The Great Wall of China is a fine example of the finest man-made architecture in the world and is amongst the costliest developments on the planet. Spread along vast landscapes, this wall stands as a symbol of human prejudice and perseverance that has captivated the hearts and minds of people for centuries. The Chinese name of the wall is Wan Li Chang Cheng, the meaning of which is ‘the long wall of 10,000 miles’.
The Great Wall offers awe-inspiring history, breathtaking landscapes, and several hidden stories that have resulted to shape this magnificent architecture.
Checkout this list of some interesting facts about the Great Wall of China to know it better-
1. The wall is more than 20,000 km long
The Great Wall is an enormous architecture that is more than 20,000 kilometres long which makes it the largest manmade structure in the world. It goes around various areas from sea to desert covering several areas and spreading like a dragon.
2. It took more than 1900 years to build the wall
The construction of the Great Wall was started by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of united China around 220 B.C.E. who was a mastermind in the process of uniting walls. The construction of the wall took around 2,000 years to complete.
3. It is not just one wall, but a collection of walls
The great wall of China is not a single wall, it is a collection of walls joined by multiple towers, barriers, barracks, and other things on its way which together form an integrated defence system.
4. Sending to build walls was a common punishment
In ancient times, prisoners, peasants, convicts, etc. were sent for the construction of the wall as a form of punishment as the construction of the wall was very dangerous work to do and thousands of people lost their lives building it.
5. A variety of materials was used to build the wall
A variety of materials were used in order to build the magnificent monument. The material used in the building includes rocks, cut stone blocks, lime mortar, tamped earth, bricks, and much more things.
6. About one-third of the wall has disappeared
It is said that the Great Wall is changing all the time and by changing it means disappearing every year. Till now also, it is quite decreased from what it was believed to be during the Ming dynasty and it is also estimated that around one-third of the wall has already disappeared.
7. Visibility of the wall from the space
It is often said that the Great Wall of China is clearly visible from space, but this is a myth the wall cannot be seen from space without the help of any equipment.
8. The wall is called the longest cemetery in the world
While building the wall, thousands of labourers were required that included civilians, soldiers and convicts who lost their lives in the process as constructing it was a very dangerous task. Because of this reason, it is called the longest cemetery in the world.
9. The legend story of the cry of Meng Jiangnu
It is said that there was once a woman named Meng Jiangnu whose husband was forcibly sent to build the wall just three days after their marriage. She used to miss her husband so she decided to go visit him. But when she arrived at the site where her husband was recruited, she was informed that he had died of exhaustion and had been buried inside the wall. After which she cried so bitterly that the part in which he was buried collapsed and exposed his bones.
10. It starts from Shanhai Pass in the sea from the east and ends at Jiayu Pass in the desert to the west
The wall starts from the Shanhai Pass which is in the eastern part and is exposed to a sea and is also known as the ‘first pass under heaven’ and ends at Jiayu Pass in the western part which is exposed to the Gobi desert is one of the most preserved passes.
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