Great Wall of China: The Formidable Fortress of The Emperor and The State

The Great Wall of China has a lot of historical significance that has been famous the world over. Historically, it has several fortifications which were architecturally constructed, using the finest materials of stones, bricks and tampered earth, among others. As a whole, this famous historical landmark and tourist spot had been built along the bounds of the east and west lines of demarcation, across China’s ancient and historical borders; which was previously meant to protect the powerful Chinese Empire, along with its prototypical states, the intruding forces of the different nomadic groups, military incursions of those of warlike individuals and other state adversaries which might cause some hampering of their promising and insurmountable political stability, incomparable social order and flourishing economic development.

What is The Great Wall of China All About?
The Great Wall of China is actually a conglomeration of several other walls which had been formidably built at the onset of the 7th century BC. Among the famous structures which comprised the Great Wall, was the one which had been constructed between the 220-206 BC, by the very first Chinese emperor named as Qin Shi Huang. However, this particular wall had little remains in the world of Chinese history and culture.

The Great Wall of China

Effects of The Little Remains of China’s Great Wall on History and Culture
Consequently, the aforementioned architectural problem had great and tumultuous effect on the Great Wall of China as a whole. These were summarized as follows:

• The construction of the Great Wall of China had become intermittent
• Most of the remaining walls’ constriction had been continued during the era of the Ming Dynasty

Topography
The Great Wall of China stretches from the from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. Based on its topographical information, which had employed the most comprehensive and sophisticated archaeological survey tools through the use of the most innovative methods, those basic historical details were concluded and briefly summarized as follows:

• All the walls had equal measurements of 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi).^[3][7][8]
• The actual wall sections of the Great Wall had approximate measurements of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi)
•  The trenches had a mensuration of 359.7 km (223.5 mi) Its natural and overpowering defense barriers like rivers and hills had dimensions of 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi)

Characteristics of the Great Wall of China
During the Ming Dynasty, the exquisite bricks of the Great Wall were further modified by using tiles, stones and walls. Speaking of the sizes of those bricks, they had been so advantageous to a larger extent because the leading key players in the construction of the Great Wall had found it much easier to build the wall; until it was finally completed. Moreover, the weight of those slabs had made it possible for the Great Wall of China to last all these years, whatever upheavals might cross its path.

Why Was It That The Stones of The Great Wall Were Rectangular?
Aesthetically, the stones of the Great Wall of China were cut in rectangular shapes in order to be used as foundations of its outer and inner brims, as well as its gateways. Last but not the least, China’s Great Wall have battlements lines on the uppermost levels of the most ancient and stalwart walls in world history.

By the way, battlement lines are defined as “short walls” within which the cut portions had been made with equal and perfect intervals, to allow missiles and arrows to be discharged if the need arises.

Physical Conditions of The Great Wall of China
Though some essential portions of Beijing and adjacent tourists centers had been preserved for tourism purposes and renovation in the most extensive architectural methodologies; still, there were sections of the Great Wall of China which were in disgusting dilapidation.
If only those sections were given paramount architectural attention by previous dynasties; therefore, it would have been used as playgrounds of the wall’s surrounding villages or as a source of the one-of-a-kind stones, used to rebuild or construct houses. Unfortunately, it is heartbreaking to know that there were parts of the historic wall which were deliberately vandalized and had been scribbled with senseless graffiti.

Great Wall’s Height Modified
On the other hand, due to some unexplained reasons, the height of the wall was lessened to about five meters, to less than two meters.

Aesthetic Significance of The Great Wall’s Square Towers
As for the square looked towers of the Great Wall of China, they had magnificently characterized and resembled the imminent images of the wall which had unfortunately “gone with the wind”. Despite of those inevitable circumstances, there were some portions of the wall which were made from mud. Thus, making the greatest landmark and tourist attraction more vulnerable to soil erosion.

Economic Advantages of China’s Great Wall
The Great Wall of China have been built with a purpose. Some of them are enumerated below:

• The Great Wall of China was built to use it for border control objectives like check points. In turn, the various imperial governments of China will have the right and the power to tariff goods which are being transported via the “Silk Road”
• The Great Wall of China will pave the way for the regulation of trade. (a classic example is the trade between the merchants of horses and silk traders)
• To have an utmost control of the immigration and emigration routes
• The watch towers of the Great Wall had been constructed and employed for defense agendas, along with the other features of the wall such as garrison stations, barracks and the signing capabilities through the indigenous use of fire and smoke
• The path of the Great Wall of China had been perfectly used as a transportation corridor

Why Is The Great Wall of China Worth Seeing?
The strong and dynamic fortress of the first emperor of China was worth visiting because of two main reasons:

1. The Great Wall of China was said be visible from the moon
2. Scientific experts can have a glimpse of the Great Wall from the lower orbit of the earth

What Are Some of the Notable Tourists Attractions Surrounding The Great Wall of China?
The Great Wall of China is a tourist attraction by itself. But aside from its magnificent architecture, it is surrounded by other numerous tourists’ attractions in Beijing China. In a rundown, below, are some of them.

1. North Pass – To historians, this place is known to be as the “Badaling”. This section of the Great Wall, was used by the ancient Chinese to protect their precious land. To do so, the North Pass had many guards to strongly defend China’s capital
2. West Pass – The fort that is near the edges of the Great Wall
3. Pass of Shanhaiguan.- This fort is  close to the Eastern edges of the Great Wall of China

In summation, the Great Wall of China is a reflection of diverse social personas, which had greatly influenced the way of life of the Chinese people.

Category: Travel