THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

While the great wall of china is not one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, it is typically included in the seven wonders of the medieval world.

In 1987, the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization placed the Great Wall on its list of the worlds great national and historical sites.

A popular legend about the Great Wall is the story of Meng Jiang Nu, a wife of a farmer who was forced to work on the wall during the Qin Dynasty. When she heard her husband had died while working the wall, she wept until the wall collapsed, revealing his bones so she could bury them.At one time, family members of those who died working on the Great Wall would carry a coffin on top of which was a caged white rooster. The rooster's crowing was supposed to keep the spirit of the dead person awake until they crossed the Wall; otherwise, the family feared the spirit would escape and wander forever along the Wall.Historian Arthur Walden established that the popular concept of one Great Wall, and even the name itself, entered Chinese consciousness not directly from the Chinese tradition, but rather through European sources who idealized the walls.

The length of all Chinese defense walls built over the last 2,000 years is approximately 31,070 miles (50,000 km). Earth's circumference is 24,854 miles (40,000 km).

The highest point of the Great Wall is in Beijing at Heita Mountain (5,033 feet/1,534 meters). The lowest point is at Laolongtou (sea level).

The Great Wall has often been compared to a dragon. In China, the dragon is a protective divinity and is synonymous with springtime and vital energy. The Chinese believed the earth was filled with dragons which gave shape to the mountains and formed the sinew of the land.

The Great Wall of China has been called the longest cemetery on Earth. Over a million people died building the Wall and archaeologists have found human remains buried under parts of the wall.

The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.).

This is a very complicated question as many dynasties in Chinese history built, modified or extended the Great Wall. The latest construction took place in Ming Dynasty and the length built was over 6,000 kilometres.(The last investigation in 2009 show that the length of the Great Wall in Ming is 8,851.8 kilometres.) This is the one often referred to when we talk about the Great Wall. However, if including all the walls built in different dynasties around China, the total length will exceed 50,000 kilometres.(The precise total length of Great Wall confirmed by the latest research work in 2012 is 21,196.18 km.

TEST QUESTION

• Who build the Great Wall of china
• A. Qin Shi Huangdi
• B. Kung fu pandora
• C. Wu wang
• D. Liu Bang

RESOURCES

• http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/04/18_great-wall.html
• the great wall of china interesting facts
• http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/05/04_china.html

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