Hannah wrote about the unlikely feat that is the creation of the Great Wall of China. The astonishing achievement was completed with no modern technology. To think that the longest and tallest wall in the world was built 2500 years ago is truly mind boggling. –Architectural Achievements Editor: Roman Rickwood

By Hannah Hall

Most of you, if not all, have heard of the Great Wall of China. But, you probably only know it is an ancient wall in China that is still standing today. Wouldn’t you like to know more? Wouldn’t you like to know the history?? If you do want to know more, read on.

The Great Wall’s history starts in the Warring States period of China in the Zhou Dynasty (nearly 2500 years ago). China’s feudal lords began to build a wall to protect the dynasty from barbarians and intruders. This wall, however, wasn’t anywhere near ginormous. In fact, the wall wasn’t even a wall; it was multiple tiny walls! These small sections were individually constructed by different states as shields from potential conquerors. The cohesive building of a stronger and longer wall began later in the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the states in 221 BCE (history.com). And now that they were unified, they had many natural barriers such as the Tibetan Plateau and Pacific Ocean. But, to the north, there were only mountains to act as protection—which was not enough. The emperor then started to enlist soldiers, criminals, and peasants to connect many of the small walls that were built previously. That wall became known as the “Long Wall.” At this point, the wall was nearly 3,100 miles long! (history.com)

The Qin Dynasty merged into the Han Dynasty. They did not add much to the wall in length, but when they inherited the wall they realized it needed some work. So, they fortified it and acted out serious refurbishments. During the same time of this fortification, the Silk Road came about. Chinese Diplomat and Trader Zhan Qian opened this route to trade with other countries and empires such as Rome, Persia, India, and Greece. As this trade flourished, wars began, and the Wall weakened. Then somewhere along the line in the 1200s, the Mongols invaded and destroyed many entry points in the wall. 

Flashing forward, time went on, and more dynasty sponsored reparations and lengthening projects occurred. China’s importance and competitiveness as an empire rose and fell multiple times which led to the construction of the Wall also being sporadic and inconsistent. Then, in the 14th century, the Ming Dynasty worked on the Wall again, which failed; the Manchu invaded in the 17th century. The Qing Dynasty came into power and realized that communication was probably a better solution to peace than a wall. And since there was no use for the Wall, it fell into disrepair. Finally, the last restoration of the Wall occurred. The Great Wall of China was restored under Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Since then, it has held up. And, today, you can witness the Wall itself in China, all 13,000 miles of it. 

Although the Wall may not be used for the same purposes as it was in its prime, we can still observe the feat that it is. It is architecturally astounding! I hope this little history lesson leads you to dive deeper into more ancient architecture. There are bridges, buildings, and even forts out there! Get searching, and get learning. 

Editor: Roman Rickwood

Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-china/great-wall-of-china

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/silk-road