Great Wall Of China » purpleopurple.com

Great Wall of China

Shih Hyang Ti was a great Chinese emperor of the 3rd Century B.C. He ruled over all the cities of Northern China. These cities were repeatedly attacked by the nomadic warrior tribes called the 'Huns'. He ordered that the existing walls around the towns strengthened and connected to create a great wall protecting all the cities of his province.

The Great Wall of China is a superb work of military engineering and is built across the hills of Northern China. It took 300,000 men over 10 years to build the wall. It was built in mud and stone. The eastern sections were built in brick. In building the wall, Shih Hyang Ti emptied the royal treasury.

In 1324 Genghis Khan led his troops over the wall and established the Mongol dynasty. In 1368 the Ming Dynasty drove back the Mongols out of China. The Ming rulers transferred the Capital from Nanking to Peking. In 1420 emperor Yung Lo, rebuilt the Great Wall.

The height of the Wall is 22 feet to 26 feet (6.7 meters to 8 meters). At the base it was 21 feet (6.4 meters) thick tapering to 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide at the top. The top was layered with brick work and had battlements on the north side. Every 590 feet (180 m) there was a square watch tower with observation terraces. Arched gateways were built into the wall at regular intervals. At important mountain passes, the wall was doubled or even tripled across the caravan road for more protection. The wall is 2480 miles long.

The Great Wall of China is thought to be the only Man made structure on earth which could be seen from the Moon. Apart from the size, the wall follows the crests and valleys of hills and fits into the landscape. Because of this it is also considered a great work of art.