The Great Wall of China is the largest military structure in the world and one of its great wonders. It runs from east to west across northern and north-central China, winding through hills and mountains for about 4,500 miles. The United Nations declared it a World Heritage Site in 1987.
Parts of the Great Wall are over 2,000 years old. Rival rulers of small areas built earth and stone walls to mark their boundaries and as protection from northern invaders. Messengers also traveled along these walls to take messages from one ruler to another.
About 210 bc, Emperor Qin unified the country and ordered these individual sections to be connected. This took several centuries to complete. Qin and succeeding emperors used forced labor to build the wall higher, wider, and longer. Bricks and granite were used to reinforce old sections and to build new ones. Lookout posts and battle forts were constructed at intervals along the wall, and soldiers were stationed along it. The soldiers would light huge bonfires on the wall to signal danger.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a major renovation of the Great Wall began, which took 200 years to complete. The wall became much more elaborate in design and modern cannons were added at strategic positions.
The Great Wall lost its military importance in the modern era and many sections of the wall are in ruins or have disappeared. However, there is still great interest in the wall and previously undiscovered sections of it have been found in the last few years.
Today, the Great Wall is one of China’s most important tourist attractions. Each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors tour a well-preserved section of the wall located about 50 miles from Beijing. Parts of the wall are being restored, but it is a difficult and expensive process.
