The
Great Wall
Above
shows the Great Wall
The Great Wall,
fortification along the northern and northwestern frontier of
China, running from Jinwangdao (Chinwangtao) on the Gulf of
Chihli (Bo Hai or Po Hai) on the east to the vicinity of Gaodai
(Kaotai), Gansu (Kansu) Province, on the west, with an inner wall
running southward from the vicinity of Beijing almost to Handan
(Hantan). The largest portion of the wall was erected by Qin
Shihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, as a defense
against raids by nomadic peoples. Systematic work on the wall was
begun about 221 BC, after Qin Shihuang had united China under his
rule, and it was finished about 204 BC. Small sections of the
wall were probably already in existence, but Qin Shihuang is
supposed to have had some 1900 km (nearly 1200 mi) of the wall
erected during his reign. In succeeding centuries, chiefly during
the period of the Ming dynasty (AD 1368-1644), the Great Wall was
repaired and extended. The fortification finally reached a length
of about 2400 km (about 1500 mi), following the course of rivers
instead of bridging them and conforming to the contours of the
mountains and valleys in its path. The wall is built of earth and
stone, faced with brick in the eastern parts. It is from 4.6 to
9.1 m (15 to 30 ft) thick at the base (about 6 m/20 ft on the
average) and tapers to some 3.7 m (12 ft) at the top. The height
averages 7.6 m (25 ft) exclusive of the crenellated parapets.
Watchtowers about 12 m (40 ft) in height are placed at intervals
of approximately 180 m (approximately 200 yd). Several hundred
kilometers of the Great Wall remain intact in the eastern
reaches.
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