Overview and History of the Great Wall of China

Introduction

The China’s Great Wall is one of the most spectacular and lasting structural feat ever conceived by the human mind. It is considered as the monument to the Chinese civilization constructed at extreme costs and under myriad sacrifices including loss of lives from hard labor for a worthy cause. The Great Wall, which is translated in Chinese as Chang Cheng was originally constructed to provide protection to the Chinese farmers from the marauding nomadic raiders who raided villages for food. The topics that follows attempt to elaborate the history of the Great Wall; the motives behind its construction; the design, materials, methods as well as the processes and labor that were applied in its construction.

The history of the Great Wall of China

The history of the Great Wall dates back to long before 221BC when people settled in vast China territory. The settlers adopted two main lifestyles; Farming and Nomadic lifestyles. According to O'Neill (18), the farmers planted crops and grains such as wheat, millet and barley. They also kept animals such as sheep and dogs. After the harvest, the farmers stored surplus food in their granaries, enabling them to have food throughout; even when the growing season was over. Due to their farming activities, the farmers were stationed in one place. On the other hand, the nomads travelled the land in search for food for themselves and pasture for their animals. Farmers’ villages became attractive location for the nomads to get food because farmers had stores of grains. As a result, nomads began invading the villages to take food. Invasion by the nomads and other neighbors caused the farmers to group themselves in villages and develop mechanisms of protecting themselves against the...

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...s, bricks and wood as well as lime and rice water. The key structures that were part of the Great wall included passes, garrisons, gates, pits, watch towers, beacons and temples. It is believed that more than 3 million men were used and majority of them died as a result of hard labour.

In 1984, President Deng Xiaoping recognized that the great Wall was a symbol of national heritage and cultural value and in 1987, UNESCO declared a section of the Great Wall at Badaling, a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Works Cited

Evans, Thammy. Great Wall of China: Beijing & Northern China. Connecticut: Bradt Travel Guides, 2006.

O'Donnell, Kerri. The Great Wall of China. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002.

O’Neill, Joseph R. Great Wall of China. Minnesota: ABDO, 2010.

Richardson, Adele. The Great Wall of China. Minnesota: The Creative Company, 2005.