization, to which the Chinese have nothing to do. Unlike the Chinese pyramids, this evidence is well known to everyone. This is the so-called The great Wall of China.

Let's see what Orthodox historians have to say about this major architectural landmark, which has recently become a major tourist attraction in China. The wall is located in the north of the country, stretching from the sea coast and going into the depths of the Mongolian steppes, and according to various estimates it has a length, taking into account the branches, from 6 to 13,000 km. The thickness of the wall is several meters (on average 5 meters), the height is 6-10 meters. The wall is said to have included 25,000 towers.

A brief history of the construction of the wall today looks like this. Allegedly, they began to build the wall. in the 3rd century BC during the reign of the dynasty Qin to defend against the raids of nomads from the north and clearly define the border of Chinese civilization. The initiator of the construction was the famous "collector of Chinese lands" Emperor Qin Shi-HuangDi. He rounded up about half a million people for construction, which, with 20 million total population, is a very impressive figure. Then the wall was a structure mainly made of earth - a huge earthen rampart.

During the reign of the dynasty Han(206 BC - 220 AD) the wall was extended to the west, fortified with stone and a line of watchtowers was erected that extended into the depths of the desert. Under the dynasty Min(1368-1644) the wall continued to be built further. As a result, it stretched from east to west from the Bohai Bay in the Yellow Sea to the western border of the modern Gansu provinces, entering the territory of the Gobi Desert. It is believed that this wall was already built by the efforts of a million Chinese from bricks and stone blocks, which is why these sections of the wall have survived to this day in the form in which a modern tourist is already used to seeing it. The Ming dynasty was replaced by the Manchu dynasty Qing(1644-1911), which did not build the wall. It limited itself only to maintaining in relative order a small area near Beijing, which served as a "gateway to the capital."

In 1899, American newspapers spread a rumor that the wall would soon be torn down and a highway would be built in its place. However, no one was going to demolish anything. Moreover, in 1984, a program for the restoration of the wall was launched at the initiative of Deng Xiaoping and under the leadership of Mao Tse Tung, which is still being carried out, and is financed from the funds of Chinese and foreign companies, as well as individuals. How much Mao drove to restore the wall is not reported. Several plots were repaired, in some places they were erected altogether. So we can assume that in 1984 the construction of the fourth Chinese wall began. Usually, tourists are shown one of the sections of the wall located 60 km northwest of Beijing. This is the area of ​​Badaling Mountain, the length of the wall is 50 km.

The wall makes the greatest impression not in the area of ​​Beijing, where it was erected on not very high mountains, but in remote mountainous regions. There, by the way, it is very clearly visible that the wall, as a defensive structure, was made very thoughtfully. Firstly, five people in a row could move along the wall itself, so it was also a good road, which is extremely important when it is necessary to transfer troops. Under the cover of the battlements, the guards could covertly approach the area where the enemies planned to attack. The signal towers were located in such a way that each of them was in line of sight of the other two. Some important messages were transmitted either by drumming, or by smoke, or by the fire of bonfires. Thus, the news of an enemy invasion from the farthest lines could be transmitted to the center per day!

During the restoration of the wall, interesting facts were revealed. For example, its stone blocks were held together by sticky rice porridge mixed with slaked lime. Or what loopholes on her fortresses looked towards China; that on the north side the height of the wall is small, much less than on the south, and there are stairs... The latest facts, for obvious reasons, are not advertised and are not commented on by official science - neither Chinese nor world. Moreover, during the reconstruction of the towers, they try to build loopholes in the opposite direction, although this is not always possible. These photos show the south side of the wall - the sun is shining at noon.

However, the oddities with the Chinese wall do not end there. Wikipedia has a complete wall map showing a different color for the wall that we are told was built by every Chinese dynasty. As you can see, the great wall is not one. Northern China is often and densely dotted with the "Great Walls of China", which go into the territory of modern Mongolia and even Russia. Shed light on these oddities A.A. Tyunyaev in his work "The Wall of China - the Great Barrier from the Chinese":

“It is extremely interesting to trace the stages of the construction of the“ China ”wall, based on the data of Chinese scientists. It can be seen from them that the Chinese scientists, who call the wall "Chinese", are not very concerned about the fact that the Chinese people themselves did not take any part in its construction: every time the next section of the wall was built, the Chinese state was far from the construction sites.

So, the first and main part of the wall was built in the period from 445 BC. to 222 BC It runs along 41-42 ° north latitude and simultaneously along some sections of the river. Yellow River. At this time, naturally, there were no Mongol-Tatars. Moreover, the first unification of peoples within China took place only in 221 BC. under the kingdom of Qin. And before that there was the Zhangguo period (5-3 centuries BC), in which there were eight states on the territory of China. Only in the middle of the 4th century. BC. Qin began fighting against other kingdoms, and by 221 BC. conquered some of them.

The figure shows that the western and northern border of the Qin state by 221 BC. began to coincide with the section of the "Chinese" wall, which began to be built more in 445 BC and was built exactly in 222 BC

Thus, we see that this section of the "Chinese" wall was not built by the Chinese of the Qin state, but northern neighbors, but precisely from the northward Chinese. In just 5 years - from 221 to 206. BC. - a wall was built along the entire border of the Qin state, which stopped the spread of its subjects to the north and west. In addition, at the same time, 100-200 km to the west and north of the first, a second line of defense from Qin was built - the second "Chinese" wall of this period.

The next construction period covers the time from 206 BC to 220 AD During this period, sections of the wall were built, located 500 km to the west and 100 km to the north of the previous ones ... from 618 to 907 China was ruled by the Tang dynasty, which did not mark itself with victories over its northern neighbors.

In the next period, from 960 to 1279 in China, the Song empire was established. At this time, China lost its dominance over its vassals in the west, in the northeast (on the territory of the Korean Peninsula) and in the south - in northern Vietnam. The Song Empire lost a significant part of the territories of the Chinese proper in the north and northwest, which went to the Khitan state of Liao (part of the modern provinces of Hebei and Shanxi), the Tangut kingdom of Xi-Xia (part of the territory of the modern province of Shaanxi, the entire territory of the modern province of Gansu and Ningxia Hui) autonomous region).

In 1125, the border between the non-Chinese kingdom of the Jurchen and China passed along the river. Huaihe is 500-700 km south of the places where the wall was built. And in 1141 a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Chinese Song Empire recognized itself as a vassal of the non-Chinese state of Jin, pledging to pay him a large tribute.

However, while China proper huddled south of the r. Hunahe, 2100-2500 km north of its borders, another section of the "Chinese" wall was erected. This part of the wall built from 1066 to 1234, passes through the Russian territory north of the village of Borzya near the river. Argun. At the same time, another section of the wall was built, 1500-2000 km north of China, located along the Great Khingan ...

The next section of the wall was built between 1366 and 1644. It runs along the 40th parallel from Andong (40 °), just north of Beijing (40 °), through Yinchuan (39 °) to Dunhuang and Anxi (40 °) in the west. This section of the wall is the last, the most southern and the most deeply penetrating into the territory of China ... During the construction of this section of the wall, the entire Amur region belonged to the Russian territories. By the middle of the 17th century on both banks of the Amur there were already Russian fortresses-forts (Albazinsky, Kumarsky, etc.), peasant settlements and arable lands. In 1656, the Daursky (later - Albazinsky) voivodeship was formed, which included the valley of the Upper and Middle Amur on both banks ... The "Chinese" wall, built by the Russians in 1644, passed exactly along the border of Russia with Qing China. In the 1650s, Qing China invaded Russian lands to a depth of 1500 km, which was secured by the Aigun (1858) and Beijing (1860) treaties ... "

Today, the Wall of China is inside China. However, there was a time when the wall meant border of the country.

This fact is confirmed by ancient maps that have come down to us. For example, the map of China by the famous medieval cartographer Abraham Ortelius from his geographical atlas of the world Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1602. North is on the right on the map. It clearly shows that China is separated from the northern country - Tartaria by a wall.

On a map of 1754 "Le Carte de l'Asie" it is also clearly seen that the border of China with Great Tartary runs along the wall.

And even a map from 1880 shows the wall as the border of China with its northern neighbor. It is noteworthy that part of the wall extends far enough into the territory of China's western neighbor - Chinese Tartary ...

Interesting illustrations for this article are collected on the website "Food of RA" ...

Fake antiquity of China

Badaling is the most visited section of the Great Wall of China

"Long wall of 10,000 li" - this is how the Chinese themselves call this miracle of ancient engineering. For a huge country with a population of almost one and a half billion, it has become an object of national pride, a visiting card that attracts travelers from all over the world. Today, the Great Wall of China is one of the most popular attractions - about 40 million people visit it annually. In 1987, the unique site was included by UNESCO in the list of world cultural heritage.

Locals also like to say that the one who did not climb the wall is not a real Chinese. This phrase, uttered by Mao Zedong, is perceived as a real call to action. Despite the fact that the height of the building is about 10 meters with a width of 5-8 m in different sections (not to mention not very comfortable steps), there are no fewer foreigners who want to feel like true Chinese at least for a moment. In addition, a magnificent panorama of the surroundings opens from above, which you can admire endlessly.

You involuntarily wonder how harmoniously this creation of human hands fits into the natural landscape, making up a single whole with it. The solution to the phenomenon is simple: the Great Wall of China was laid not in a desert area, but next to hills and mountains, spurs and deep gorges, smoothly bending around them. But why did the ancient Chinese need to build such a large and long fortification? How did the construction go and how long did it last? These questions are asked by everyone who is lucky enough to visit here at least once. The answers to them have long been received by researchers, and we will dwell on the rich historical past of the Great Wall of China. She herself leaves an ambiguous impression on tourists, since some sites are in excellent condition, while others are completely abandoned. Only this circumstance in no way diminishes the interest in this object - rather, on the contrary.

History of the construction of the Great Wall of China

In the III century BC, one of the rulers of the Celestial Empire was the Emperor Qing Shi Huang. His era fell on the Warring States period. It was a difficult and controversial time. The state was threatened from all sides by enemies, especially aggressive Xiongnu nomads, and it needed protection from their treacherous raids. Thus, the decision was born to build an impregnable wall - high and long, so that no one could disturb the peace of the Qin empire. At the same time, this building was supposed, in modern terms, to demarcate the boundaries of the ancient Chinese kingdom and contribute to its further centralization. The wall was intended to resolve the issue of the "purity of the nation": having fenced off from the barbarians, the Chinese would be deprived of the opportunity to enter into marriage with them and have joint children.

The idea of ​​building such a grandiose border fortification was not born out of the blue. There were already precedents. Many kingdoms - for example, Wei, Yan, Zhao and the already mentioned Qin - tried to build something similar in themselves. The Wei State erected its wall around 353 BC. BC: adobe construction shared it with the Qin kingdom. Later, this and other border fortifications were connected with each other, and they formed a single architectural ensemble.

The construction of the Great Wall of China started along Yinshan - a mountain system in Inner Mongolia, this is in the north of China. The emperor appointed the commander Meng Tian to coordinate its course. The front of the work was going to be big. Previously built walls had to be strengthened, connected with new sections and lengthened. As for the so-called "internal" walls, which served as boundaries between the separate kingdoms, they were simply demolished.

The construction of the first sections of this grandiose object took a whole decade, and the construction of the entire Great Wall of China took two millennia (according to some testimonies, even as much as 2700 years). At its various stages, the number of people simultaneously involved in the work reached three hundred thousand. In general, the authorities attracted (more precisely, forced) about two million people to them. They were representatives of many social strata: slaves, peasants, and military personnel. The workers worked in inhuman conditions. Some died from backbreaking labor as such, others became victims of severe and incurable infections.

The terrain itself did not dispose to comfort, at least relative. The structure ran along the mountain ranges, skirting all the spurs extending from them. The builders moved forward, overcoming not only high rises, but also many gorges. Their sacrifices were not in vain - at least from the standpoint of today: it is precisely this landscape of the area that has determined the unique appearance of the miracle structure. Not to mention its size: on average, the height of the wall reaches 7.5 meters, and this does not take into account the rectangular teeth (with them all 9 m are obtained). Its width is also not the same - at the bottom 6.5 m, at the top 5.5 m.

The Chinese call their wall the "earth dragon" in everyday life. And it is by no means accidental: at the very beginning, during its construction, any materials were used, first of all, rammed earth. It was done this way: first, shields were woven from reeds or twigs, and between them, clay, small pebbles and other handy materials were pressed layer by layer. When the Emperor Qin Shi Huang got down to business, they began to use more reliable stone slabs, which were laid close to each other.

Extant sections of the Great Wall of China

However, not only the variety of materials caused the heterogeneous appearance of the Great Wall of China. The towers also make it recognizable. Some of them were built even before the wall itself appeared, and was built into it. Other elevations appeared at the same time as the stone "border". It is not difficult to determine which ones were before and which were erected after: the former have a smaller width and are located at an unequal distance, while the latter organically fit into the building and are exactly 200 meters apart from each other. They were usually erected rectangular, in two floors, equipped with upper platforms with loopholes. Observation of the enemy's maneuvers, especially when they were advancing, was carried out from signal towers located here on the wall.

When the Han dynasty came to power, which ruled from 206 BC to 220 AD, the Great Wall of China was expanded in a western direction - to Dunhuang. During this period, the facility was equipped with a whole line of watchtowers that extended deep into the desert. Their purpose is to protect caravans with goods, which often suffered from the raids of nomads. To this day, mainly sections of the wall have survived, erected in the era of the Ming dynasty, which ruled from 1368 to 1644. They were built mainly from more reliable and durable materials - stone blocks and bricks. During the three centuries of the reign of the named dynasty, the Great Wall of China "grew" significantly, stretching from the coast of the Bohai Bay (Shanhaiguan Outpost) to the border of modern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province (Yumenguan Outpost).

Where the wall begins and ends

The man-made border of Ancient China originates in the north of the country, in the city of Shanghai-guan, located on the shores of the Bohai Bay of the Yellow Sea, which was once of strategic importance on the borders of Manchuria and Mongolia. This is the easternmost point of the 10,000 li Long Wall. The Laoluntou tower is also located here, it is also called the "dragon's head". The tower is also notable for the fact that it is the only place in the country where the Great Wall of China is washed by the sea, and it itself goes deep into the bay for as much as 23 meters.

The westernmost point of the monumental structure is located in the vicinity of the city of Jiayuguan, in the central part of the Middle Kingdom. Here the Great Wall of China has been preserved in the best possible way. This site was built back in the XIV century, so it too might not have stood the test of time. But it survived due to the fact that it was constantly fortified and repaired. The westernmost outpost of the empire was built near Jiayyoshan Mountain. The outpost was equipped with a moat and walls - inner and semicircular outer. There is also a main gate located on the western and eastern sides of the outpost. The Yuntai Tower proudly stands here, considered by many almost as a separate attraction. Inside on the walls are embossed Buddhist texts and bas-reliefs of ancient Chinese kings, which arouse the constant interest of researchers.

Myths, legends, interesting facts

For a long time it was believed that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space. Moreover, this myth was born long before flights to near-earth orbit, in 1893. This was not even an assumption, but a statement made by The Century magazine (USA). Then they returned to this idea in 1932. The famous showman Robert Ripley at the time claimed that the structure could be seen from the moon. With the advent of the era of space flight, these claims have been largely refuted. According to NASA experts, the object is barely distinguishable from orbit, from which about 160 km to the Earth's surface. The wall, and then with the help of strong binoculars, was able to make out the American astronaut William Pogue.

Another myth takes us directly back to the time of the construction of the Great Wall of China. An ancient legend says that a powder prepared from human bones was allegedly used as a cementing solution that held the stones together. It was not necessary to go far for "raw materials" for him, given that many workers died here. Fortunately, this is just a legend, albeit a creepy one. The ancient masters actually prepared the adhesive solution from powder, only the basis of the substance was ordinary rice flour.

The legend has survived that a large fiery Dragon paved the way for the workers. He also indicated on which sections the wall should be erected, and the builders steadily followed in his footsteps. Another legend tells of the farmer's wife, Myung Jing Niu. Having learned about the death of her husband at the construction site, she came there and began to cry inconsolably. As a result, one of the sites collapsed, and the widow saw the remains of her beloved under it, which she was able to take and bury.

It is known that the Chinese invented the wheelbarrow. But few people know that they were prompted to do this by the construction of a grandiose object that had begun: the workers needed a convenient device with which they could transport building materials. Some sections of the Great Wall of China, which were of extremely strategic importance, were surrounded by protective ditches, filled with water or left in the form of ditches.

Great Wall of China in winter

Sections of the Great Wall of China

Several sections of the Great Wall of China are open for tourists. Let's talk about some of them.

The outpost closest to Beijing, the modern capital of the PRC, is Badaling (it is also one of the most popular). It is located north of the Juyongguan Pass and only 60 km from the city. It was built during the era of the ninth Chinese emperor, Hongzhi, who ruled from 1487 to 1505. Along this section of the wall, there are signal platforms and watchtowers, which offer a magnificent view if you climb to its highest point. At this point, the height of the object reaches an average of 7.8 meters. The width is sufficient for 10 pedestrians or 5 horses to pass.

Another outpost close enough to the capital is called Mutianyu and is located 75 km from it, in Huaizhou, the city subordinate to Beijing. This site was built during the reign of the Longqing (Zhu Zaihou) and Wanli (Zhu Yijun) emperors of the Ming dynasty. At this point, the wall takes a sharp turn in the direction of the northeastern regions of the country. The local landscape is mountainous with many steep slopes and cliffs. The outpost is notable for the fact that at its southeastern end three branches of the “great stone border” converge, and at a height of 600 meters.

One of the few areas where the Great Wall of China has survived almost intact is Symatai. It is located in Gubeikou Village, 100 km northeast of Miyun County, Beijing Municipality. This section is 19 km long. In its southeastern part, which is impressive for its inaccessible view even today, there are partially preserved observation towers (there are 14 of them in total).

The steppe section of the wall originates from the Jinchuan Gorge - it is east of the county town of Shandan, in the Zhangye district of the Gansu province. At this point, the structure stretches for 30 km, and its height varies within 4-5 meters. In ancient times, the Great Wall of China was supported on both sides by a parapet that has survived to this day. The gorge itself deserves special attention. At a 5-meter height, if you count from its bottom, right on the rocky cliff, you can see several carved hieroglyphs. The inscription translates as "Jinchuan Citadel".

In the same province of Gansu, north of the Jiayuguan outpost, at a distance of only 8 km, there is a steep section of the Great Wall of China. It was built during the Ming period. It got this look due to the specifics of the local landscape. The bends of the mountainous terrain, which the builders had to take into account, "lead" the wall to a steep descent right into the crevice, where it runs smoothly. In 1988, the Chinese authorities restored the site and opened it to tourists a year later. From the watchtower, the panorama of the surroundings on both sides of the wall is superbly observed.

A steep section of the Great Wall of China

The ruins of the Yangguan outpost are located 75 km south-west of the city of Dunhuang, which in ancient times served as a gateway to the Celestial Empire on the Great Silk Road. In the old days, the length of this section of the wall was about 70 km. Impressive piles of stones and earthen ramparts can be seen here. All this leaves no doubt: there were at least a dozen sentinels and signal towers here. However, they have not survived to our time, except for the signal tower north of the outpost, on Mount Dundun.

The site, known as the Wei Wall, originates from Chaoyundong, Shaanxi Province, on the west coast of the Changjian River. Not far from here is the northern spur of one of the five sacred mountains of Taoism - Huashan, which belongs to the Qinling ridge. From here, the Great Wall of China moves in the direction of the northern regions, as evidenced by its fragments in the villages of Chengnan and Hongyan, of which the first is best preserved.

Wall conservation measures

Time has not spared this unique architectural object, which many call the eighth wonder of the world. The rulers of the Chinese kingdoms did everything in their power to resist destruction. However, from 1644 to 1911 - the period of the Manchu Qing dynasty - the Great Wall was practically abandoned and suffered even more destruction. Only the Badaling section was kept in order, and that was because it was located near Beijing and was considered the "front gate" to the capital. History, of course, does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, but if it were not for the betrayal of the commander Wu Sangui, who opened the gates of the Shanhaiguan outpost to the Manchus and let the enemy pass, the Ming dynasty would not have fallen, and the attitude to the wall would have remained the same - careful.

Deng Xiaoping, the founder of economic reforms in the PRC, paid great attention to the preservation of the country's historical heritage. It was he who initiated the restoration of the Great Wall of China, the program of which started in 1984. It was financed from a wide variety of sources, including funds from foreign business structures and donations from individuals. To raise money in the late 80s, an art auction was even held in the capital of the Celestial Empire, the course of which was widely covered not only in the country itself, but also by the leading television companies in Paris, London and New York. A lot of work was done with the proceeds, but sections of the wall far from tourist centers are still in a deplorable state.

On September 6, 1994, the Great Wall Themed Museum was inaugurated in Badaling. Behind the building, which resembles a wall in its appearance, is she herself. The institution aims to popularize the great historical and cultural heritage of this, without exaggeration, a unique architectural object.

Even the corridor in the museum is stylized under it - it is notable for its winding, along its entire length there are “passages”, “signal towers”, “fortresses”, etc. The excursion allows you to feel as if you are traveling along the real Great Wall of China: so much here everything is thought out and realistic.

Tourists note

The Mutianyu section, the longest of the fully restored wall fragments, located 90 km north of the capital of the PRC, has two funiculars. The first is equipped with closed cabins and is designed for 4-6 people, the second is an open lift, similar to ski lifts. Those suffering from acrophobia (fear of heights) are better off not taking risks and preferring a walking tour, which, however, is also fraught with difficulties.

Climbing the Great Wall of China is easy enough, but the descent can turn into a real torture. The fact is that the height of the steps is not the same and varies within 5-30 centimeters. Descending on them should be done with utmost care and it is advisable not to stop, because after a pause, it is much more difficult to resume the descent. One tourist even calculated: climbing the wall at its lowest section involves overcoming 4 thousand (!) Steps.

Time to visit, how to get to the Great Wall of China

Excursions to the Mutianyu site from March 16 to November 15 are held from 7:00 to 18:00, in other months - from 7:30 to 17:00.

The Badaling site is accessible from 6:00 to 19:00 in the summer and from 7:00 to 18:00 in the winter.

You can get acquainted with the Symatai site in November-March from 8:00 to 17:00, in April-November - from 8:00 to 19:00.

A visit to the Great Wall of China is provided both as part of excursion groups and on an individual basis. In the first case, tourists are delivered by special buses, which usually leave from Beijing Tiananmen Square, Yabaolu and Qianmen streets, in the second, public transport or a private car with a driver hired for the whole day is available to curious travelers.

The first option is suitable for those who are in the Middle Kingdom for the first time and do not know the language. Or, conversely, those who know the country and speak Chinese, but at the same time want to save money: group excursions are relatively inexpensive. But there are also costs involved, namely the considerable duration of such tours and the need to focus on other members of the group.

To get to the Great Wall of China, public transport is usually used by those who know Beijing well and speak and read at least a little Chinese. A trip by regular bus or train will cost less than even the most attractive group tour for the price. There is also a saving of time: an independent excursion will allow you not to be distracted, for example, by visiting the numerous souvenir shops where guides love to take tourists in the hope of earning their commission on sales.

Renting a driver with a car for the whole day is the most comfortable and flexible way to get to the section of the Great Wall of China of your choice. The pleasure is not cheap, but worth it. Wealthy tourists often book a car through the hotel. You can catch it just on the street, like an ordinary taxi: this is how many residents of the capital earn, willingly offering their services to foreigners. Just do not forget to take a phone number from the driver or take a picture of the car itself, so that later you will not look for it for a long time if the person leaves or drives off somewhere before your return from the excursion.

24 months ago

Along with the Egyptian pyramids, the Wall of China is considered one of the greatest architectural structures that have survived to this day. She owns many of the most diverse records, which are unlikely to ever be beaten. A national treasure of China and a surviving wonder of the world for the rest of mankind, the wall has attracted the brightest minds of world history and archeology for a long time.

With regard to the Chinese Wall, numerous theories, hypotheses, assumptions have been reliably proven, which, at first, seemed to be a utopia. But in recent decades, scientists have been haunted by the question of who actually built this very wall? Why is the “authorship” assigned to the Chinese nation by default, when a number of facts say exactly the opposite?

Some features of the wall will help you understand the grandeur and scale of this structure. It is officially believed (although not actually proven) that construction began in the 3rd century BC. NS. The work involved 1/5 of the then population of China. This is over 1 million people.

Its total length, including all branches, is 21,196 kilometers. This is approximately half the length of the equator of the globe. The thickness of the wall is about 5–8 meters, depending on the site. The height is also not the same - in the region of 7-10 meters. Besides:

• the total number of people involved in construction exceeded 2 million - about half of the population;
• during the construction, more than 300 thousand people died / died from various diseases, malnutrition, lack of water and other things;
• at first it was not a wall at all, but disparate structures that were much later connected to each other;
• the wall is a world cultural heritage site and is under the protection of UNESCO.

Myths and misconceptions

Naturally, throughout its history, such a grandiose in every sense of the building could not but be the object of constant delusional hypotheses, conjectures, and even outright lies. Consider that famous newspaper duck, launched by American journalists on June 25, 1899, according to which the Chinese government decided to tear down the wall in order to improve the performance of trade with other countries. Allegedly, the wall was very much in the way, so they decided to build a road in its place.

This misinformation was instantly picked up by a large number of American newspapers (the duck was launched from Denver), and then the news was spread by European newspapermen. In those days, information was transmitted many times slower than today, so falsification wandered around the world for a long time. The most famous misconceptions also include:

• the visibility of the wall with the naked eye from the surface of the Moon - according to rough estimates, this is equivalent to the fact that a person could see a hair from a distance of 3 kilometers;
• the visibility of the wall with the naked eye from the Earth's orbit - despite the testimony of numerous astronauts who supposedly saw the wall from space, this has not been proven for certain by anyone;
• the general mobilization for construction caused popular unrest, which is the reason for the fall of one of the most powerful Chinese dynasties, the Qin - in fact, participation in the work was forced, and any discontent was severely punished.

But, perhaps, the most interesting hypothesis, which has not yet been proven (nor refuted by anyone), puts the sole rights of the Chinese to the Great Wall under a question mark. Evidence is given that it was not built by the Chinese at all, as is commonly thought. And, I must say, some of this evidence looks quite plausible and comprehensive.

The essence of the hypothesis calling into question the rights of the Chinese to the wall

The original version, which is official to this day, is that the wall was erected by the Chinese in the form of a defensive structure, preventing the constant raids of nomads from neighboring countries. Everything coincides: the wall ran along the entire perimeter of ancient China, which, as an important trade center, suffered from attacks by motley groups. But one fact haunts scientists: the initial construction of the wall made it convenient to attack the territory of China, and did not imply an increase in its defense. Why did the Chinese build a wall from which it would be easier for their enemies to attack? There is no answer yet. The so-called loopholes on one part of the wall directed into the territory of China, and another state stretched beyond them. That is, it is logical that the wall was built by another people (peoples) for the war with the Celestial Empire.

Wall Builders - Alternate Version

The most popular version is that the construction of the wall was carried out by the people living in the ancient state of Tartary. Even the family ties of this people with the Slavs are indicated. By the way, numerous archaeological discoveries and finds, coupled with the construction (location) of the wall, only confirm this version. But so far scientists have not been able to work in this direction. Causes:

• the Chinese authorities at all times obstructed the study of the wall;
• due to constant restorations and natural destruction, many facts of historical value have become inaccessible.

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The visiting card of the Celestial Empire - the Great Wall of China - has been protected by UNESCO since 1987 as a historical heritage of the whole world. By the decision of the public, it is considered one of the new wonders of the world. There is no other defensive structure of this length on the planet.

Parameters and architecture of the "wonder of the world"

Contemporaries calculated the length of the grandiose Chinese fence. Taking into account the areas that have not survived, it is 21196 km. According to some studies, 4000 km have survived, others give a figure of 2450 km, if you connect the starting and ending points of the ancient wall with a straight line.

In some places its thickness and height reaches 5 m, in others it grows up to 9–10 m. On the outside, the wall is complemented by rectangles of 1.5-meter battlements. The widest section of the wall reaches 9 m, the highest from the surface of the earth - 7.92 m.

Real fortresses have been built at the guard posts. On the most ancient sections of the wall, every 200 m of fences there are towers made of bricks or stones of the same style. There are observation platforms and loopholes with storage rooms for weapons. The further from Beijing, the more often towers of other architectural styles are found.

Many of them have signal towers without interiors. From them the sentinels lit a fire, signaling the danger. For that time, this was the fastest way of warning. According to legend, during the reign of the Tang clan, watchmen placed women who were deprived of their legs on the towers so that they would not leave their posts without permission.

"The longest cemetery in the world"

The beginning of the construction of a grandiose Chinese structure dates back to the 7th century BC, the end - the 17th century. According to historians, at least 10 rulers of small Chinese provinces made efforts to build it. They fenced off their possessions with high mounds of earth.

Qin Shih Huang Ti united the lands of small principalities into a single empire, ending the two hundred year era of the Warring States. With the help of defensive fortifications, he decided to provide reliable protection of the state from the raids of nomads, especially the Huns. He ruled China from 246-210 BC. In addition to defense, the wall fixed the borders of the state.

According to legend, the idea was born after the prophecy of the court prophet about the destruction of the country by the nomads who would come from the north. Therefore, they originally planned to build a wall on the northern borders of the country, but then continued to build in the west, turning China into an almost impregnable possession.

According to legend, a dragon pointed out the direction and place of the wall to the emperor. A border was drawn in his footsteps. Some researchers claim that the view of the wall from above resembles a flying dragon.

Qin Shi Huang appointed the most successful general, Meng Tian, ​​to supervise the work. Uniting the already existing earthen ramparts, they were strengthened and completed by more than half a million slaves, peasants, prisoners of war and prisoners. The emperor was opposed to the teachings of Confucius, so he put all Confucian scholars in shackles and sent them to a construction site.

One of the legends says that he ordered them to be walled up in the wall as a sacrifice to the spirits. But archaeologists have not found confirmation of the ritualism of the single burials found in the towers. Another legend tells of the wife of a farmer, Meng Jiang, who brought clothes to her husband, who was mobilized for a construction site. But he had died by that time. No one could tell where he was buried.

The woman lay down against the wall and cried for a long time until a stone fell out, revealing the remains of her husband. Meng Jiang took them to her home province and buried them in the family cemetery. It is possible that workers who participated in the construction were buried in the wall. Therefore, the people called it “the wall of tears”.

Two millennium construction

The wall was completed and rebuilt in parts, from various materials - earth, brick, stones. Active construction was continued in 206-220 by the emperors of the Han clan. They were forced to strengthen China's defenses against the raids of the Huns. Earthen ramparts were reinforced with stones to protect them from destruction by nomads. All the rulers of China monitored the safety of defensive structures, except for the emperors of the Mongolian clan Yuan.

Most of the grandiose structures that have survived to the present day were built by the Ming emperors who ruled China in 1368-1644. They were actively engaged in the construction of new fortifications and the repair of defensive structures, because the new capital of the state - Beijing - was only 70 kilometers away, so the high walls were the guarantor of its safety.

During the reign of the Qing Manchu clan, fortifications lost their relevance, because the northern lands were under its control. They stopped paying attention to the grandiose structure, the wall began to collapse. Its restoration began at the direction of Mao Zedong in the 50s of the twentieth century. But during the "cultural revolution" most of it was destroyed by opponents of ancient art.

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