The Great wall of China starts before the unification of China as a series of simple defensible structures between the warring states and the northern border. The warring states Chur, Qi, Wei, Han, Zhao, Yan, and Qin all had these defensible structures which were essentially walls. Slightly later the Qin who would unify China with a series of successful campaigns against the warring states around 220 B.C. would establish the first unified state dynasty. To further unify China the Qin dynasty would remove the defensible walls within the unified state. The Qin emperor Qin Shi Huang then saw the potential danger that was the mongolian soldiers of the north. There large military threatened the stability of new founded China, so emperor Qin devised …show more content…
There was a large degree symbolism that followed the creation process of the wall that is evidenced throughout the long stretching history of China. From that history one may observe that there is a lack of association in art, poetry, and books with the great wall of china. The people of China in truth saw the construction as a waste of money and time. There is a phrase that I rather like which stated only weak dynasties build walls, which shows how the everyday people of the Chinese dynasties saw it as truly ineffective in its entirety. Though considered a World Wonder of the Medieval age, the wall is often neglected and has been torn down in parts to build roads further creating a gap between the past and contemporary age of China. That is to say the entire wall is not overlooked as certain parts have been restored bring large groups of tourists with the most popular section of the great wall being the Badaling. UNESCO designated the Great Wall a World Heritage site in 1987. There was claims made that the great wall could be seen from the moon but those stories as it came to be were proven …show more content…
The official starting point of the wall begins with the Qin and travels from the xin, han, tang ,sui, jin, yuan, ming, shun, and to the Qing dynasty. The wall was built starting with the Qin over existing defensible barriers and as generations went on the wall would be improved upon, extended, and restored. The first line of defense is the wall itself essentially a dividing barrier the wall prevented quick movement from side to side but gave soldiers on the wall faster response time it acted as a large flat roadway. The second defensive capability is the watchtower which was built in intervals stretching the height of the wall sometimes to forty feet high. These lookout stations had a primary goal which was to act as signal stations, where beacons, flags, and smoke was used tell other sections of oncoming danger quickly. The third was large gates built between several mountain passes which allowed the chinese troops to move effectively throughout the terrain. The fourth was not always common to the wall being moats or ditches to stop direct contact to the wall. The construction of the wall brought about the need for technological advancements to defend the wall bringing about more sophisticated weaponry such as the crossbows, halberds, and gunpowder. The materials used to build the Great wall changed depending
The founder of the Qin dynasty was Qin Shi Huangdi, a title meaning “First Emperor.” He was a brutal ruler, but he brought about many changes. However, in addition to all the new, some old ideas were continued from the Zhou, such as the emphasis on the wheat and rice staple foods, and the philosophies, Confucianism and Daoism. The old continuities tended to have been deeply embraced by China, and, just as the Zhou did, the Qin would create some ideas that lasted, and some that did not. Qin Shi Huangdi enforced a tough autocratic rule and, as a result, opposed formal culture that could make people counter his rule. This meant that he burned many books and attacked Confucian ideas in order to keep the people from generating rebellious ideas. When the Qin dynasty fell, so too did the opposition towards education, because it took away from the civilization culturally. Despite the fact that the Qin dynasty was very short and had little time to fully develop its systems and ideas, it did pump out a vast quantity of new and lasting concepts, such as the Great Wall and a central government. One of the biggest contenders for the most well-known feature of the Qin dynasty is the Great Wall. This architectural masterpiece extends over 3,000 miles, and was mainly a
Building the wall was very dangerous. The would hire Han soldiers to work on the wall for two to five years. If people died while building the wall the would be bury them in the wall. The Qin worked on the Great Wall for ten years, they used a lot of laborers. They worked 7 day a week and had little food.
Around 220 CE the Han dynasty that rules China starts many attacks on the northern nomads. The Han have conquered and received new territories. Then repairs and builds about 10,000 kilometers of walls. This is the first time the Chinese are extending far west through the Gobi Desert. The Great Wall then takes on a new role which is protecting the Silk Road trade routes that connect China and the West.
During 221 BC, China went through a time called the Warring States Period. Emperor Shi Huangdi rose to power during this time and defeated his enemies and consolidated rule in China. Emperor Shi Huangdi was the first person to unify China in all of history. The emperor was able to use legalist policies to increases his power over his people. Shi Huangdi philosophy of legalism says that all people are evil, and harsh laws must be made to keep them in line. If people are left alone, they will act badly. During the Warring States Period
A description of the wall is necessary in order to provide a base for comparison with the rest of the story. Because we only get the narrator s point of view, descriptions of the wall become more important as a way of judging her deteriorating mental state. When first mentioned, she sees the wall as a sprawling, flamboyant pattern committing every artistic sin, (Gilman 693) once again emphasizing her present intellectual capacity. Additionally, the w...
After the Period of the Warring States and during the fourth and third centuries B.C.E., the Qin state of western China transformed its economic, political, and military development. With few obstacles holding them back, the Qin established a centralized, bureaucratic rule throughout their state. At the same time, they devoted their recently acquired wealth to the advancement of an organized military and the best iron weapons available1. Qin rulers attacked neighboring states and absorbed the new conquests into their bureaucracy until China was finally under the motion of a single state. In 221 B.C.E., Qin Shihuangdi declared himself the First Emperor, and like those who led the Qin before him, he ignored the noble blood and led a centralized
Desperate times call for desperate measures, sometimes you just have to massacre everyone that gets in the way in forming a unified state. Unification was achieved in China through warfare and violence, because of this people during this period devised technology that was soon beneficial for forming a unified state. Since warfare increased to a greater scale it came to a point where the war wasn’t just among the aristocrats but now involved a battle among the masses, a larger number of troops were involved; so they made use of horses, they made chariots, learned archery, developed the crossbow and studied horseback-riding which greatly developed the mode of transportation and communication that was needed in the unification of the state. Wars also caused the states to build walls to daunt foreign forces (Rossabi, 2014).
The Han Dynasty, the amazing Chinese era to have said to unified China for over 400 years old. This era in China’s history began in 206 B.C when a rebel armies rose up against the Qin army. One rebellion, led by Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang was later joined by Xiang Liang, Xiang Yu, Ying Bu, and Peng Yue joined forces with Liu Bang. The people of the Qin Dynasty were unhappy under the rule of Qin Shihuang who was ran his empire with an iron fist. His rule was absolute and disagreeing was punishable by death, though Emperor Qin was the one who to end the Warring States as well as complete the conquering of China in 221 B.C, thus expanding the Chinese state. After the takeover, Liu Bang took the name as Emperor of China and changed his given name to Emperor Gaozu and the Qin laws were abolished.
Over 10 million people every year visit the Great Wall of China. The most famous section of the wall, Great Wall Badaling, has been visited by over 300 heads of State and VIPs. Top 10 Interesting Facts about the Great Wall of China. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web.
The Great Wall of China is something that has stood for a culture for over two thousand years! It is a magnificent physical structure and cultural icon that represents an immense undertaking that shows a culture to the world.
From 1700 to roughly 220 BCE (before the Common Era), the region currently known as China was divided into six states: Qin, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Yan and Zhongshan, each ruled by different kings. These inter-warring states were already familiar with wall building techniques, each having constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. When Shih Huangdi, the young king of the ancient Chinese state of Qin (also spelled Ch’in, from which the word China derives), conquered each of the remaining five states in 221 BCE, the continuous warring finally came to an end. By conquering these states, Shih Huangdi established the Qin Dynasty, thus creating the first unification of China, and the first Chinese central government. In his efforts to make this new concept of centralized rule “stick”, as well as prevent the reemergence of feudal lords, Shih Huangdi ordered the destruction of the wall sections that divided his empire along the forme...
The Great Wall of China has been called a wonder by many who have seen it. It brings pride to the Chinese nation, and is known for being the only man made structure visible from space. The magnitude of The Great Wall is an architectural achievement as well as an example of the will power of man. Many find it hard to believe that such an amazing sight could have a history so filled with death, slavery and sadness as The Great Wall does. The Great Wall of China is one of the world's most famous architectural triumphs and has helped China throughout its history, even though its creation is marked by tragedy.
The Great Wall of China stretches about 5,500 miles long crossing deserts, mountains, grasslands, and plateaus. It took more than 2,000 years to build this incredible manmade structure. Many people died to build this wall. It displays the changes between the agricultural and nomadic civilizations. It proves that the superb structure was very important to military defense. It became a national symbol of the Chinese as a security for their country and its people. The Great Wall of China must be preserved at all cost because it is a historical symbol that made it possible for China and other nations across the world to prosper (UNESCO World Heritage Centre: The Great Wall).
Yet the general application of the wall has been used primarily to either wall something out, or to keep something walled in. The earliest walls were made with a human skill called stone masonry which is the skilled stacking of stones to form a cohesive structure. Walls as just a singular structure and not to be considered as part of an enclosed building with a roof, is a general subject that changes details from area to area. Walls the keep things in have generally been used as a way to border up local activities within a certain amount of space. Some more obvious examples of walls as barriers to keep things within the walls include; prisons, walled-in private communities, farm fences, and other examples where people want to maintain their own private space. Walls that can do the exact opposite of keeping substance inside are meant to be obstructions that keep other things outside from a space. National and private borders are an example of walling out unwanted factors. Security fences, walls as defensive locations, and walls simply placed for the sole purpose of obstruction are effective obstacles that humans have been building for centuries.