Channel Button

There are 6 articles on this title. You are reading the article ranked and rated #1 by Helium's members.

Arts & Humanities   >

Asian History

Get a Widget for this title

History: The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China, one of the world-famous man-made projects, has a length of 6,259.6 km (5,500 miles), claiming to be the longest wall in the world. It winds its way from the Tiger Mountain in Dandong of Liaoning province in the east to Jiayu Pass of Gansu province in the west, resting on the ridges of mountains with short sections landing on the plains in north China. It is a pride for this country, and it is one of the wonders in the world. The Great Wall has been standing there for over 2,300 years, a miracle of centuries with a legendary love story - Meng Jiangnv.

Talking about the history of the Great Wall, we need to trace back into the ancient history of China when there were wars between kingdoms and tribes - the Warring States Period at the end of Zhou Dynasty. In the north of China at that time, there were seven kingdoms rising - Lu, Qi, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, Qin - under the namely control of Eastern Zhou. The neighbors of Eastern Zhou in the north were pastoral tribes, which invaded the very northern kingdoms, including Qin, Zhao, and Yan, from time to time. In order to defend their kingdoms, the kings of Qin, Zhao, and Yan, ordered the people in their kingdoms to build fortifications in the north. This was the origin of the Great Wall.

1. The War Walls of Yan, Zhao, and Qin

The Great Wall was constructed by connecting the castles into fortifications, and the building of it was started before 300 BC, when the kingdoms of Qin, Zhao, and Yan in northern China faced threats from the pastoral tribes, such as Xiongnu. At that time, people in Qin, Yan, and Zhao began to build battle walls to fight against the invasion of the pastoral tribes. The reason was that the troops of the pastoral tribes moved much faster than the troops of Yan, Zhao, and Qin, because most of them were farmers. So, they built battle walls to defend themselves.

2. Qin Shinhuang and the Great Wall

Qin Shihuang, the emperor of Qin, was an ambitious person. Under his leadership, Qin became the strongest kingdom among the seven kingdoms. In 221 BC, he realized his dream to beat all the other kingdoms. After Qin Shihuang conquered all the six other kingdoms, he found that there were still threats from the pastoral tribes. So, he ordered his people to connect the battle walls together. It was the original shape of the Great Wall. At that time, it was much shorter than the one we see today. Most part of the Great Wall was made of stones, while some parts were constructed with rammed


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

History: The Great Wall of China

  • 1 of 6

    by Lisa Bells

    The Great Wall of China, one of the world-famous man-made projects, has a length of 6,259.6 km (5,500 miles), claiming to

    read more

  • 2 of 6

    by Megan Worley

    Wall building in China began long before the great wall itself was built. Discoveries of village walls and other tamped-earth

    read more

  • 3 of 6

    by Luohan Wei

    In Chinese mythology, the Great Wall is seen as a dragon, stretching itself across northern China, a staunch defender of

    read more

  • 4 of 6

    by Petr Janda

    The Great Wall of China - or the Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li, if you prefer its original name - is one of the greatest

    read more

  • 5 of 6

    by Tristan Ng Kien Hann

    The Great Wall of China, one of my favourite and one of the most magnificent Wonder of the World. I remember the first time

    read more

View All Articles on:
History: The Great Wall of China

Add your voice

Know something about History: The Great Wall of China?
We want to hear your view. Write_penWrite now!

Helium Debate

Cast your vote!

Who would win: the Byzantine Navy or the Chinese Navy

Click for your side.

127966

Featured Partner

International Journalists' Network

The International Journalists' Network (IJNet) is the world's premier resource for the media assistance community. It...more

What is Helium? | Buy Web Content | Contact Us | Privacy | User agreement | DMCA | User Tools | Help | Community | Helium’s Official Blog | Link to Helium

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA